Le Dessert founder Juliene de Preaumont assures us that because the experience needs to be booked in advance and it only produces the giant croissant on demand, “so far all customers who booked a session finished their croissant”.
At the time of writing, the promotion at Cookie DPT is still running, with weekend slots available until June 30. HK$428 (US$55) will get you the coffee (or hot chocolate), croissant and three dipping sauces.
Earlier this year, a journalist writing for The Independent newspaper in the UK bemoaned the giant-pastries trend. “Giant croissants prove that even Paris has succumbed to the TikTokification of food,” its headline read.
While not many have followed in Le Dessert’s footsteps exactly, soon after the giant croissant reached Hong Kong we saw the rise of the oversized pineapple bun – about the size of a small cushion – which is a creation of the Red Bean Bakery chain.
It sells the extra-large pineapple bun, which weighs in at around 800 grams (1lb 12oz), for HK$220 a piece. The bun needs to be pre-ordered at least two days in advance.
Virginia Chan, a Hong Kong-based food tour guide who regularly publishes social media content on local trends, tried the bun to see what the hype was about.
While not everyone is so keen – “What is that? Even a pineapple bun needs to be pre-ordered?” said one follower of Red Bean Bakery – Chan thinks it is great for something like a pineapple bun to start trending.
I would much prefer if people got into making mini versions of baked goods.
They would be perfect not only to coo over (our brains just seem hard-wired to appreciate small things, like babies and kittens), but ideal for people who have decision-making anxiety (cannot choose what to eat, try all six!) and the times when you just want a cheeky little snack – think tiny, two-bite sausage buns, cocktail buns and pineapple buns.
I have seen tiny versions of classic Hong Kong baked goods recently at the decades-old Fresh Wheat Bakery in Wan Chai and can confirm that they taste just as good as their regular-sized counterparts.
Yes, like the oversized pastries they do end up costing more than if you had just bought a regular-sized version, but it is just as good for social media – and at least nothing goes to waste.
