Rose Toast

Shame on me - I haven't written a post in such a long time. Even more shameful is that work is what's been getting in the way! I'm sorry to say that it's going to be like this for at least the next few weeks.

But, I managed to find another new item at the 85°C bakery in Kingsford - it's called Rose Toast. It's described as "soft chocolate cake with rose bun and cheese filling" and it costs $3.00 for a small half-loaf. It's a strange combination but it works, the addition of rose and cheese make the chocolate cake a lot more interesting. The flavours are distinct yet subtle enough that you can't stop at one slice... ok, I guess I'm talking about me! My only question? It doesn't seem like it's meant to be toasted, so why is it called a toast? Has anybody ever toasted cake?

This toast by any other name would taste as sweet.

 

Hope all of you have been well... I will be back to posting regularly as soon as I can. Until then, happy eating!

What: Rose Toast
Where: 85°C bakery (I got mine from the Kingsford cafe)
How much: $3.00

Jack Snacks!... Premium Taro Jelly Roll and Honey Cake

One thing I quite like about 85°C bakery is that every so often they have something new to try. On a recent visit I saw two new items that looked interesting - mmm new cakes!

The first was Premium Taro Jelly Roll ($6.95). The taro flavour is light and the 'jelly' has a bit of squidginess without being too gelatinous to overpower the cake. The cake has a nice fine texture. I quite liked it and it makes for a nice snack.

The Honey Cake is described as "Soft and tender cake with rich honey, irresistible taste everyone like." and costs $2.40. I can't speak for "everyone" but I did indeed like it. Like the taro one, it too has a fine texture. It's somewhat sweeter and has a recognisable honey flavour - I think it would go nice with some hot green tea. I'll have to try remember that for next time as I gobbled it up pretty quickly.

At $6.95 it sure is premium!

Honey cake - everything tastes good with honey.

What: Premium Taro Jelly Roll and Honey Cake
Where: 85°C Coffee, Cake and Bakery Specialist (I got mine from the Kingsford shop)
How much: Premium Taro Jelly Roll was $6.95 and Honey Cake $2.40

Jack Snacks!... Awesome Lo Po Beng

As mentioned in my earlier post I wanted to write about my favourite Lo Po Beng (Sweet Heart Pastry). It's the best one I've had here in Sydney but I don't guarantee that it's the best there is (at the time of writing, my Auntie MM says that she thinks there's another shop which is nicer, I'll definitely try it out as well to see how it compares!).

But back to this Lo Po Beng. It comes from Bakery King Cake Shop (a.k.a 麥包皇饼店). They have a shop in Hurstville as well as Chatswood. I've eaten from both and they're made the same way, however Hurstville's is that tiny bit better in my opinion.

Bakery King's Lo Po Beng has a really nice soft pastry which is not dry. The winter melon filling is moist with a nice flavour but not too sweet. The proportions of melon and pastry are just right. The other thing that makes it right is the price. Cause at $3.20 for 5 (weighing 180gm) it's alot cheaper than the one at 85°C.

Oh there are 5 in a box, I may have eaten 2 right away cause I couldn't wait!

What: Lo Po Beng (Sweet Heart Pastry)
Where: Bakery King Cake Shop at 241 Forest Rd, Hurstville (02) 9579 6381 and Shop 4/376 Victoria Ave, Chatswood (02) 9904 7078
How much: $3.20 for 5 (180gm)

Jack Snacks!... 85°C Creme Brulee and Sweet Heart Pastry

The bakery chain. Back in the day, there were places like Helen's Cake Shop, Bakery King Cake Shop, Savoy and others. But more chains have since arrived - Breadtop, Barby's, Hello Happy and the subject of today's post - 85°C.

The Taiwanese chain arrived in Sydney in 2006 and are still going strong. I frequent their Kingsford store on a regular basis so I'm always looking at what's new and what I haven't tried yet.

Creme Brulee is a single serve treat that is ohhh so delicious and satisfying. It's custard is smooth and silky and the right level of richness. The caramel layer on top is not that hard but the smoky and sweet taste more than makes up for it. I'm not going to say much more. The photo evidence says it all - yum.

No words need to be said!

Sweet Heart Pastry is a new addition. I like to call it by it's cantonese name Lo Po Beng though it's also known as Sweetheart cake, Wife cake, Wife biscuit it's an old classic that they've introduced. 85's version is a thin, flat pastry that's not too sweet. It's not bad at all and I'd eat it again. But in my opinion there is only one Lo Po Beng in Sydney which is truly awesome (blog post about this one coming soon!). 85's version loses out in taste and price - cause at $1.80 it's not really value for money even if it does taste good. It hasn't quite won my heart - I'm staying faithful to the Creme Brulee.

She's nice, but not quite marriage material.

What: Creme Brulee and Sweet Heart Pastry (lo po beng)
Where: 85°C Coffee, Cake and Bakery Specialist
How much: Creme Brulee costs $2.80 and Sweet Heart Pastry was $1.80

Princi Day & Night

Princi is probably the trendiest panetteria (bakery) I know; from the stylish modern design, to the all Italian staff and of course the food. It isn't surprising that it is busy all day long, even at 10:30pm on a Thursday night when we popped in to grab some takeaway cake.

