Petal Met Sugar

Petal Met Sugar isn’t the kind of place you can just order one thing from. I mean, look at their delicate, elegant sweets! So we ordered two cakes to share – the Vanilla and Rhubarb Eclair ($7) and the Salted Caramel ($6). The Eclair had a strip of dried rhubarb laid on top of a thin layer of sweet icing, but when you bit into the the soft, springy choux pastry, there was the lovely discovery of vanilla creme patissere. This paired delightfully with the sweet rhubarb jam also hidden inside – the flavours were subtle and sophisticated together. Next was the Salted Caramel, which was visually stunning – encased in a tart shell and topped with edible flowers, caramelised popcorn and gold sea salt (seriously, wow!). True caramel fans rejoice! This dessert takes your caramel just to the point of toasted bitterness that requires real skill – surely a moment longer and it would have been burnt. The result is a really rich flavour that has far more complexity than something less-cooked, and I found the balance of the salt just right for my taste. The popcorn added a fun textural contrast too. My conclusion? Everything here is pretty much perfect.

Petal Met Sugar, 68 Sir John Young Crescent, Woolloomooloo, NSW, http://www.petalmetsugar.com.au/

 

Movenpick

So when I imagine mango icecream, sorbet, or anything really, I somehow come back to the utterly divine flavour of the mango pudding served at yum cha restaurants. I have no idea whether that’s an authentic dessert or not, but for me, it’s the benchmark of mango flavour – second only to fresh, ripe mango in authenticity. Movenpick’s mango sorbet just knocked mango pudding out of the ballpark. I have enjoyed Movenpick’s flavours in a couple of cities now, but the mango I tried at the Melbourne Central kiosk is probably up there with my beloved Strawberry flavour. The serve is smaller than other stores, but when the flavour is this great, I don’t really mind. There are strands of mango woven into the sorbet, showing how genuine the flavour is – this is the kind of sorbet that would be a perfect palate cleanser, it’s so fresh and refreshing. Each mouthful coats your tastebuds in mango-y goodness, with a beautifully creamy texture that made me question its status as a sorbet. Movenpick, you’ve done it again. I will be back for sure.

Movenpick, Melbourne Central (Level 2), Corner of Swanston and La Trobe Streets, Melbourne VIC, http://www.moevenpick-icecream.com/au

Sweet Bones

What do you do at Sweet Bones when you want both granola and a smoothie? You combine them into a smoothie bowl and have both, yay! I adore Sweet Bones’ dairy-free menu, so I picked my smoothie, the Fit Sistas Smoothie with strawberries, banana, apple juice and flax oil, and added Eileen’s granola and seasonal fruit to my order to make the smoothie bowl ($16). The granola here is unbelievably good – jam-packed full of dried fruit – apricots, cranberries and sultanas – plus more nuts than you can poke a stick at (almonds, hazelnuts, macadamias) AND sunflower seeds… Oh, and did I mention that it’s all toasted in maple syrup? Swoon. The granola was still crunchy was despite floating in smoothie, and I actually enjoyed the combination with the smoothie far more than I do granola with milk. The smoothie had great texture – not too icy, and with a nicely balances sweetness – and there was sooooo much of it! The fruit on top (oh, hello banana, Granny Smith apple, strawberry and passionfruit!) added a great splash of flavour and a mix of textures, creating a filling, wholesome breakfast that I can’t wait to order again.

Sweet Bones, 8/18 Lonsdale Street Braddon, ACT, http://sweetbonescompany.com/

Genki Roll

Genki Roll has a special place in my heart – I used to eat lunch there quite regularly as a student, so on this visit I tried my old favourite, the hot udon soup, to see if it’s still as good as I remember. The answer is yes. For a great value $5.20 you can get a regular sized udon, and I added tempura vegetables for an extra $2.50. The bowl was still a good size, and the tempura was going nice and soggy in the broth (yum). The noodles remain beautifully springy and given the different widths, I wonder if they’re made in store (does anyone know?). New is the pile of not-very-authentic greens on the side, which I avoided. The tempura vegetables did seem to contain prawns (maybe a communication error?) but was fabulously fried and full of onion and other good bits. Soaked in the broth, they were perfect. The prawn was a bit ho-hum, but as always, the broth is the real star and it was just like I remember -salty, and with that proper Japanese flavour that udon broths should have. Sure, it’s not exactly healthy, but on a chilly afternoon, this dish will warm you to your bones.

