Adriano Zumbo Patisserie

All good things must come to an end – here’s the last post in what has been a fun #sweetweek. Sadly, Zumbo has closed his Rozelle store, but luckily the tiny outlet at Balmain remains open. We stopped by and tried one of the newer additions to the dessert selection – the Hazelnut Forest, with a hazelnut dacquoise, hazelnut crunch, cherry jam, milk curd, hazelnut mousse and hazelnut spray. Phew. That’s a lot of hazelnut. Firstly, I loved the presentation of this one – something about the sprigs on top reminded me of coral. The fresh hazelnuts and dollops of cherry on top were delightful, as the entree into the perfectly soft hazelnut mousse that surrounds the cake within. For me, this dessert was just like a lighter version of a black forest cake, without the chocolate but with the delicious cherry flavour inside. There’s a lot of mousse surrounding the smaller dacquoise, crunch and jam inside, which was definitely the best bit. I enjoyed the textural contrast here, from the soft mousse to the thick jam to the crunchy base. Mmm. I was surprised at how the lovely tartness of the cherry matched the nutty hazelnut, but also how light the whole dessert was. Highly recommended.

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie, 296 Darling Street, Balmain, NSW, https://adrianozumbo.com/

The Rabbit Hole

#sweetweek continues in Sydney! The Rabbit Hole is such a delightful place – offering a huge range of organic teas, plus a cabinet full of sweets and a brunch menu, there’s something here for everyone. I started out with a cup of choc orange fudge tea (with soy milk), which was served in the cutest little cup, with a white rabbit etched into it – the handle was the rabbit’s fluffy tail! Adorable. Given the scent was so sweet, I added sugar to the tea so that the flavour matched my nose’s expectations – with this tweak, I enjoyed the quite large cup. The first sweet was a piece of lavender shortbread, iced and topped with edible flowers. The shortbread was so thin and crumbly that you could almost imagine all of the butter within. The icing added another level of sweetness, although I didn’t really pick up any lavender flavour. To match with the tea, I also had a chocolate orange whoopie pie (kind of like a soft Butterbing), which was the perfect pairing. The chocolate cake-bit was so soft and spongy, and the orange-flavoured cream inside had a great citrus flavour. Certainly not your traditional desserts, but lovely nonetheless.

The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar, 146 Abercrombie Street, Redfern, NSW, http://www.therabbithole.com.au/

Blacksmith

I’d been past Blacksmith on a previous visit to Surry Hills and put it on my to visit list – I managed to stop by recently for an early lunch. The space is definitely true to the theme, with assorted ironwork and more rivets than you can poke a stick at. The menu has some exciting options, but, being me, I decided to try the wagyu beef burger ($22), plus a side of sweet potato chips to share ($8). The burger came out on a large platter with a smattering of chips and a small dish of aioli. The burger was piled up so high, and when I squished it down, a whole lot of creamy mayonnaise oozed out – definitely not in the ‘elegant to eat’ burger category. But that mayonnaise was worth saving from the platter, as it was utterly delicious! The patty was a bit diappointing – there were small bits of gristle and the outside wasn’t charred or crisp at all, as I had expected for the price – but the mayo certainly brought the level up a notch. The sweet potato chips were probably the highlight and were generously portioned, to the point where we needed a takeaway bag. I’ll be back to try some of their fun-sounding brunch items.

Blacksmith, 116 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills, NSW, no website

Tokyo Bird

My dream has come true. There is an authentic Japanese izakaya in Australia. Tokyo Bird sits in a little Surry Hills laneway and fulfills all my izakaya needs – an extensive drinks menu, lots of ‘little bites’ to eat and a vibe that’s buzzing. We started with cocktails – I chose the Breakfast Martini, with gin, curacao, lemon and yuzu marmalade. There is so much citrus happening there that my cheeks puckered, definitely in a good way. Dinner started with the Assorted Pickles ($6) and Katsu Chicken Nuggets ($9). The pickles were lightly done and dusted in  spicy togarashi seasoning – excellent for nibbling slowly. The katsu nuggets were the best thing ever – tender chicken bits deep fried in panko and served with kewpie mayo. Needless to say, they disappeared very quickly. We then picked four yakitori dishes. I loved the Negima (chicken thigh with shallot) – tender, charred nicely and basted in the magic yakitori sauce, it was probably my favourite of the four. The Tonton (pork belly) was lovely and fatty, and the Hatsu (chicken hearts) were tasty, although slightly tougher than the other meats. Finally, we both loved the Nasu (eggplant and miso) – beautifully salty with creamy eggplant, we were in izakaya heaven. I will be back as soon as I possibly can!

