Bakery

Flour and Stone

Pastrami on rye with pickled fennel and manchego

★★★☆☆

Chicken, tarragon, aioli, celery, walnuts and watercress

★★★☆☆

Pannacotta Lamington

★★★★☆

Overall:

We visited Flour and Stone early on a weekday morning and discovered that their baked savoury items were still in the baking process. At least we were able to get our hands on one of their popular pannacotta lamingtons which was indeed very moist and very delicious! The place itself is teeny-tiny though, so getting takeaway might be the better way to go if you are not keen on being right up close to all the other customers around you.

Flour and Stone

53 Riley St, Woolloomooloo, NSW

(02) 8068 8818

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Beatrix

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Cocoa sour cream layer cake with chocolate cheesecake buttercream and raspberries

A light and spongy cake that is perfect for that chocolate craving.

★★★★☆

Pistachio and lemon curd layer cake

Pistachio + Lemon = Amazing. How did I not know this earlier? This deliciously moist cake was lightly tangy and had an intense nutty flavour.

★★★★☆

Goats’ curd cheesecake tart with a toasted hazelnut crust and cherry compote

After eating this I realised that loving goats cheese and goats curd in a savoury form does not mean that I will love it in a sweet form. It just didn’t taste quite right.

★★☆☆☆

Baked and brûléed caramel cheesecake with a cocoa cookie crust

Crunchy caramelised topping, dense sugary cheesecake, tasty cookie crust.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Beatrix is a cake lover’s dream. It’s a place where the cakes are baked with love and have a homemade quality to them. I seriously wanted to order one of everything but the slices here are decently sized and we could barely finish what we ordered. Service was cheery however seating is limited (as this place is teeny-tiny). Note that this place is closed on Mondays and Sundays.

Beatrix

688 Queensberry St, North Melbourne, VIC

0403 698 836

http://www.beatrixbakes.com/

Polish Rye Crust Bakery

Breakfast Bagel

(hard boiled eggs, cheese, mayonnaise, tomato, beetroot, spinach, capsicum)

The freshly baked bagel was simply outstanding.

★★★★☆

Salt stick with cream cheese and cucumber

This may not look or sound very special but out of everything we sampled, this was actually my favourite. The lightly salted bread was perfect and worked fabulously with the cream cheese and cucumber.

★★★★★

Vegetarian Pierogi

(Polish dumplings that contained potato, cheese, spinach)

These smelt delicious and were pleasantly crispy on the outside, however the filling was somewhat lacking. If only these dumplings were served with some kind of sauce.

★★★☆☆

Cherry Cheesecake

The light cheesecake and the decadent chocolate cherry layer were nice separately but sensational together.

★★★★☆

Orange Zest Babka

I’m not an expert in babka, so I wasn’t sure if the dry crumbly texture was intentional or not.

★★★☆☆

European doughnut with plum jam

Wonderfully soft and fluffy with a slight yeasty taste.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The bread here is AMAZING! And with more than 50 types of Polish and European breads available, there is something suitable for everyone! With so many menu items on offer and such friendly service, I can see myself returning over and over again.

Polish Rye Crust Bakery

101-103 Foster St, Dandenong, VIC

(03) 9706 9194

http://www.polishryecrustbakery.com.au/

Oasis Bakery

Archie’s Avocado

(smashed avocado with feta, Oasis Bakery’s Archie’s Blend #2, charred corn, quinoa, salmon, poached eggs topped with duqqa and zaatar dressing)

I can appreciate this place trying to deviate from the conventional smashed avo dish but the Archie’s Blend just didn’t do it for me and neither did the smashed avocado, which was intensely sour.

★★☆☆☆

Carnival Hotcakes

(two buttermilk hotcakes, salted caramel sauce, honey popcorn, toasted marshmallow and fairy floss)

These were some pretty good hotcakes! And although I have a big sweet tooth, I recommend sharing this dish otherwise it can be a bit overwhelming.

★★★★☆

Roast Pumpkin Parcel

(roast pumpkin, caramelised onions, basil, pine nuts, spinach, halloumi)

Somewhat bland and ordinary.

★★☆☆☆

Chips

These had great crunch and were nicely salted.

★★★☆☆

Triple Cheese Pie

(halloumi, feta, shanklish and a red pepper pesto)

Perfect for cheese lovers like myself.

★★★★☆

Big Chicken Cheeser

(a quarter pound of chicken, halloumi cheese, chips, BBQ sauce)

This huge wrap was very filling and contained lots of delicious tender chicken.

