Buttery battle royale takes shape in Sydney’s CBD as heavyweight croissant contender Loulou moves in

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Opens on Monday, 10 February.

Lune is considered the home of possibly the world's best croissants.

Sebastien Lutaud, the culinary director at Loulou's owner Etymon Projects, is keen to downplay a heavyweight battle between croissant rivals by giving Lune's croissants a big tick and highlighting the unique approach of Petit Loulou.

Our croissants are as different as chalk and cheese," Lutaud said. "In France, there are two types of croissants. Patisserie-style croissants, which use yeast. Petit Loulou is a boulangerie-style croissant made with a sourdough starter. It's a bit different – a bit more tart.

I reckon Brendon Woodward, the head baker at Loulou, whips up the best croissants in Sydney.

Petit Loulou will occasionally offer almond croissants as a special, or fill them with ham and cheese, but the main focus is on croissants in their simplest form.

"We're offering a free croissant with every coffee purchase this week, to encourage people to try our croissant, which is $6 normally. We'll have 800 available on the first day," Lutaud says.

Located at 1 Elizabeth Street, just above the Martin Place train station, Petit Loulou has a smart shopfront with a light blue tile interior and brass shelving. As its name indicates, it's small, with an area of just 25 square metres.

Sydneysiders don't survive on croissants alone, so the new arrival will start with an opening week menu featuring miniature pastries, chocolate-filled pastries, sausage rolls, caramelised onion and cheese twists, and even a nicoise salad. Petit Loulou will fill its bread rolls with roasted chicken and a simple but tasty ham and cheese option.

will be opening next door to Petit Loulou.

One level of the new bistro will have a view looking out over Elizabeth Street, while the other level will face the escalators at the entrance to the Martin Place metro station.

‘Our croissants are a cut above the rest.’

Sebastien Lutaud, Etymon Projects

Lutaud's just back from France, where he found a lot of the food to be quite rich. "Our approach is lighter, less creamy, a bit more contemporary," he says.

After years observing the impact of train movements on the ups and downs of restaurants in France, Lutaud thinks Sydney's new transport line has injected a new vibrancy into the top end of Martin Place.

set to open in the next few months right on the city's metro doorstep.

We're keen to give Sydneysiders a true French experience," says Loulou's head baker Brendon Woodward. "Our aim is to spread the joy of traditional French baking across the city, and what better way to celebrate the opening of our new CBD store than by sharing the heart of Loulou with them through our signature croissants.

Open Mon-Fri 6:30am-4pm

instagram.com/petitloulou.sydney/