Authentic artisan handcrafted bakery products, delectable sourdough pizzas and a unique “new world” baking style—these are what The Bistro Group and Kiwi baker, celebrity foodpreneur, TV presenter, and author Dean Brettschneider promise to deliver with their introduction of two new food concepts – Baker & Cook, and Plank Sourdough Pizza.
Baker & Cook is best known for its artisanal bread, tarts and Bambolinis (custard-filled doughnuts). In 2012, it started out as a small neighborhood cafe in Singapore and has been a hit since day one. Meanwhile, Plank Sourdough Pizza, a spin-off of the artisan bakery, serves pizza using Baker & Cook’s signature sourdough as the crust.

These two share the same spot at S Maison, with spacious interiors that allow customers to move and cross-order from one restaurant to another. With his new ideas and non-traditional approach to the kitchen, Brettschneider’s new world baking style is the highlight for both food establishments, where he shares his travel experiences and brings in a little bit of America, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Germany, France (and a host of other places he has been to) to every item—sprinkling his mantra of adding his own twists to the basics.
Live, love loaf
Baker & Cook offers all-day breakfast starting at 7 a.m. At any time of the day until 10 p.m., should you have a craving for roasted coffee, paired with delicious cake and pastry; salmon quiche with hot pie; or Bambolinis and salads, you now know where to go.
The first thing you’ll see when you step into the store are the products because according to Brettschneider, they are the heart and hero of the bakery. The place offers an array of bread such as bagels, cannel and croissants from all over the world, like Germany, France and Italy.
Their croissants give you a taste of “good quality New Zealand butter,” with its thick crust and soft insides.

Their sourdough is love at first bite, with the fermentation of the dough making it tastier and softer with its spongy texture, and leaving your taste buds with a sweet-sour sensation.
Baker & Cook’s cakes also get top marks with its elegantly presented carrot cake and New Zealand specialty chocolate lamington taking center stage. The carrot cake is loaded with walnuts with a light frosting of cream cheese for a salty bit of contrast, and topped with pumpkin seeds and dried fruit.
Meanwhile, the lamington is a soft pillowy sponge covered with a thick layer of chocolate and rolled in coconut.
Plank Sourdough Pizza
“I’m part baker and part businessman, so I was looking for something that will complement Baker & Cook. And since pizza is basically bread with toppings on it, I put up Plank,” Brettschneider succinctly explains of his bakery’s succulent sidekick.

Plank uses their signature sourdough bread handcrafted from a combination of flours fermented up to 48 hours with natural wild yeast called “levain,” salt, water and extra virgin olive oil. This unique approach (kneaded by hand, no use of rolling pins) results in pizzas with super pillowy soft crust with the perfect touch of crispiness.
Plank has a basic menu of seven handcrafted pizzas (created with 100 percent sourdough), salads, starters, dessert and some Filipino favorites.
Some must-try’s include the Pizza 3 (wild mushrooms, shrimp, salmon, capers and rockets loaded with special cheesy sauce and more cream cheese on top), BBQ chicken with cranberries, smoked salmon and truffle mushroom pizzas.

Baker & Cook is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., while Plank Sourdough Pizza is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Both are located at the G/F S Maison Conrad.
 
By VIA BAROMA