rustica sourdough, fitzroy: breads, cronuts, award-winning tart!

After stumbling upon Rustica Sourdough (402 Brunswick St, Fitzroy) many months ago, Simon and I quickly adopted it as our local bakery. I've posted about our happy discovery of their fig and fennel ficelle earlier this year, and ever since then we've continued to make more happy discoveries.

Take, for example, their roasted pumpkin bread, a supremely soft and fluffy semi-sourdough creation with plump and crunchy pumpkin seeds flanking the exterior.

Pumpkin bloomer, $6.20.

The sourdough rosemary and vine fruit loaf was quite small and expensive, but it was also incredibly generous with juicy raisins/sultanas. The fragrant, savoury touch of rosemary made it just that little bit more special and interesting.

Vine fruit and rosemary loaf, $6.75.

Then we have the cronuts (yes, you can find cronuts in Melbourne these days - yay!), which I would describe as doughnut-shaped flaky layered pastry. Despite their deep-fried nature, they felt pleasantly light on grease. I was impressed with the lemon curd cronut with its pretty balance of acidity and sweetness. The custard and jam cronut came second in terms of my preferences, but it was enjoyable too.

Lemon curd cronut, $4.20.

Jam and custard cronut, $4.20.

But if there is one thing with which I am absolutely and utterly in love, it is their passionfruit tart. I first purchased this thanks to a staff recommendation. It lived up to her exaltations, and then some. The passionfruit curd was beautifully intense, and together with the buttery shortcrust, this is a sexy treat that disappears fast. I was not surprised when it later took out a major award for Best Victorian Product at the 2013 Royal Melbourne Fine Food Awards.

The award-winning passionfruit tart, $5.90.

We've also visited Rustica Sourdough in the evening, once. They started serving fancy-rustic pastas and burgers for dinner in August, however it seems that they've now decided to scale back and just open weekend nights for nibbles and drinks. Oh well. We did quite enjoy it that one time!

Meanwhile, there are still so many lovely baked goods I'm yet to try. I'm thinking my next bite will be of one of their intriguing chocolate violet crumble tarts...



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corica pastries (& the famous apple strudel), northbridge

A long, sturdy box, containing Corica's famous apple strudel.

When I updated my Facebook status to say I was in Perth, one of my friends was quick with his recommendation: "You must have Corica's apple strudel!"

Apparently the apple strudels from Corica Pastries are so famous that travellers from Southeast Asia often bring it back with them on their flights home. That's pretty impressive stuff.

So off we went to Giuseppe Corica Pastries (106 Aberdeen St, Northbridge).

We had other plans for the day so we just made a quick stop. In addition to the must-have strudel, I was curious to try their other offerings, too. I chose a couple of smaller things to snack on - a shortbread sandwich with buttercream and apricot jam, named "Amore", and a custard horn.

Amore (left) and custard horn (right), $2.90 each.

The Amore was sweet, dainty, and also rather expensive for how tiny it was. The custard horn had a delightfully flaky pastry encasing the lusciously creamy custard - so good, I wish I had bought more. In fact, I'd say it deserves some of the limelight alongside the strudels at Corica.

Ah, yes, those famous apple strudels. You can get the classic apple strudel and/or the blueberry-apple strudel. We got the latter. It survived the car ride home mostly intact, with just some minor damage.

My suggestion? Heat the strudel up in the oven first - it really brings it back to life. I loved it so, so much more when it was warm and crispy, and it was then that the wow factor really properly hit me - oh, the layers of crunchy and creamy and comfort! - and I finally knew what the fuss was all about.

Yep, I'm passing on the recommendation. 

Corica's blueberry apple strudel, $20 - yields about 4 servings.

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kebabs r yummy, south melbourne

lamb kebab from kebabs r yummy, $9.50.

I cannot believe I have been working in South Melbourne for the past few years, and have only discovered Kebabs R Yummy on 192 Well St this year. It's enough to make a greedy food-lover like me weep ever-so-gently on the inside with could've-been regret and it's-not-too-late joy.

Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little. But seriously, the food here is lip-smackingly delicious and great value. And the head honcho lady who runs the joint - she's a dear. Not only do I love coming here to get my work lunches, I sometimes visit after work to grab takeaway dinner as well. (Not both on the same day, though, that's probably a bit excessive and would likely result in a meat coma.)

My first experience here was back in January, and I got the lamb kebab, which is what you see in the picture up there. This is a hearty hunk of crisp-at-the-edges lamb döner kebab goodness, strewn with fresh onions, lettuce and tomato, deftly drizzled with chilli and garlic sauce on a nice warm slab of Turkish bread. It's mighty, it's piquant, it's carnal. It is also the only work lunch I've ever bought to have defeated me, thus far. I've never had trouble finishing the takeaways I get, especially if they're as tasty as this one was, but I really struggled here and in the end I had to admit there was going to be leftover bread.

On my next trip I went for the Combo Meat on Top, where I got three salads of my choice, plus lamb and chicken on top, and, of course, feisty lashes of that chilli and garlic sauce. This has subsequently become a favourite of mine for takeaway work lunches. Being a fork-friendly meal, it is less messy to deal with, and easier to eat at my desk. I mean, let's face it, I will never resemble anything remotely close to a sophisticated professional, but at least going for this dish means that I am less likely to be mistaken for an awkward cavewoman. Plus, I really like the salads here as well - they are always nicely seasoned, and do a nifty job of balancing out all that meat. You can't see them hiding underneath in the picture below, so you'll just have to trust me on this. I usually get the eggplant, green beans, and mixed roast vegetables, but there are heaps of other options.

(chicken and lamb) combo meat on top from kebabs r yummy, $9.90.

So, in conclusion, if you ever find yourself in South Melbourne and you're craving something big, meaty and satisfying (that's what she said), give Kebabs R Yummy a go. It may even be worth a slight detour.

Because, as it turns out, the kebabs here are pretty yummy.



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movida bakery, south yarra

Gleeful anticipation. That was what I felt when I heard that the new Movida Bakery (3 Tivoli Road, South Yarra) was set to open in my 'hood. As a ravenous food blogger, having a Movida outlet in my suburb is like winning a hot dinner date with a celebrity.

The nice thing about getting to know a celebrity better with a few more dates, though, is that this blog post, written over a month later, is considerably less fan-girly, and more rational and measured. Gladly, even though the initial starry-eyed excitement is over, this is a largely positive relationship and one that I am happy to keep going for as long as it remains warm, convenient and delicious.

My first purchases? The much-hyped doughnuts. They kept me in good company as I awaited my friend Leon to arrive, reliably late, for our catch-up brunch.

The salted caramel has been getting a lot of attention in the press. This is a doughnut for those with a sweet tooth - check out that rich, glossy caramel.

The very popular salted caramel doughnut ($3.5).

I've always tended more towards lighter, fruitier treats rather than rich ones, though, for the most part, so I was keen to try the others. So here we have the lemon doughnut, with a very, very lemony curd filling for those who like a robust sour hit.

The boldly tangy lemon doughnut ($3.5).

The rhubarb doughnut has a graceful acidity in the curd and just the right amount of sugar for me. At this point in time, it's probably my favourite, though my cravings do change depending on my mood.

The rather charming rhubarb doughnut ($3.5).

As a side note, while the doughnuts are tasty, at $3.50 a pop I don't see myself buying them often. Also, I'd like to see them kept in a warmer so you're not at the mercy of lucky timing to get a piping hot one. Because we all know a good doughnut is always a hundred times better when it's at that perfectly snug 'n' toasty temperature.

And now, about the pies...

The lamb pie is gently spiced with notes of paprika. It was pleasant enough, I suppose, but it didn't particularly grab me. (The nicest lamb pie I've had is probably still the one from French Fantasies.)

