In Carnegie, there’s a little patisserie turning out some of the most beautiful cakes in Melbourne. Tommy Er’s T6 Patisserie has been open just over a year and already has a loyal following, very definitely including me. Tommy’s pastries are French in style but layered with the flavours he grew up with in Southeast Asia. There’s pandan sponge with custard inspired by his great-grandmother’s onde-onde, mango lime cheesecake, glossy, precise cakes that look almost too perfect to eat – definitely eat them – and a Hazelnut Rocher cake that tastes exactly like the chocolate it’s named after; a crowd favourite and Tommy’s personal pick. Tommy has been in kitchens since he was 13, learning both Malaysian and French techniques, and still tests and tweaks every creation until it’s exactly how he wants it. It turns out that Tommy’s secret ingredient isn’t pandan or chocolate or caramel, but patience.
Hi Tommy, lovely to meet you and to visit T6 Patisserie. I actually don’t come to Carnegie very often, but I should. What an amazing strip of shops to be amongst.
Yes, it’s busy on the street. Especially at lunchtime. A lot of people walk around, have lunch, then have a dessert or pastry.
There are all kinds of different nationalities and food here.
Yes, it’s multicultural. A lot of Korean, Asian food, and also very nice Italian restaurants.
How long have you been here?
14 months. We opened 9 June last year.
How has it been going?
We are getting busier and busier. We’ve picked up a lot, and the weather is nice today, so we were busy in the morning.
I mentioned to my brother’s wife that I was going to come here and she said, “Oh, we love T6’s.” Whenever they want to have a sweet treat, they like to come here. So, it’s all pastry?
Yes, all pastry, cakes, and coffee.
It’s French-Asian fusion. If someone didn’t understand what that is, what is it?
Asian fusion means we mix Asian flavours into French-style pastries. We use Southeast Asian flavours, like pandan and coconut. We have a pandan coconut pastry; it’s a pandan sponge with pandan custard. We also we have a pandan cake we call Onde-Onde inspired by my great-grandmother. When I was young, she liked to make it for us. It’s like a rice cake, like mochi and red bean, with palm sugar. We boil it and cover it with desiccated coconut. I adapted that into a cake.
I feel like Southeast Asian flavours are quite distinct and light, and French can be quite heavy and buttery. How do you marry the two?
We have to make it not too sweet. French cakes are very sweet, very heavy, with a lot of chocolate, but I try to make something lighter with more Asian flavour.
Does it take a lot of experimenting? Do you have to try a few times when you have an idea?
Yes, we have to try a few times. We make it once, try it, if it’s too sweet, we make it again. Too heavy, we make it again. We give it to customers for feedback first, and if it’s no good, we change things.
How many different cakes do you have here? They’re so beautiful; they look like museum pieces.
So far we have about 10. Normally we have 8 items, but I do two specials on the weekend. Now it’s winter and people like to eat more, maybe a bit heavier.
Give me an example. What are some of those cakes?
We have passionfruit mango, chocolate brownie and raspberry, mango lime cheesecake, Black Forest, strawberry shortcake (Japanese-style), matcha and strawberry yuzu, lemon tart, Ferrero Rocher, and the Onde-Onde with palm sugar.
Some of them you’ve got in larger sizes as well. How long would one of those take to make?
They take three days to make. Everything has to set and cool before the next step.
Do you have lots of notes everywhere to keep track?
Yes, but we almost sold out everything this week.
What’s the most popular one?
The pandan coconut is quite famous, and the chocolate cake is also popular. Everything sells quickly, especially on the weekend. Sometimes we sell out and have to top up again.
I like creating. Every time we have a new idea, we challenge ourselves to make it. If it looks good and the customer is happy, we are happy.
Tommy Er, T6 Patisserie
When you learned pastry, did you learn Asian style or French style separately?
Both. I worked in Singapore in a bakery for 10 years, then I came to Australia and studied patisserie, then cookery. I became a chef and later a pastry chef. I have more than 20 years’ experience in hospitality.
You look a lot younger than that.
I started in a restaurant when I was 13.
Was it your family’s business?
No, but my family wanted us to work when we were young so we’d know how hard it is and study harder.
And that was Singaporean food?
No, Malaysian. I’m Malaysian.
What took you to Singapore?
My home is close to Singapore, and most of my brothers and sisters were there. It was easy to find a job in Singapore.
What do you like about pastry?
I like creating. Every time we have a new idea, we challenge ourselves to make it. If it looks good and the customer is happy, we are happy.
How do you get it so consistent every time? They’re all exactly the same and so glossy.
We have to practise a lot. The glaze has to be at the right temperature; around 32 to 35 degrees. Too hot and it won’t shine, too thick and it’s too sweet.
Do you have a favourite cake?
Hazelnut Rocher.
Be patient. Watch how senior people work. Try all the recipes. Don’t give up if you make mistakes, just keep going to learn. Pastry takes patience and hard work. Also you have to wake up early and work long hours.Quote goes here
Tommy Er, T6 Patisserie
Where do you get your inspiration?
Sometimes an idea just comes into my head, even when I’m driving in a traffic jam.
You have another chef working with you?
Yes, we work together. I like a kitchen where everything is organised because all the cakes are layered, you can’t skip a step. You have to make sure you have enough sponge, inserts, mousse, and ingredients in stock.
It doesn’t look like a big kitchen. How many mousses do you have on the go?
About 10 different mousses. Our your pastries are quite famous too. They’re crispy outside and soft inside.
How long did it take to perfect them?
Three or four weeks, trying different flours, water, milk, and making sure the consistency is right.
I think it’s hard to get that balance between the crispy on the outside plus that light honeycomb inside. I’m a big fan of good croissants; you can see I’ve got croissant earrings. And T6? What does that mean?
T is for Tommy. Six is a lucky number in my culture. It’s also easy to remember, T6.
Do you have plans for the future?
We’re looking for the next project, but it’s a secret for now.
Fair enough. What advice would you give to a young person starting out?
Be patient. Watch how senior people work. Try all the recipes. Don’t give up if you make mistakes, just keep going to learn. Pastry takes patience and hard work. Also you have to wake up early and work long hours.
T6 Patisserie, 88 Koornang Road, Carnegie