Princi is successful because it does something very simple, very well and according to my wise husband, that is the secret to success. The Soho panetteria is the London post for the Italian bakeries in Milan, hence the style. But the food is equally good and with plenty of variety, it is a popular hangout for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the few visits, we have already sampled:

• Soft, doughy focaccia with Parma ham which was so simple yet tasty
• Fresh pizza slices with spinach and cheese
• Meat lasagne from the hot (more like warm) food selection, which was meaty and tasty
• Passionfruit cheesecake which is a refreshing but satisfying dessert
• Amaretti and chocolate trancio - a thick chocolately slice which wasn't too sweet
• Crostata di Fragole - a simple strawberry tart
• Lemon, chocolate and toffee slice - my favourite, a perfectly balanced sweet and citrus cake

Add to this good coffee (of course) and Princi is the perfect stop for a quick and simple snack or meal.

Princi isn't the cheapest bakery but it is tasty, filling and won't leave you feeling heavy. It's also very busy so it can be hard to get a seat but whether you eat in or takeaway, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

What: Princi panetteria

Where: 135 Wardour St, Soho, London

How much: Average price for cakes, pizzas and focaccias £4.60, lasagne £6.50, coffee £2.30

Return to Central Baking Depot - Quiche and Cake

After my recent trip to Central Baking Depot, I was keen to go back. In particular, I was keen to try the Flourless Chocolate and Sour Cherry Slice. Well, I did go back. I went back at 4pm on a weekday when having a late lunch. I was hoping to sit in the cafe and relax a little but apparently it's only takeaway at this hour. So I took my treats to the park instead.

I was thinking of getting the Beef Brisket pie again but there weren't any left so I made a last minute decision to get the Pancetta and Gruyere Cheese Quiche. I don't know about others, but everytime I order a quiche I am instantly hit by a pang of regret. "What am I doing?!" is what I would usually think. Why you may ask? Because quiche usually has a disproportionate amount of egg which makes it a little bland and overly-eggy in a weird way. So I ordered this Pancetta and Gruyere Cheese Quiche and immediately started to question my judgement. To make matters worse I noticed on the way to the park that the paper bag was getting rather oily. Oh no! Was I to meet an eggy-oily fate? I took my first bite. Crunch!! Sure the pastry is a little on the oily side, but you barely notice it cause it's so crunchy and tasty. And then there's the pancetta - there is loads of it!!! The filling for the quiche is not at all over-eggy. I hardly remember the oil when I'm eating it, that's how good it is.

Enough pancetta to raise your cholesterol, in a most tasty way.

With savouries out of the way, it was time to finally taste the Flourless Chocolate and Sour Cherry Slice which I had oggled on previous occasions but never bought. It looked good in the shop but then after eating the quiche I worried if it was going to be too oily too. It's probably not that healthy - but dang it tastes good! It's so moist and soft and light you can practically inhale it. The chocolate flavour is nice, the only complaint is that there's not that many sour cherries. If there were a few more it would be even more awesome. One word - yum! Hmm.. what next to try from Central Baking Depot......

Have you sniffed this recently?

What: Pancetta and Gruyere Cheese Quiche, Flourless Chocolate and Sour Cherry Slice
Where: Central Baking Depot
How much: Quiche was $4.40 and Slice was $4.50

Central Baking Depot - Beef brisket, mushroom & red wine pie

For someone who's spent 5/6ths of their life living in Sydney, I've managed to not pick up some quintessential Sydney traits. I don't spend weekends at the beach, hardly drink beer and I don't watch the nrl religiously. Ok, I don't watch nrl at all. But one very Australian food that I've become very attached to over the years is the meat pie. So simple - a bit of pastry that holds some meat in sauce. It doesn't sound like much to get excited about but when done right a meat pie is heaven on earth to me.

This is where Central Baking Depot comes in. The 'little brother' of Bourke Street Bakery that's located in the CBD (CBD, Central Baking Depot.. co-incidence? I think not!), it has breads, cakes, pastries, sandwiches, coffee etc etc. There are a few small dine in tables but the large majority seem to line up for takeaway at this awesome bakery. The atmosphere reminds me alot of bakeries that you find in europe. And when I think of european bakeries I inevitably think of Bakken met Passie which is situated a few minutes walk from where Jess used to live in Amsterdam. I would go back to Amsterdam just to eat their amazing ham and cheese croissant which is hands down the best in the whole wide world. So ok, Central Baking Depot is not quiiite Bakken met Passie, but it's not far off and I think Sydney could definitely do with more places like this. I shall proceed to tell you why.

The pies and sausage rolls are supplied by Bourke Street Bakery and I know their sausage rolls are oh so famous but I'm a sucker for a pie and just have to try one. I choose the "beef brisket, mushroom and red wine pie". WOW. The pastry was light and flaky, with a smattering of poppyseeds on top. Inside you'll find REAL beef and NO gristle, surrounded by an abundance of thinly sliced mushrooms and a full flavoured red wine sauce. Beef brisket pie, where have you been all my life?? Everytime I think about this pie I want to eat it. Like.. right now...

Seriously, if you like meat pies half as much as I do, try it. I'm curious to know if anybody else is as impressed as me - so leave a comment if you do eat one and tell me what you think! Oh, I'm also super keen to try their 'flourless chocolate and sour cherry cake' as I remember oggling it the first time I visited Central Baking Depot and it's been waiting for me to try it ever since. In fact, I might have to get a piece during lunch tomorrow...

Flaky layers of pastry reveal a jumble of meat and mushrooms in a very tasty sauce. I kid you not, that is a chunk of real meat! And they don't skimp on the mushrooms either!

What: Central Baking Depot
Where: 37-39 Erskine St, Sydney. Check the website for opening hours and details of their new stores (Bondi Junction opens on 14 March and Neutral Bay in April 2011)
How much: A pie this good doesn't come cheap. It costs $5.30 - but it's worth every cent!