Since it opened its doors late last year, Nos Bakehouse, located in the trendy Brisbane suburb of Dutton Park, has garnered a name for itself as a bread lovers dream.

The brains behind the bakery is owner and chef Susan Koh – a former Florence pastry chef – who has chosen to zero in on shokupan at Nos.

It’s an item she chooses to bake fresh daily due to its short life span.

“It doesn’t have any preservatives,” Susan told Broadsheet, adding that she had committed to making everything in-house.

“Usually cafes will focus on coffee and savoury dishes and they’ll buy in pastries and cakes. I want to balance out all these areas,” she said.

“It’s good to support local Aussie farmers. We buy everything fresh and we make everything from scratch. It’s really labour intensive, but it’s better than buying commercial [products] because at least you’re able to fine-tune the taste to what you want.”

Susan said the only item they do choose to buy are plain croissants, which are sourced from Danny’s Bread.

But why choose to focus on shokupan? Susan said the decision was made in part due to a growing interest in Asian foods in Brisbane.

“After Covid-19, a lot of Aussies have been travelling, especially to Japan and Korea, so they’re more open-minded to Asian foods and [they’re] very welcoming. And it’s very trendy right now,” Susan said.

It is possible to purchase loaves of shokupan in-store, however its main role is for sandwiches – think beef bulgogi, prawn cockatil, tuna mayo, and more.

Susan said she has also experimented with a vegan version of shokupan.