MELBOURNE | Chef and personal trainer Albin Lawang, and his brothers, Arbi, and AJ, started Pecks Road as a side hustle during COVID lockdowns in 2021. It didn’t take long for their light and fluffy artisan doughnuts, which take three days to make, from fermenting to baking, to become a hit. You can read all about that original venture here.
A bricks and mortar location opened in Caroline Springs in 2023, followed by a second physical location, in the CBD. The new space opened just a few weeks ago, and I went in for What’s On Melbourne to check it out.
The CBD store is located down a laneway that’s now home to three Filipino businesses. It features an expanded menu, including not just doughnuts and pastries, but sandwiches, coffee, and other drinks. Like the doughnuts, there’s a focus on creations and flavours inspired by the Lawang brothers’ Filipino heritage, and other Asian flavours. You’ll also find a few classic favourites on offer.
Core range and rotating seasonal doughnut flavours include things like the popular ube cake doughnut, which is now better than ever, with house-made ube halaya replacing the ube cream filling; crunchy Granny smith apple fritter with vanilla bean glaze, and Vietnamese coffee crueller with dulce de leche glaze.
There’s savoury pastries too, like the puff pastry cheese twist, filled with XO chilli jam, mozzarella, spring onion, and sesame seeds, topped with crustacean oil, honey lime fish sauce glaze, and whipped chive cream cheese.
If it’s a sandwich that you’re after, the longanisa banh mi, is a must try. It’s a wonderful Filipino-Vietnamese hybrid of airy banh mi filled with pâté, egg butter, pickled carrots, slow-cooked Filipino BBQ pork with sweet marinade, hoisin sauce, honey lime fish sauce, pork crackling and pork floss. The Reuben, served with a side of sinigang-powdered crisps, is also top tier.
To drink, it’s excellent coffee, tea, and alt lattes like ube coconut cloud, matcha coconut cloud, and Vietnamese iced coffee with coconut cream.
Pecks Road (Melbourne CBD)
Manchester Lane
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: n/a
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 8:00am to 3:00pm