The name
Ivoire, the colour ivory
Ivoire is French for ivory — the colour of the handmade ceramic on the façade, designed by T3 Architects.
Ivoire was started by pastry chef Doan, who trained in Melbourne, with co-founder Nigel. The goal was to introduce the world of haute pâtisserie to Saigon's bustling food scene — petit gâteaux and macarons that fuse local influences with an international standard of quality.
When the shop outgrew its first home, Doan and Nigel asked T3 Architects for a larger space beside the Opera House — and a bigger kitchen, so the team could keep producing at its best and keep researching new recipes. The façade is handmade ivory ceramic from North Vietnam; the terrazzo staircase is shaped like pastry dough, and the wave of the façade and ceiling copies the softness of dough before it becomes pastry.
In the case, cakes carry single-ingredient names — Avocado, Corn, Pistachio — with layered flavours underneath, made without artificial flavours or preservatives. Pastries are lit with precise high-colour light so their real colours show, the way the designers intended.
