Desserts/Ice Cream

Laurie Dee’s

Chili Cheese Fries

(fries topped with mild beef chili, cheese sauce and diced onions)

★★★★☆

Chicago Dog

(tomatoes, pickles, diced onions, relish, cucumber, mustard and celery salt on a butter toasted bun)

★★★☆☆

The Laurie Dee

(minced patty, caramelised onions, melted cheddar, special D’sauce, tomato, lettuce, diced pickles, relish)

★★★☆☆

Strawberry Shortcake Sundae

(vanilla custard with a base of shortbread crumbles, topped with real strawberry sauce, coconut flakes and whipped cream)

★★★★☆

Overall:

So the way it works at Laurie Dee’s is that you order and pay at the counter, receive a ticket number, and collect your food on a tray once your number is called out. The place wasn’t full at the time and we waited around 15-20 minutes for our number to be called out. As for the food, it was simple, greasy, and somewhat messily thrown together. There was almost a fast food quality about everything so as long as you know that this is what you are in for, you won’t be disappointed.

Laurie Dee’s

Epping Plaza Shopping Centre, 571-583 High St, Epping, VIC

(03) 9408 0196

http://www.lauriedees.com.au/

Chanoma Cafe

Matcha Float

(iced matcha latte with matcha ice cream)

★★★☆☆

Matcha Fruit Parfait

(matcha ice cream, rice cake, pocky, cornflakes, cone, brown sugar syrup, fruit cocktail)

★★☆☆☆

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Black Sesame Soft Serve

★★★☆☆

Chanoma Cheese Dog

(kransky sausage, chopped cabbage, salsa sauce, mozzarella cheese)

★★☆☆☆

Creamy Shrimp Dog

(deep fried shrimp croquette, chopped cabbage, paprika, tartar sauce)

★★★★☆

Overall:

Known for their matcha creations, this busy Japanese-style cafe offers a wide range of hot and cold drinks, desserts as well as savoury snacks. Worth visiting if you are a matcha fan. Note that this place is cash only.

Chanoma Cafe

Shop 11, 501 George St, Sydney, NSW

(02) 9266 0667

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Pasticceria Papa

Vanilla and Ricotta Cannoli

★★★☆☆

Mini Ricotta Cake

★★★☆☆

Coconut Nutella Bigné

★★★★☆

Iced Chocolate

Half the glass was simply cream.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I had really been looking forward to the cannoli and the ricotta cake after reading all the rave reviews. Although they were tasty, I didn’t find them spectacular. In fact nothing we had was spectacular which was a bit disappointing. Perhaps we just came on an off day.

Pasticceria Papa

145 Ramsay St, Haberfield, NSW

(02) 9799 9531

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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/

Levi’s Doughnuts

Blackberry Jam Filled Doughnut

Sweet crispy doughnut with a generous amount of warm oozing jam.

★★★★☆

Overall:

At Levi’s Doughnuts you’ll find European style doughnuts that are made fresh on site every day from organic dry ingredients and fried in rice bran oil (a healthier choice as it is 100% cholesterol free, naturally high in antioxidants, low in saturated fats and doesn’t contain any trans-fats). There are 3 types of doughnuts available here: traditional, dark chocolate filled and blackberry jam filled. If only I had the stomach space to try them all!

Levi’s Doughnuts

Fremantle Markets, Shop Y7, Corner Henderson Street and South Terrace, Fremantle, WA

0427 444 150

Mykonos Cafe And Crepes

Little Venice Crepe

(banana, strawberries, oreo, nutella, coconut)

Thin crepe with crispy edges and a generous amount of filling!

★★★★☆

Bougasta Crepe

(semolina custard filling, icing sugar, cinnamon)

A satisfying crepe, but after the first bite all I wanted was a real bougasta instead.

★★★☆☆

Platter with dips and bread

★★★☆☆

I can’t remember what these were called but the lovely owner gave these to us on the house after telling us how he made them by hand earlier that day.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Stepping into this place is like stepping into a holiday. The beautiful decor and ambience takes you straight to Mykonos. The staff were very welcoming and the crepes very tasty. A great addition to Oakleigh (aka ‘little Greece’).

