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Monday 19 November 2012

la dulcita, fitzroy: empanadas and beyond

An assortment of empanadas at La Dulcita, with chimichurri (Argentinian garlic-parsley sauce).

Edit: Sadly, La Dulcita is no longer in business - it appears the owners have decided to extend their other business, Brother Burger, to cover that shop area as well. If anyone knows where else I can get awesome empanadas, please leave a comment!

I first got a whiff of Argentinian bakery-cafe La Dulcita (413 Brunswick St, Fitzroy) when, one day, I noticed an ad seeking staff for a new South American eatery. While the job was not for me, this was an exciting find! Lo and behold, it emerged several weeks later, just as Simon and I were leaving for our Sydney-Canberra trip, so I promised myself that we'd visit it, first thing, upon our return to Melbourne.

And so we did.

Simon and I are both baked egg fiends, so naturally we went for the Huevos Portenos - baked eggs with potato, chorizo, cheese, salsa and chimichurri... a combination of flavours that radiate warmth, comfort, and satisfaction.

Huevos portenos - baked eggs.

I was familiar enough with the concept of South American food to know of empanadas, but till then, I had never actually tried one.

So it stands to reason that we had to try ALL the empanadas. In any case, there were only three different flavours (beef & olive; chicken & corn; zucchini, capsicum and egg), and they were quite small.

The texture of the empanada was unique to me - there's an almost bread-like softness to it, with just a gentle hint of flaky crunch. All three were delicious, but it was the beef and olive empanada that really won my heart, falling apart in the mouth like a slow, savoury, sensational stew.

Cross section of beef and olive empanada.

Cross-section of chicken and corn empanada.

Cross section of zucchini, capsicum and egg empanada.

When we paid at the counter I decided to get a few of the sweet pastries for takeaway. They were pleasant enough, though having been kept at room temperature all day in the bakery, I suspect they could be exponentially better if I had warmed them up a little in the oven before eating.

Sweet pastries from la dulcita.

Verdict? I'll be back to further explore the La Dulcita menu. They have some tasty looking quiches (featuring goat cheese, no less) that I'd like to try next time; and, of course, I look forward to immersing myself in more empanada goodness.

La Dulcita on Urbanspoon

22 comments:

  1. Those baked eggs look like just my affair!

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    1. Yeah the baked eggs were good! Though the beef empanada stole the show, this time, for me. ;)

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  2. Okay, yum! Chimichurri sounds so delicious on its own, but all of these specialities look wonderful.

    And here I was, thinking I'd have no hunger today because of a cold. You've jumpstarted my road to recovery :)

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    1. Oh, hope you get better soon! Glad to be of assistance in the recovery process. ;)

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  3. God the sweet pastries look soo good! And those baked eggs!!

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    1. Don't forget the empanadas! They were my favourite out of the lot. :D

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  4. I'm off to South America early next year, maybe I'll visit this bakery to get a sample of what's in store for me! D

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    1. Totally! If you do pop by the bakery, let me know. Maybe I'll even come along. ;)

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  5. Empanadas are one of my weaknesses. Totally smitten with them!

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  6. I used to go to an Argentinian deli in Dallas and buy frozen empanadas; what a great thing to serve to friends on an impromptu night!

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    1. That does sound like a fantastic treat to have around! Lucky friends of yours. ;)

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  7. This looks so good. How'de you know breakfast is my fav? I wish I lived closer to Melbourne. I suppose Sydney isn't that far. A bit far for breaky though!

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    1. Ah, I'm sure you have some pretty nifty South American eateries up your way. :)

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  8. i have never tried argentinian food. it looks kinda spanish - is there a history/influence there (i know nothing about argentina the country/society either!). anyway, it looks delicious, especially the baked eggs. and the pastries.
    thanks for showing me something i knew nothing of! it's always good to learn new things.

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    1. Yeah, there is definitely a Spanish influence. Though I don't know much either! :)

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  9. Can never go wrong with baked eggs! Yum yum!

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  10. Oh great find :) i've never heard of this place and not that familiar with Agentinian food except for dulce de leche hahahaa but the baked eggs looks amazing! Straight to my to go list!

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    1. And they have plenty of sweet pastries that you can try, too! ;)

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  11. Good stuff!! This is prolly a place I'd walk past without giving it a try. I normally only go places from recommendations cuz I'm not that adventurous enough =/ Love the empanada selections and sounds like they've got lots of great stuff going on too. YUM!

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