It's been a little quite in my kitchen, as I recently headed south to Melbourne with a friend who I studied Patisserie with. We arrived to much cooler, rainier weather, but determined not to let anything dampen our plans and with my patisserie map in hand, we set off on our own sweet safari, ready to satisfy our cravings. As expected, Melbourne didn't disappoint. It seems every time I visit, another couple of patisseries and bakeries have open their doors. I'm not complaining though, my only complaint would be why can't more open in Sydney!
So are your taste buds ready? Then cast your eyes over some of the snapshots I took on this little sojourn, starting at Chez Dre in South Melbourne, where the macarons look and taste delish and the coffee wasn't half bad either.
A short tram ride away, we arrive in South Yarra. Hopping off just out the front of LuxBite where we find more perfectly formed macarons and a colourful array of modern morsels to try. After much thought, we decided on the Meringue Monster, as it boasts a centre of strawberry and watermelon mousse, a combination we couldn't resist.
Ready for another sugar hit, we walked down to Chapel Street, where we perused the windows of A La Folie and Ganache Chocolate. We then headed for Burch and Purchese where we found just what we needed; more divine tasting creations this time from pastry chef Darren Purchese. We could have spent all day in there, tasting each and every dessert. Instead we purchased a raspberry dessert, a jar of salted caramel spread and a jar of half pineapple, half chocolate hazelnut spread and some Never Say Never Again biscuits. Yum!
Back on the tram, we headed for Brunswick in the North where we stopped over at Savour to pick up as much chocolate as we could hold. Then back in Melbourne's CBD, we popped in to La Belle Miette for another round of macaron tasting after first sampling a sweet and savoury crêpe at Café Le Triskel. Our final stop was a little look at the beautiful windows of Hopetoun Tearooms, that are filled with an array of amazing cakes that we sadly ran out of time and didn't get to try, but it's first on the list for next time I'm in Melbourne along with Vue de Monde and Baker De Chirico. Melbourne truly is a mecca for dessert enthusiasts.
Bon Appétit