Lamb pie (I think it was around $6.5).

Leon went for the PX beef pie, which had a billowing pastry that was quite a sight to behold. I was offered a bite, which culminated in a silky, luxurious filling, dark and exotic with hints of Pedro Ximenez sherry and star anise. We both agreed that we preferred this pie.

(By the way, try a bit of their sauce with your pie - it comes in that red plastic tomato you can just barely see in the background, and has a relish-like flavour. As Leon exclaimed, "Even their sauce is good!")

PX beef pie (I think it was around $6.5).

I've returned by myself a couple of times since that first visit. A recent favourite is the egg and chorizo mini sandwich. The simple pairing of delicately herbed and seasoned scrambled egg with the gorgeous smokiness of the chorizo made my tram ride to work so much more fulfilling.

This egg and chorizo mini sandwich ($5) lifts my spirits in the morning.

Also winning my heart is this flourless almond orange cake with vanilla-flecked buttercream and candied pistachios. A lovely moist crumb, just the right amount of zestiness, and that lush topping... I don't know if it's a regular item on the menu, but I hope we meet again.

Orange cake ($5), flourlessly beautiful.

In any case, Movida Bakery is a great addition to South Yarra - despite the star status of the Movida name, it exudes neighbourly charm and the gunny sacks of organic flour that compose part of their decor make me feel a little less guilty about all the carbs I'm consuming. I look forward to trying more of their goodies in the ensuing months.



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french fantasies, south yarra

Sometimes life gets in the way of the things you would like to do more often.

Sometimes you let life get in the way of the things you would like to do more often.

One of these things, for me, is a visit to French Fantasies (15 Toorak Road, South Yarra).

A few years ago, my office was a mere 10-minute walk away from French Fantasies. I'd finish up work, and every now and then, on my way home, I'd pop by French Fantasies for a little piece of my own French fantasy... usually - alright, pretty much always - a blissful slice of their baked cheesecake.

My office has since relocated, and along with it, my rituals changed. I now take the tram home instead of walking. I look wistfully at their shopfront as the tram trundles by, my desire to just get home as quickly as possible after a long day flicking aside that little glimmer of yearning in my heart.

Like an old flame re-ignited, however, I've recently started to make time for French Fantasies again.

Like an old flame, there are still new things to discover.

A few weeks ago I bought a takeaway pie for lunch... a lamb and vegetable pie. I've never tried their pies, and I wasn't expecting much. It had a blushing, golden appearance, but so do most pies. When I dug into it, however, it became clear that this was not the typical takeaway pie. The crust was light and flaky. The filling was a slow-cooked lamb stew, strewn with homely chunks of carrots. onions, and the crimson hue of disintegrated tomatoes. This is a pie made with love.

Lamb and vegetable pie from French Fantasies.

Like an old flame, there are old memories to re-discover, too.

A few days ago I brought home a slice of my old friend, the baked cheesecake.

Soft and creamy. Dense with the taste of milk fat that slowly melts in the mouth. Just like I remember.

Baked cheesecake from French Fantasies.

French Fantasies doesn't always live up to their promise, however. Their chicken curry pie, while pleasant enough, lacked the sigh-worthy charm of the lamb one I had. And I will always, always remember how deliriously divine my first French Fantasies cheese twist was - an explosion of ethereal, gooey warmth - but subsequent purchases have fallen short, a pale shadow of their predecessor. Perhaps I need to be there at the right time - when those babies are still fresh from the oven.

Nevertheless, these recent visits have reminded me again of my appreciation for French Fantasies. I'm planning to try their beef bourguignon pie next, and the tarte au citron.

And I won't let life get in the way.



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st andrews community market

Last Saturday, we made a trip up to St Andrews Community Market.

Out in the countryside, surrounded by eucalyptus trees, we browse, and shop.

What did we find there?

Organically grown produce...

