Mibo, in Enfield Street, Mt. Eden. The word “Mibo” is “bread” in Shangainese. Shanghainese, also known as the Shanghai dialect, is a variety of Wu Chinese, which is a group of Chinese dialects spoken in the southeastern coastal regions of China.
It’s Sunday morning, so a “late start” is acceptable. By 6 am, Lucia and Chris are already hard at work.
The almond croissants getting ready before the bakery opens at 8 am. On weekdays, you can get to the croissants by 7:30 am.
Traditional croissants, made from layers of buttery pastry dough, have been a staple of French bakeries for centuries. The addition of almonds to croissants is said to have been a variation invented by French bakers in the 1950s or 1960s. According to one story, a French baker in Paris invented the almond croissant by using leftover almond cream (frangipane) from a pastry called the galette des rois to fill croissants. The combination was a hit with customers, and the almond croissant quickly became a popular pastry in France.
By around 7:50 am, a queue is already forming in anticipation of an 8 am start. Suddenly, there’s a flurry of activity as the doors open and the tables and stools are placed outside.
Emma Zhao, owner of MIBO.
Soy, almond, coconut, oat, rice, hemp and cashew. Guess which milk goes into these mini jugs!
Elma wraps up yet another takeaway. The shop closes once the pastries and bread is sold out. On Saturday, everything sold out in just under four hours.
Mibo adds Chinese flavours into their pastries. Flavours such as red beans, sesame, naisu, bolo bao, pineapple paste. Sweetened red bean paste, made from boiled azuki beans, is a popular filling in many Chinese pastries, including mooncakes, buns, and dumplings. Naisu, also known as custard or egg custard, is a popular filling in Chinese pastries such as egg tarts (dan tat).
Bolo bao, also known as pineapple buns, are a type of sweet bun that are often filled with butter and sometimes a slice of pineapple. The name “pineapple bun” comes from the appearance of the topping, which resembles the texture of a pineapple. Finally, pineapple paste is a sweet filling made from pineapple puree and sugar that is commonly used in Chinese pastries such as pineapple cakes.