Tokyo Bird, 2/226-228 Commonwealth Street (entry on Belmore Lane), Surry Hills NSW, http://www.tokyobird.com.au/

Woah Nelly Bakes

How gorgeous are the doughnuts by Woah Nelly Bakes? I mean seriously, look at them! They taste just as good, I promise – every flavour delivered exactly what it says it will ($5 per doughnut). My favourite from the bunch had to be the PB&J – the combination of strawberry jam inside and peanut butter icing on top was to die for. I also loved the subtle sweetness of the Orange & Pistachio – the icing had a great citrus flavour without being at all artificial, and the pistachio added great crunch! I couldn’t help but order two of the Homer Simpson classic strawberry with sprinkles – utter doughnut perfection. All of the doughnuts themselves are lovely and dense, not greasy at all and had the perfect childhood-memory-inducing doughnut flavour. The Maple Bacon should get a special mention for being divine – the combination of sweet and salty plus doughnut ticked all the boxes for me (my fairy godmother, who I shared them with, agreed). I was slightly less wowed by the caramel rough – caramel icing with coconut and chocolate drizzle, but the flavours were still clear and went well together. Oh and the salted caramel with pretzel had just the right amount of sweet and salt, and the Nutella-filled one dusted in sugar took me right back to every European pastry I’ve ever had. Is that all of them? Phew. Yum. Woah!

Woah Nelly Bakes, http://woahnellybakes.com/

Lotus Restaurant

The lovely dessert team at Lotus have created an incredible Easter dessert, which my friend and I were lucky enough to sample yesterday. The egg is beautifully presented on a bed of fried pastry strands, with a rose glaze that reminded me strongly of musk. The strands were lovely and crispy and surprisingly sweet – I ate more than my fair share! The egg is the main game though, created out of incredibly thin Valrhona dark chocolate dusted in a brozne shimmer, filled with soft coconut meringue ‘white’ and a mango sorbet ‘yolk’. All of these flavours work well together – the chocolate is of that exceptional calibre that it just dissolves on your tongue into creamy, bitter luxury, which contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the coconut meringue. I was completely smitten with the mango sorbet; it was like eating a ripe mango, the flavour was so intense and true. The mix of textures was fabulous as well, with creamy sorbet, fluffy meringue and the crack of the tempered chocolate, not to mention the crunch of the pastry strands. Available as part of the Easter banquet or a la carte at dinner, definitely one to try before it disappears!

Lotus Restaurant, Level 1, The Galeries, 500 George Street Sydney NSW, http://www.lotusrestaurant.com.au/

Petal Met Sugar

When I first heard that Petal Met Sugar was selling a dessert called ‘Terrarium’, I raced to my calendar to find when I could next go to Sydney to try it. Meeting a couple of lovely friends there, we snagged a table out the front and then it was terrarium time! The dessert ($10.50) is a finger lime panna cotta, dusted with cocoa nibs and topped with edible flowers. Let me start off by saying that the presentation was immaculate! This was a work of art, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed by the flavour either. The white chocolate wasn’t the sugary, sickly sweet kind, but it did add a rich, creaminess to the contrasting textures of the rest of the dessert. The cocoa nibs were almost like a biscuit crumb, super chocolatey but not overly sweet – I think they were my favourite element actually. Hidden beneath was the delightful burst of sourness from the finger lime panna cotta, just as soft and slightly wobbly as you would expect. Combined, a mouthful with all elements made for the perfect balance. So Petal Met Sugar isn’t just a pretty face, their desserts are well thought-out and definitely worth a visit. Or two.

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