You'd be forgiven for not even noticing the fact that tiny CBD bakery-cafe Kudo, with its wafting scent of freshly baked bread and tempting-looking pastries, is entirely 100-percent gluten-free.
Nestled around the side of The Hotel Windsor's ground level, this hole-in-the-wall spot is the work of husband-and-wife chef duo Felix Goodwin and Elena Nguyen whose combined CV includes Saigon Sally, The European and Sunda. Two years in the making, Kudo was born out of the couple's desire to find reliably tasty baked goods they could both enjoy (Goodwin is a coeliac).
Through extensive research, experimentation and taste-testing, the pair has created a daily-changing menu of creative cakes, pastries, breads and other gluten-free treats to star at their diminutive debut venture.
Native ingredients get quite a look-in here, via creations like their take on a classic Taiwanese pineapple cookie finished with a vibrant coating of pink Davidson Plum powder, and the rye-style miche loaf featuring wattleseed and miso.
Traditionally crafted canelés might come in flavours ranging from lemon brûlée to ondeh ondeh (a Southeast Asian dessert of glutinous rice balls flavoured with pandan). You can get a further sweet tooth fix with various choux puffs (perhaps an intriguing genmaicha version with Vegemite milk mochi and puffed rice), or the chewy Mars Bar-inspired cookie with chocolate and wattleseed. The rotating lineup of gluten-free breads could include anything from sesame rolls to a new take on a Danish-style seeded rugbrød.
You can admire Kudo's timber-filled, terrazzo-floored fitout by architect Kei Kitayama as you wait for your Ona coffee. And stay tuned for a soon-to-launch online pre-order service.
Images: Parker Blain