Art and design merge with croffles in the Hunter Street Mall
There’s no doubt that dining out is a multi-sensory experience. Our eyes usually start the process, with our tongues going along for the tasting ride. Smells, sounds and touch also come into play, and in the case of La Bae on Hunter St, each of your senses are shaken awake from the moment you arrive.
Kate Lieu is the creative behind La Bae, a bright new addition to Newcastle’s Hunter Street Mall, and her first step into the world of hospitality.
Rolling her love of art and design together with her obsession for food, Kate moved to Australia 10 years ago and explains La Bae is not only a reflection of her Vietnamese heritage, but a mix of Asian influences that Kate has been drawn.
Owner of La Bae - Kate Lieu
Let’s start with the interiors: floor to ceiling white grabs attention, as does the roughly finished wall surface that creates a unique textural finish and one you can’t help but want to run your hands over.
The loungy style chairs have you getting comfy very quickly, and set the scene for what is a not-so-ordinary cafe experience.
When it comes to the food, the menu features many cafe favourites, but we were instantly drawn to the Croffle Desserts ('croissant waffle'). Made using a waffle iron to sandwich the croissant to create a crispy base, Kate has created a range of flavours that cater to both the sweet and savoury tooths including: strawberry, oreo, biscoff, chocolate, mixed berries and matcha.
With the dream to become a fashion designer one day, Kate has in the meantime redirected her eye and attention to detail to La Bae, and we couldn't be happier. Speaking with Kate she explained that her love of art, fashion and all things design has inspired much of her interior and menu selections.
“I love going out for good food and coffee and when I got this space I wanted to do something different, white is a risk, but I love it.”
The selection of quality cutlery, quirky coffee cups and spectacular saucers, together with the beautiful arrangement of table vases and candles has brought Kate’s personality into the space in an understated, and memorable way.
When it comes to the food we do need to give you the heads up, as requested by Kate, that her dishes do take some time to prepare, so you’ll need to be a little patient once you’ve placed your order. However, once your dish arrives, you’ll understand, and appreciate why.
On our visit we ordered the smoked salmon and poached egg with mixed salads, dill cream cheese and edible flowers, all of which were strategically placed over a slice of sourdough with the utmost of care.
Then came the croffles… and WOW!
With a selection of both sweet and savoury to choose from you’ll want to take a friend, or two, along so you can experience as many flavours as possible.
It cannot be understated just how beautiful Kate’s food is, you can feel the love and passion that has gone into creating a dish, with each being constructed to absolute perfection.
These little works of art aren’t just nice to look at, they’re buzzing with flavour. The croffles are made to order each time with Kate saying all of the sauces are handmade in house, and it’s this process that she loves the most.
The drinks menu is equally as impressive, and unique in flavour. Choosing to work with premium organic Matcha powder from Japan and Thailand, Kate says she has sourced specific brands so as to achieve the best and freshest Matcha flavours possible.
The salted Vietnamese iced coffee is a flavour sensation, as are the many different matcha options. However, if you’re looking for something with a cutesy edge, the Teddy bear vanilla iced coffee cannot be overlooked.
La Bae is one of those venues that will leave a lasting impression. Kate has plenty of plans up her artistic sleeve, so don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of reasons to revisit.
