Since Noisette debuted in August of last year, the fabulous French bakery and eatery in LoHi has been the subject of a constant and well-deserved buzz. The French comfort food with fine dining technique from owners Tim and Lillian Lu quickly gained acclaim for the elegant sauces, daily pastries and a menu that is rotated whimsically based on available ingredients. While it initially opened just for dinner service, with the cafe serving during the day, the spot recently premiered a truly unmissable weekend brunch.
Considering Tim and Lillian’s culinary pedigrees, the fact that the food is so good should come as no surprise. Tim, a Houston native, grew up cooking Chinese food and barbecue with his dad before beginning his professional trajectory at a few sushi and hibachi restaurants in Austin. Realizing he had a knack, he moved to New York to attend what was then The French Culinary Institute. He followed with stints at Nobu 57 and the Michelin-starred Ai Fiori before opening Daniel Rose’s Le Coucou as executive sous.
READ: Noisette Adds an Upscale French Bistro and Bakery to LoHi
Lillian grew up in Michigan, studied psychology and had a career in corporate law before venturing into cooking and baking. “I’ve always had a creative side,” she said.
She also did a six-month program at the French Culinary Institute—though she and Tim did not overlap until both were working at Ai Fiori, where she did Riviera-style pastry. Both were promoted to sous during their time there. While still in New York, Lillian did a two-year run at Aquavit and worked as the executive pastry sous at Michael White’s upscale French establishment Vaucluse.
“We’re very into bringing back very classic French flavors,” said Lillian, noting that the pair routinely inspect cookbooks from the 1900s, 1930s and midcentury for inspiration. “We’re even looking at Escoffier,” added Tim.
Much like the dinner menu, the brunch menu is a short and potent selection of utterly delightful sweet and savory items. The Baguette et Beurre Noisette ($9) is a good place to start and comes with cultured brown butter and an alternating housemade jam. There are simple items like the Noisette Granola ($12) with fresh fruit and hazelnut, while the omelette ($22) can be upgraded with three grams of Siberian sturgeon caviar. For those who feel the weekend deserves a bit of decadence, go with the Vol-au-Vent de Homard ($30)—a puff pastry with thick chunks of Maine lobster, English pea and a vermouth cream that perfectly typifies Tim’s mastery of complex sauces.
No matter what time, Noisette is entirely charming.
Noisette is located at 3254 Navajo St., Denver.
The bakery is open Wednesday – Sunday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The restaurant is open for dinner Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 5 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 – 10 p.m.
Brunch is served on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
All photography courtesy of Hard Knoch PR.