7 am and the kitchen at Amano is buzzing as the prep work begins for a busy day. The coffee and croissant clients come through the door at first, but these are bread-based meals being created for takeaways at the bakery next door.
The bakery sits right behind the location where the bread is being sold. The design is flawless, allowing the bakers to place freshly baked bread on the shelves (right hand side in pic), without any to and fro movement.
Amano in Britomart is striking even when there aren’t any clients. The flooring of Amano comprises of random large pieces of polished marble These were placed using a stone adhesive, which was then was self-levelled around the stone pieces to create a polished floor to end up with a glossy white finish. The overall effect is pretty dramatic, evoking ancient Roman ruins in a thoroughly modern setting.
In the summer, a zillion strawberries go through the blender. In the winter, the bar is a little quieter in the mornings.
Several coffee machines can be found through Amano. This particular machine overlooks the street and it’s not unusual to see fire trucks pull up for some coffee.
Fireman complete with fire truck, out for a morning coffee.
Fire truck with firemen (well, mostly men) out for their morning coffee.
The pastry section at Amano.
How many croissants are made in a day? Well, it depends on the day itself, but a few hundred are quite normal for the weekends.
Warm, freshly baked bread. A real treat.
Warm, freshly baked bread. A real treat.
Warm, freshly baked bread. A real treat.
Warm, freshly baked bread. A real treat.
The rear end of the bakery. Where the bread process takes shape.
Seating at Amano is usually based on first come, first serve. When the cruise ships come into port, it’s almost impossible to find a table. However, even with the country borders closed during the Covid-years, the restaurant was remarkably filled with hungry patrons.