That's some good-looking garlic, right there.

Herb and fruit plants...

I persuaded my aunt to get this stevia plant. Yay! I hope it thrives in her beautiful garden.

Handmade Turkish bowls...

So bright, so colourful.

Savoury food...

There's a bit of a hippie vibe going on in St Andrews Market, to be sure.

Sweet treats...

Little baked goods, catering to a variety of dietary restrictions.

Happy buskers...

He's having fun with it!

Second-hand goods, vintage knick-knacks, and other trash 'n' treasures...

I had fun browsing the various trinkets at this stall.

What a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday!

And now, my haul.

A bag of 'pistachio date wonders' - a milky, crumbly, sugary shortbread-style biscuit encasing the hidden prize of a pitted date within.

Pistachio date wonders.

Stuff that could come in handy for the kitchen, and for food photography. A vintage Grosvenor silver thingamajig, tarnished yet beguiling. An Alfred Meakin plate, gracefully worn out with age. Plus, modern cupcake-style ramekins by Maxwell & Williams, with the stickers still intact.

Vintage cutlery, vintage plate, and not-so-vintage ramekins...

And, of course, I couldn't leave without some gourmet edible goodies. A big punnet of ruby-red raspberries, ripe and bursting with juice. A tub of raw messmate honey, strained at beehive temperature, sweet and sticky with the natural goodness of pollen, propolis and enzymes. A bottle of extra virgin olive oil, tingling with the infused flavours of wild lime and blood orange.

Yum, yum and yum.

Organic raspberries, raw honey, and a citrussy olive oil.

If you're interested...

St Andrews Community Market is open every Saturday (except for fire danger days) from 8am to 2pm.

Location: St Andrews town is located in the foothills of the Yarra Ranges north east of Melbourne. The market is located at the corner of Kangaroo Ground/St. Andrews and Heidelberg/Kinglake Roads.

Entry price: None - free admission.

Website: http://www.standrewsmarket.com.au/

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french lettuce, carlton

There is nothing like a lazy Sunday. Sleeping in till ten, maybe eleven in the morning. Waking up, but not getting up. Stretching hard, your feet pushing away the sheets. Then, slowly, you unfurl yourself off the bed, to go in search of food... and on this occasion, a few weeks ago, Simon and I decided to take a short walk to French Lettuce (237 Nicholson St, Carlton).

We've visited French Lettuce once before, and that time we had their baguettes, which we liked. Firm crusts, chewy insides. Light, fresh fillings. We went for a baguette again - one with chicken, avocado, salad leaves and tomato, splashed with just the right amount of honey mustard dressing.

fresh and delicious chicken baguette.

We also tried one of their sandwiches with frittata, pesto, semi-dried tomato and salad. I would probably have preferred a denser bread here, but the fillings were, again, well-executed.

a soft sandwich with a very nice filling combo of frittata, pesto and semi-dried tomato.

And of course, there are desserts. Oh, the desserts! We briefly admired the macarons, but decided to give them a miss...

an assortment of macarons.

And I very, very nearly went for these sticky date and pear puddings - they looked so deliciously moist. I'll have to come back to try them.

sticky date and pear pudding.

But then the sour cherry and pistachio tart caught my eye - it just looked stunning. What can I say? I'm superficial like that. Upon digging in, I found that while the crumbled pistachios were pleasant enough, they didn't do much for me in this context; however, the sour cherries were a winner - they provided such a lovely contrast to the vanilla cream hidden underneath.

pistachio and sour cherry tart.

French Lettuce is famous for their vanilla slices, with great reviews from Herald Sun and The Age. I'm not a vanilla slice connoisseur, but I can say that I enjoyed this, and so did Simon: the gentle crunch of the flaky pastry together with that fluffy and not-too-sweet custard made it quite the refined experience.

French Lettuce's famous vanilla slice.

Oh, and the rest of that Sunday was good, too. I met up with friends, had fun in the sun, and ate ice cream. Lovely!