Mykonos Cafe And Crepes

58 Portman St, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9569 6767

http://www.mykonoscafe.com.au/

Bibelot

Black Forest Eclair

(chocolate choux, cherry compote, vanilla bavaroise, crumble, chocolate crème, cherry chantilly)

Raspberry-Chocolate Tart

(chocolate sablé, raspberry compote, ‘inaya’ chocolate ganache, raspberry mousse)

Salted Butter Caramel Eclair

(caramel crème pâtissière, roasted walnuts, caramel chantilly, salted caramel)

Gourmandise Board

(cinnamon-sesame praline bonbon, rose-raspberry macaron, mango dome, chocolate fondant & chocolate chantilly, strawberry & vanilla & thyme, green tea sablé, green tea dome, blueberry cheesecake, hazelnut-praline crunch)

Overall:

Bibelot (pronounced bib-loh) is a glorious place that embodies a patisserie, a gelateria, a coffee bar, a chocolate shop, a high tea salon and a library of coffee table books. Expect to be spoiled for choice when it comes to the desserts but no matter what you choose, chances are it will be amazing! Everything we sampled tasted fabulous, however the black forest eclair and the green tea dome were my favourites. Service was quick and the atmosphere bright and inviting. I highly recommend Bibelot for all you dessert lovers out there!

Bibelot

285-287 Coventry St, South Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9690 2688

http://www.bibelot.com.au/

Khanom Chan

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cans coconut milk (800mL)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup rice flour
2 cups tapioca starch
1/2 tsp jasmine extract
1/2 tsp pandan extract

Method:

Place sugar, coconut milk and water into a saucepan. Stir on medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves. Set aside to cool.
Prepare your steamer. Place an oiled tray into your steamer so that the tray heats up.
Combine rice flour and tapioca starch in a bowl.
Gradually add in the cooled coconut milk mixture (approximately half a cup at a time) and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or by hand (I prefer using my hand as I am able to feel for lumps a lot better).
Once the mixture is smooth, pour the mixture through a strainer.
Stir the mixture and divide into two portions. Place jasmine extract into one portion and pandan extract into the other portion. Mix each portion well.
Place a layer of jasmine mixture onto the tray in the steamer (The amount you place onto the tray will depend on your tray size, but you are aiming for a thickness of 2-3mm). Steam for 5 minutes.
Place a layer of pandan mixture onto tray. Steam for 5 minutes. Repeat this process using alternating mixtures until there is no mixture left. (Remember to give each mixture a good stir before pouring it onto the tray). Steam the final top layer for 8 minutes.
Allow the contents of the tray to cool.
Remove from tray and cut into small portions.

Overall:

This sweet, sticky, chewy dessert is one of my all time favourites and I am thrilled to have a perfect recipe for it.

District Brewer

Black Forest Bircher

(80% cocoa chocolate, crushed pistachio, cherry labneh, fresh grapes, coconut)

Absolutely amazing! I loved the presentation and spent a bit of time oohing and ahhing this dish before taking my first bite. This bircher was so incredibly fresh and light, and had a delicious combination of ingredients with wonderful textures.

★★★★★

Just another photo of this pretty dish…

Mr Benedict

(toasted rye bread, slow braised beef cheef, miso babaganoush, wilted calvo nero, curry hollandaise, poached eggs)

The beef cheek was a tad dry however the curry hollandaise was terrific.

★★★★☆

White chocolate and strawberry doughnut

Disappointingly dry. If only it tasted as good as it looked.

★★☆☆☆

Salted Caramel and Oreo Milkshake

Sweet frosty milkshakes that were unbelievably filling.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This fantastic suburban cafe ticks all the boxes: delicious food, super friendly staff, bright and cheery atmosphere. I strongly recommend visiting District Brewer as soon as possible while there are still no lines during peak time. Oh that Black Forest Bircher…I cannot wait to have it again.

District Brewer

36 Brewer Rd, Bentleigh, VIC

(03) 9972 3812

http://www.districtbrewer.com.au/