Lune Croissanterie, Fitzroy

The New York Times called Lune's croissants the best in world so what can I say about this place that hasn't been said already?

The shutter goes up at around 7.30 am and stays up till stocks last (which is usually till noon). You might think that's quite early for a croissant but the long line outside their door suggests otherwise. So why are people lining up for a croissant? You get good croissants at a lot of places so what makes these so special? Why are people happily shelling out $7 and upwards for a croissant? What sets Lune apart? The answer is their attention to detail and precision that goes into each and every step of the making. The best of the most suitable ingredients are procured from different parts of the globe. The pastry is prepared in climate controlled (consistent at 18°C) Lune Lab called "The Cube". Sounds fancy! Well, it is more sophisticated than fancy. The temperature of each ingredient in each batch is measured individually and each croissant takes 3 days to make. The result is croissants for which people get up early on a weekend and spend close to an hour waiting in a line instead of catching some Zs.

So now that it was brought to my attention that the world's best croissant is made in Melbourne I had to try it. To be honest, I wasn't all excited about lining up so early and for so long on a weekend but John Doe wanted to so I had to. But I made my views clear by cribbing about it all the while we were in the queue. So after about 25 mins we made it to the other side of the main door. Lune has a whole classy industrial warehouse meets stars wars vibe going on. The space has a minimalist design with "The Cube" being the focal point of the room. It does not have the conventional table-chair seating arrangement instead there are stone slabs for tables with benches and stools scattered around the placed and they are not many of those so if you see a vacant spot make a run for it.

After another 5-10 mins we made it to the counter only to hear "we are out of almond croissants''. At that moment I wished I was a kid only so that I could throw a tantrum. But there was a silver lining; we were told that the next batch would be ready in 15-20 mins. With all the buttery sweet aroma in the air how could we not wait. But this time the wait was harder courtesy the buttery sweet aroma. Time passed and we finally got our hands on the much coveted goodies.

I had the almond croissant. It was freshly baked; I could tell because it was still warm. Maybe it was my empty stomach or maybe because I am a sucker for baked goodies but it looked like the most beautiful croissant. It had generous amount of almond topping. A distinguishing feature being the almond flakes were standing up tall like little saplings sprouting out from earth unlike all other almond croissants that have almond flakes sprinkled flat on top. The filling was not extra sweet but just the right amount of sweet. In the first bite itself I could feel how flaky and buttery it was. By the second bite I realised why these babies are so steeply priced and they are well worth every penny. John Doe had miso caramel which tasted good. It had all the signature Lune attributes - flaky, buttery, right amount of sweet, perfect filling and looked beautiful but if I had to choose, almond croissant will have my vote. Another thing I noticed was that each and every croissant looked the same, exactly identical in shape and size like each one is a perfect copy of the other. That's a massive feat to achieve. On the drinks front, they have only coffee but lets be honest, people don't come here for the drinks and everyone knows what goes best with croissants? that's coffee. It's the most classic combo.

Apart from the usual counter service they offer another more high-end experience, the Lune Lab which is to be pre-booked online. There is one sitting a day with no more than 9 guests. You'll be seated at their private bar overlooking "The Cube" and will be served three courses of pastries that includes a traditional croissant warm and fresh from the oven, an experimental sweet and savoury pastry that isn't on the regular menu along with bottomless coffee. They also offer an option of adding Champagne to your experience. The Lune Lab menu changes every 2 months to include seasonal produce.

In conclusion, after my first Lune visit I am sold on the hype and I'll be lining up every month for these babies; I don't care if I have to spend an extra hour at the gym and cut carbs for the next 2 weeks.