Pineapple bun @ Bonbon Bakery
38 Berry St, Liverpool, L1 4JQ
My mental map of the city centre is bisected by Berry Street. Below it everything flows down to the waterfront, above it is the climb to Hope Street.
I used to think of these two ‘sections’ as having different and distinct characters — as you make your way to the waterfront, the city is a party (Concert Square, Mathew Street, the Albert Dock) at the top end of town everything was a bit more serious and genteel (the Georgian terraces, the cathedrals, the Everyman).
If that was ever true it isn’t now, but have found it a difficult idea to dislodge. For me Berry Street will always be somewhere to stop off before heading up or down into town — whether that’s a glass of wine at Bunch, a bowl of char sui noodles at Big Bowl or — as is more often the case — a pineapple bun at Bonbon Bakery.
For more than ten years, Bonbon Bakery has been turning out Hong Kong and Cantonese-style cakes, buns and treats — from steamed pork buns, to sesame seed-flecked honey cakes to red bean paste rice balls to sausage rolls (sweet and salty rolls filled with small sweet and salty hot dog sausages).
The real pick here though is the previously mentioned pineapple bun. Named for the cracked pattern on the crisp, crumbly crust of the roll rather than the fruit (which doesn’t feature at all in the recipe) the ones here are filled with a not-too-sweet coconut jam.
Two tips — they don’t accept card or mobile payments (unless you have WeChat) but you can send them the cash via PayPal. And be sure to get there early in the day if you want one of the more popular buns, they sell out fast.
