For Shannon and team, MICA is an extension of the King Street Bakery concept, taking the patisserie and boulangerie to the next level, sharing a space with an a la carte brasserie dining experience. The two will complement each other and work in unison – the presentation of the boulangerie’s bread at the MICA brasserie will have a certain theatre to it, and a selection of sweets and gateaux, fresh from the patisserie, will be presented to diners at their table to choose from for dessert. Shannon and Clare’s vision is to bring the waterfront Promenade to life with MICA – once fully operational, expect to see Hamptons-style deck chairs overlooking Breakfast Creek, which, with newly replaced pontoons to activate the precinct, will be a hive of activity. MICA will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between – hello, sunset tapas and cocktails.
For the first phase of the MICA concept, given the current coronavirus crisis, Shannon and team have opened the patisserie on its own, serving takeaway coffees, breads, pastries and gateaux from its bright and breezy space on The Promenade, overlooking Breakfast Creek. The team behind MICA – which oversees all operations across the group – is exceptionally strong. Front of house, general manager Romain, sommelier Alexis and bar manager Dave (all ex-Merivale) are all hands on deck until MICA is in full swing, manning the coffee machines and guiding patrons through the mouth-watering selection of buttery pastries, artisan breads and decadent sweets. Behind the scenes, Shannon and his team (including head pastry chef Julien, head artisan baker Benjamin and pastry chef and chocolatier Yasmin) are busy upstairs in The Kneadery, the central state-of-the-art pastry production kitchen for King Street Bakery, MICA, Lumiere Events & Culinary Studio and a yet-to-be-named premium rooftop event space (another huge concept to evolve this year for the team). From here, every single item is made from scratch, from the rye breads right down to the premium chocolate Easter eggs delicately balanced on the counter.
Now, because you’re dying to know what buttery goodness you can wrap your mitts around, allow us to give you a quick run through. The selection at MICA will be ever changing, but expect to find the likes of sugar-topped brioche loaves, Nutella cruffins, flaky palmier, chocolate royal cakes, cannelés, caramel choux, crusty sourdough bread and piping-hot lamb pasties straight from the oven. And of course, croissants. Oh, so many croissants.
MICA Brasserie’s patisserie is open now – head to our Stumble Guide for opening hours and contact details. If you’re craving some French sweetness over the Easter weekend, MICA will be open Easter Saturday and Sunday.