A former Lode and Picco Leo pastry chef has opened a space of his very own in Darlinghurst and it really is the stuff of legends.

Yeongjin Park has reimagined sweet treats by injecting his Korean flair into traditional French techniques at Tenacious Bakehouse in Darlinghurst. The result is puff pastries so flakey you’ll need a bib, and fillings that skirt the realm of the not-too-sweet. Seasonal specials like the vibrant and refreshing grape tart, or buttery croissants stuffed with cabbage are obvious drawcards but if you really want to get serious; the Portuguese tarts are where it’s at.

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Sydney’s love affair with the pastel de nata is a fiery one, with many pledging their allegiance to Tuga in the east or Sweet Belem in the west but we’re here to draw a line in the sand and say Park may have perfected the craft. Not exactly traditional, the brick-shaped pastry shell is double the size of a regular Portuguese tart, with a thicker layer of pastry but the silky interior and consistently crisp shell are a revelation.

The burnished skin borders on scorched and holds the ordinarily saccharine interior back from the edge meaning devouring the whole giant tart is a walk in the park (which you may need afterwards).

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The menu offers a veritable globetrot, departing Portugal and heading to Japan with takoyaki croissants topped with flaked smoky bonito, before skipping over to Korea for a injeolmi croissant pastry that meets somewhere between a powdered doughnut and a Korean rice cake. A jaunt to Italy for a pandoro stuffed with sweet and bitter matcha custard and you’ve got more stamps in your passport than a student on their gap year.

A humble and stark, yet warm and inviting fit-out lets the pastries do the talking at Tenacious Bakehouse and by the looks of the daily specials posted on the team’s Instagram, there’s plenty to talk about.

Tenacious Croissant
101 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst
Tue – Sun, 8am – 4pm
instagram.com/tenacious.croissant