Bourke Street Bakery is a very popular bakery in Sydney, with 12 locations around Sydney and one that opened up just a few months ago in NYC. Apparently it’s a bit like the Tartine (SF) of Sydney.
I visited the original location of Bourke Street bakery, located on a corner of Bourke Street (naturally) in Surry Hills on a late afternoon. I believe they usually have long lines out the door that move quickly, but this afternoon they weren’t that busy. It’s a very small space, with a counter and a few seats against the window inside along with a few tables outside.
I had a sausage roll, which is kind of a British/Australian delicacy. Sausage rolls are basically sausages wrapped in a pastry shell. This one was filled with pork and sausage and was warm and delicious. The filling had the texture of a moist porky meatloaf or meatball, with also a good hit of fennel from the whole fennel seeds mixed in. The crust was nice and flaky. It came with a packet of tomato sauce, which is what Australians call ketchup.
I also tried one of their ginger brûlée tartlets. Basically a little tart filled/topped with a crème brûlée. Also great! It had a nice thick burnt caramel top that shattered nicely and a few pistachio bits for some more crunch. Very gingery custard filling.
This was the best sausage roll that I’ve had (I’ve had like 3 sausage rolls ever ). I wish they were more common here in the US. They are everywhere in Australia, one can even get them at the 7-11.
Just a slight correction - they don’t have sausages in them, they are generally filled with minced meat most often pork.
This one is pork mince and fennel, they also do a very good lamb mince and harrisa with nuts.
I suspect the name comes from the shape rather than wrapping sausages in pastry as I have never had a UK/Australian one with skin. I China they do bake mini frankfurters in pastry for their version though.
And not to be confused with two other delicacies. The “Sausage Sangar” - a sausage sandwich (sausages between two slices of bread), and the “Sausage in bread with sauce” a single slice of bread with a sausage placed diagonally and then folded with tomato to sauce. The latter is a tradition to raise money for charity at hardware stores on the weekend and voting booths (the democracy sausage) during elections.
Thanks for that, explains the meatloaf like consistency. There does exist a dish called pigs in a blanket (American?) that has actual little sausages encased in dough.
Oh yeah I have read about that one, I was deciding between the pork and fennel vs the lamb and harissa sausage rolls but ended up trying the more “classic” version.
Interesting! The sausage in bread with sauce sounds pretty good. Lower bread to meat ratio than a hotdog bun. Reading the article it sounds like the long bread idea messed with this ratio. Might as well use a hotdog bun in that case?
). I wish they were more common here in the US. They are everywhere in Australia, one can even get them at the 7-11.