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story in a cup, south yarra

Winter is finally leaving us. A few more days, and it will be springtime... I look forward to everything being a little bit greener, a little bit brighter. I also anticipate a spike in the quantity of the frozen treats I consume.

I recently visited Story in a Cup (Shop 4, 9 Yarra St, South Yarra), a frozen yoghurt cafe I've been meaning to visit ever since I spied it a few months ago on Urbanspoon with positive reviews.

a generous selection of potential yoghurt toppings at Story in a Cup.

It may be the liberal self-serve mix-and-match concept with a vibrant selection of ingredients, it may be the warm and friendly staff who work there, it may be the knowledge that a percentage of the profits is donated to a cause. But whatever it is, I left feeling good and, with the weather getting warmer, I can see myself coming back for more - particularly as they also do smoothies and hot waffles!

Story in a Cup rotate their yoghurt flavours on a regular basis and I tried all six they had available that day - Original, Mango, Strawberry, French Cookies and Cream, Cafe Mocha and Hazelnut. Being 98% fat-free, they do lack the rich creamy taste that I adore, but they were still pleasant to eat - light, mildly sweet and tangy. I probably liked the strawberry flavour the best, but you might have to ask me again after I've been there a few more times.

What made everything really fun, though, is that I got to create my very own story in a cup. So not only did I opt for a squeeze of all the six yoghurt flavours, churning them out myself slurpee-style, I also darted around scooping up different (and perhaps rather random) toppings to go with them - peanuts, passionfruit coulis, raspberries, boysenberries, honey almond granola and Reese's peanut butter cups.

The end result is then weighed and priced. The story I created in my cup came to $7.15, and it proved to be a satiating late-afternoon snack. I experimented with each bite and while some of my combinations were not quite perfect, most worked out well. I particularly enjoyed the passionfruit coulis paired with the original and fruity yoghurt flavours.

my story in a cup!

I visited Story in a Cup about half an hour before closing time, and chose to eat in. It was fairly quiet, with some stray customers occasionally wandering in, of which a few were clearly regulars. An appreciative shout out to staff member Sandy, who struck up a nice conversation with me and provided some great company while I ate my yoghurt dessert!



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shanghai: moreish modern metropolis

For most of our time in China, we made a point of indulging in mostly traditional local cuisine, with only the odd deviation here and there. In Shanghai, however, we gave in to a more eclectic mix of morsels. Perhaps we needed a bit of a breather after a straight two weeks of Chinese food, fascinatingly varied as they were. Or perhaps we were lulled by the irresistibly cosmopolitan, international vibe of Shanghai. Either way, we just succumbed... with pleasure.

The first thing I had in Shanghai was a Portuguese egg tart. I couldn't have asked for a better way to start my day. Each glorious bite saw the soft, ethereal custard disintegrating joyously in my mouth.

egg tart.

Hours later, after a leisurely session of window shopping, we wandered into a posh supermarket deli and grabbed some Japanese takeaway for lunch. I opted for sour plum onigiri and salmon sushi rolls.

omusubi (aka onigiri) and sushi.

Our funds had been running low but we still had some Australian dollars which we exchanged at the bank for Chinese Renminbi. The next day, we felt so rich that we each got a fancy dessert at Haagen Dazs. This was actually our lunch. Oh yeah.

I'm not a big tiramisu fan, but the coffee ice cream in Simon's tiramisu dessert was lovely.

haagen dazs tiramisu dessert.

This was my Swiss-roll-inspired dessert. Thick crepes wrapped around strawberry ice cream, served with a tuile biscuit and small dollops of raspberry and mango ice cream.

haagen dazs swiss dessert.

