Bake

Bake, by Twin Palms, is the embodiment of the new ultra chic Phuket: sleek design, minimalist furniture, outdoor dining area, and the grand pomposity of such a bakery in a third-world country.

I went there to discuss a few business details with a friend. She suggested it, I think because she was invited to the opening of their new outlet in the northern part of the island. In any event, I arrived there a bit early and looked around. I was really hungry, but just looking at the tiny little cakes set individually beneath what looks like a jeweler's case with about a respectful distance, to better match their stature, between each item, put me off.

I ended up only ordering a latte. When my friend arrived, she asked for the menu. She didn't want another coffee that day, so she asked if there were any fruit juice, no, tea, no, water, OK. We talked for about ten minutes, and then the staff told us that the bakery closed at seven PM. "Great!" I thought, "any good bakery will start giving away its pastries just before closing to clear them out." Well, not this one. No discount even right before closing on their tiny, overprice baked goods.

Is it fair to judge the place without having even tried the food? Maybe not, but I'm not saying a thing about whether their food tastes great or terrible, only that the pretension behind the entire place lacked any sense of good taste at all.

Maybe it was just the night, or being kicked out of this all too fancy baked place because it closed so early, or because the cakes were so tiny and set like precious jewels beneath the counter, or because they never went on sale, but I think it was mostly due to the idea that something so fundamental and homely as a bakery has been hidden behind such an ostentatious shell.