★★★☆☆

Ayran Yogurt Drink

A little too tart for me but I liked how it cut through the heaviness of the food we had.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

This popular bakery/cafe/grocery store is always buzzing with people and it’s easy to understand why. There is a huge assortment of delicious food available, the service is hassle free (you order at the counter and collect your food once your buzzer rings), and the atmosphere very laid-back. A unique place that is worth visiting if you are after Middle Eastern inspired food and/or groceries.

Oasis Bakery

9/993 North Rd, Murrumbeena, VIC

(03) 9570 1122

http://oasisbakery.com.au/

Rustica Canteen

Free range roasted cayenne spiced chicken, kale, corn, lime aioli, pumpkin sourdough

★★★★☆

Grilled brisket, house pickles, gruyere, Russian dressing, watercress, light rye

★★★★☆

Poached eggs, smashed avo, rustica sourdough

★★★★☆

Crispy skin vodka cured ocean trout, smoked sea salt, radish green salad, poached eggs, citrus yogurt, light rye toast

★★★★☆

Overall:

Friendly service, great music (classic 80’s and 90’s), delicious food. The bread here is fantastic, making the sandwiches amazing! I also wanted to try their Ispahan croissant except they had unfortunately sold out. My next choice (the Chocolate and Peanut Butter croissant) was also sold out and I wasn’t particularly keen on the almond or the plain, so I must return here soon for the croissants!

Rustica Canteen

33 Guildford Lane, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9642 2203

http://www.rusticacanteen.com/

Dip In Cafe

Dip In The Atlantic

(scrambled eggs with dill and chilli, served with smoked salmon and a cherry tomato, pine nut and basil salad)

★★★☆☆

Mushroom Madness

(spinach and cream cheese dip with poached eggs, halloumi cheese and a medley of marinated mushrooms)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Bread bowls are such a simple and delightful concept. It’s a shame that very few places offer bread bowls these days. Perhaps it’s to do with wastage seeing as the soft fluffy interior is taken out and not used. But that is definitely not the case at Dip It Cafe where we discovered that the bread interiors were all donated to charity. We also discovered the bread bowls to be surprisingly very filling. Service was friendly and the décor charming with lots of quirky ornaments and a superb wall mural.

Dip In Cafe

20-22 McKillop St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9670 5379

http://dipin.com.au/

Royal Custard Puff

If you are after a cheap and tasty dessert snack, then this is for you!

These custard puffs are freshly made on order so expect a waiting time.

But once you bite into the light crispy pastry and encounter the silky smooth custard, you’ll know that the wait was worth it. Plus these are a bargain at $1 for 3 or $5 for 18 custard puffs. These morsels were quite addictive and definitely worth a try!

Royal Custard Puff

Midcity Arcade, 208-210 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

The Baker’s Wife

The Lamb

(crisp spiced lamb shoulder, pumpkin hummus, fried chickpeas, beetroot relish, paprika yogurt, cucumber and mint salad)

= ★★★

The Bubble and Squeak

(Bubble and squeak croquette, Italian sausage, roast tomato, fried egg, sourdough, house relish and house BBQ sauce)

I really enjoyed the croquette but the sourdough and the sausages were simply tough and dry.

= ★★

The French Toast

(The Baker’s Challah, rhubarb and strawberry compote, spiced ricotta and Canadian maple syrup)

= ★★

The Cheeseburger

(150g beef patty, Swiss cheese, brioche bun, pickled cucumbers, American mustard, lettuce, tomato and chips)

= ★★★

The Barramundi Roll

(crumbed barramundi fillet, brioche bun, fennel, apple and celery slaw, fried capers, dill aioli and chips)

Delicious combination of ingredients. Plus the barramundi fillet was very tasty and had great crunch.

= ★★★★

Nutella Donut, Hot Jam Donut, Raspberry and Custard Cruffin, Chocolate Cruffin

I definitely liked the cruffins more than the donuts…

= ★★★

Nutella Donut

…although the donut fillings were delightfully bounteous!

Overall:

Warm inviting atmosphere, average service, good selection of pastries and muffins (which are baked fresh on the premises).

The Baker’s Wife

414-418 Burke Rd, Camberwell

9809 1133

Little Rogue

Pandan Coconut Crepe Cake

I love crepes and I love cake so unsurprisingly I found this fusion to be AMAZING. The soft paper thin crepes were fantastic, and the combination of pandan and coconut is always a winner.

= ★★★★★

Salted Caramel Cookie Sandwich

Quality chocolate cookies with a deliciously smooth salted caramel filling.

= ★★★★

Overall:

Located down a small cobbled laneway, this tiny unassuming cafe offered some pretty terrific desserts that included Butterbing cookie sandwiches, Mille & B crepe cakes and Kwak scrolls. The staff were friendly, the decor funky and earthy, and atmosphere very laid back. A must visit for anyone with a sweet tooth.