After a day out sightseeing and admiring the night view from what is currently the tallest observation deck in the world at Shanghai World Financial Center, we popped by Din Tai Fung on the third level of the building for a filling banquet dinner. It included their famous xiaolongbao, of course. These gorgeous little pork dumplings were exquisitely made - you could spy the soupy interior through their translucent skins. To eat, lift carefully, bite a tiny hole and suck in the savoury broth before devouring the rest of the dumpling with liberal doses of black vinegar and fresh ginger.

xiaolongbao at din tai fung, swfc.

No matter which city we were in, we never seemed to have trouble finding a good breakfast takeaway spot. In Shanghai, our favourite one was a shop/stall selling a variety of buns.

This xianroubao - basically a type of pork bun - was like a big, doughy, greasy version of xiaolongbao. It wasn't easy to eat this without making a mess! One big bite reveals the meatball-ish stuffing, and then before you know it, rivulets of oil are trickling down your wrist. But oh, it was delicious. We giggled at how unhealthy it was, and continued cramming it into our mouths.

xianroubao: pork bun, shanghainese style. watch out for the oil spill!

Much healthier were the vegetable buns, such as this one which had shredded Chinese radish in it. Peppery. Tasty.

chinese radish bun.

I was happy to see how popular tea eggs were in Shanghai. Even convenience stores would often have a pot bubbling away. Many places, such as this roadside stall, would sell an egg for one yuan each.

tea eggs.

We tried doughnuts from a couple of international chains. These offerings were from an Indonesian chain called J.Co Donuts & Coffee. Simon couldn't resist the one called Avocado Dicaprio, if only because of its awesome name. I played it safe and went for a creamy Snow White.

doughnuts...

I can't remember which chain these doughnuts were from. It may have been from Dunkin' Donuts.

and more doughnuts.

For our last night in Shanghai, we decided to really live it up and went to the upmarket and fashionable Sinan Mansions of the French Concession district in search of dinner. We settled for some Chinese-influenced Peruvian cuisine at Chicha Lounge. It was very good - I particularly loved the tangy, refreshing ceviche.

ceviche at chicha lounge.

The seven-course set meal at Chicha Lounge stuffed us silly, but I had my heart set on visiting the Alchemist Cocktail Kitchen just next door, known for their fancy utilisation of molecular gastronomy in sophisticated cocktails and bar food. I soldiered on with my loyal compatriot towards the promise of sinfully delicious beverages, and we were not disappointed. I was in alcoholic heaven with my Pimm's Spider - cucumber and absinthe ice cream served with a flask of Pimm's No. 1 and fruit beer.

pimm's spider at alchemist cocktail kitchen.

On our last day, we checked out by noon but with an evening flight, we still had several hours to kill. As always, eating was a fabulous way to pass the time. I had seen these little skewers around at street stalls and I finally gave them a go. They were quite tasty.

meaty mini skewers.

We'd heard about Yang's fried dumplings even before we touched down on Shanghai, but I didn't hold out much hope for locating them. The fried dumplings (shengjianbao) are, again, not too unlike xiaolongbao, but heavier and with crunchy pan-fried bottoms. As luck would have it, we stumbled upon them completely by accident while exploring a shopping mall. Sloshed in chilli vinegar, these broth-spurting shengjianbao were wonderfully scrumptious. Mm-mmm! Come to mama, you serendipitous little darlings.

the well-known pan-fried dumplings/buns (shengjianbao or shengjian mantou) from xiaoyang shengjian.

Simon, still hungry, decided to move on to a Taiwanese-style hot dog, da chang bao xiao chang, which literally means "big sausage wrapped around small sausage". To elaborate further, it was basically a pork sausage encased in a sticky rice sausage-shaped bun.

taiwanese-style da chang bao xiao chang.

As for me... I was still basking in the afterglow of the shengjianbao and all I wanted was a light drink to tingle my senses. This sweet and sour calamansi juice was just the ticket.

calamansi drink.

Finally, reluctantly, our time was up. We got on to the high-speed Maglev, and bid our farewells to Shanghai. We'll be back, China. We'll be back...

maglev train in shanghai.

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