The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie – French Bakes in Lavender

A study has shown that food we perceive to have been ‘made with love’ tastes better. And today, I can firmly say that this study is proven to be true given what I have tasted at The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie. Fuelled by her passion, Elaine, the owner of The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie left her corporate job to pursue her baking dreams. She enrolled herself into the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Boulangerie course in Tokyo, Japan, and in May 2022, Elaine made the decision to open her own bakery, The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie. And we are definitely thankful she did!

The bakery has a simple layout, with a few tables for dine-in customers, a counter for ordering, and a kitchen at the back. The glass shelves feature two rows of beautiful, mouth watering bakes, so you can take a look before deciding what to get. Or perhaps, it makes the choice much more difficult, because after taking a look, I wanted to get everything! Having to watch my weight, I got only three different bakes, Le Mango Passion Fruit Cube ($6.50), the classic Kouign Amann ($4.80), and the Viennoiserie à la Tartiflette ($6.50).

Talk about a pastry that tastes as good as it looks, Le Mango Passion Fruit Cube contains sweet, tangy, mango and passionfruit cream on the inside, and is topped with vanilla frosting. The pastry was light and airy, with a crispy exterior, and the filling was just the right mix of sweetness and sourness. Often when eating sour food, a sharp sour punch makes me scrunch up my face as I take my first bite, but this did not happen with Le Mango Passion Fruit Cube. The filling just makes you want to lick up everything. While the vanilla frosting on top definitely gives it its 10/10 look, it was a bit too sweet for my liking. The only downside to this pastry is that it is one you wouldn’t want to eat on a first date situation. With its boxy shape, it was quite hard to figure out how to eat it, especially deciding how to fit it into your mouth. Do you take a bite from the corner and drop the crumbs all over? Or do you tear it into half?

Next, we have the standard Kouign Amann — buttery, sugary, sinful indulgence. Coated with a layer of brown sugar on top, the Kouign Amann was crispy on the surface, and soft, chewy and buttery on the inside. The sugary exterior helps to bring out the fragrance of the buttery pastry without being too sweet. Although it was a bit too chewy on the inside, this pastry was made to almost perfection.

I love leaving the best to the last, so that I can finish the meal with the taste of my favourite item lingering in my mouth. From its name, you can tell that the Viennoiserie à la Tartiflette is inspired by the French dish, tartiflette, a dish usually made with potato, cream, cheese, bacon, and onions. Similar to the French dish, this pastry was topped with mushrooms, potato cubes, and garlic bits. Keeping up to the standards,, the crust was flaky, crispy, and light, just like the other pastries. The combination of potatoes and mushrooms delivers complex yet amazing flavours, complementing the buttery pastry very well. It is very good if you’re looking for something savoury to snack on, and it’s even better if it was warmed up beforehand. One of this is certainly not enough, so make sure you get at least 2!

Overall, I really enjoyed the pastries at The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie, and I now believe that it really makes a difference when food is made from the heart. Elaine also wishes that the bakery will be somewhere comfortable for fellow pastry lovers to unite and walk out of this bakery having found friendships in fellow pastry lovers. Next time you are around Lavender, be sure to make a little detour just for The Lunar Rabbit Boulangerie, and who knows, you might leave not just with a pastry in hand, but maybe a new friend as well!