Genki Roll, Adelaide Central Plaza, Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA

Buvette

After a fabulous savoury course, it was time for the sweets. We had tried to pace ourselves, but ended up only trying the least portable desserts, and getting the rest takeaway (thank you Buvette!). I started with the lemon meringue tart, as the lightest of all the flavours. The meringue was so glossy and soft, it just melted away into the sweet pastry and delicious lemon curd base. Yum. Next up was the profiterole – now usually I’m not a huge fan of these, as they can be bland compared to other sweets, but this one had such great quality chocolate and a caramel-flavoured filling, that it has change my mind about what a good profiterole can be. The tiramisu was a highlight, although by then I had reached dairy saturation, so only tried the coffee-and-liqueur-soaked cake – it was stronger on the coffee than the liqueur, which was probably good to counteract the sleepiness from so much eating. Of the sweets I took home, I particularly liked the strawberry friand – it had great flavour and actually smelt really great too – and the salted caramel square was also divine. Highly recommended for a special occasion, or just to celebrate the weekend!

Buvette, Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT, http://buvette.com.au/

Buvette

Buvette’s Petit Feast has become the hottest new thing for Canberra foodies to indulge in – and what a treat! My friend and I booked a few weeks in advance and were delighted by the whole experience ($65pp). I’ll post about the sweets separately, but on arrival you start with the savoury course, served with a glass of rose and a separate plate with your oyster. The oysters were huge, although they had probably the strongest oceanic flavour of any oyster I’ve ever had, so it might not be to everyone’s tastes. We started with the finger sandwiches – the top two were salmon, the bottom two tomato and cheese – which had been made fresh and were both light and tasty. Next up was the spinach and zucchini quiche, which had very short, sweet pastry and a luxurious, silky-smooth filling. Yum. The tiny beef pies were elegant and flavoursome, but I was particularly excited for the cold meats. The jamon definitely stole the show (my friend’s pick of the whole feast) and was closely followed by the guyere cheese, which was so tasty we kept our leftovers for the doggie bag. The manager came to check on each table (very classy) and told us it was imported from France. The olives were also a nice respite from the richer items. Stay tuned for the sweet course…

Buvette, Hotel Realm, 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT, http://buvette.com.au/

Beef & Barley

My last visit to Beef & Barley was just after they had opened, so when I popped by for a solo dinner, I was excited to see that the menu had evolved and grown. Unable to resist the lure of a beef burger with chorizo, I ordered the Atomic Boss ($18.50), with fried onion, smoked mozzarella, pickles, tomato relish, rocket and a choice of house BBQ or ‘fire’ sauce (I went for BBQ). All burgers come with a side of sweet coleslaw and beer-battered chips, and I was delighted to see that they’ve wound back the sugar on the chips, compared to my last visit. The slaw was crunchy and covered in a creamy (thousand island?) dressing, which helped cut through the richness of the burger. Whilst not the most glamorous thing to eat, the burger was utterly delicious – I LOVED the combination of a good quality, perfectly cooked patty, plus the really smoky, spicy hit of the chorizo. This wasn’t supermarket-grade chorizo, and its quality smokiness really worked well with the house BBQ sauce. I couldn’t finish all my chips, but they were crisp and tasty and, really, I enjoyed this meal. A lot.

Beef & Barley, Corner of Eyre Street and Kingston Waterfront, Kingston ACT, http://www.beefandbarley.com.au