Parisian Patisserie Boulangerie - 19 Keilor Road, Essendon

Okay, so I’ve heard really good things about this place…and the photos I’ve seen so far from other bloggers as well as their comments convinced me to travel from home (all the way in the east) at a blasphemous hour, through morning peak hour traffic, to Essendon, for some butter, egg, flour and lots of sugar…was it worth it?

I know it doesn’t start with F but it is French and that’s and F-word…

First impression of the place reminds me of cafes in Paris, clean, neat and sterile? The place is small and when we got there, was full, so we were directed down the hall to a small inner dining room that had a lone, larg-ish table.

 

We ordered from the counter and Mr F got the famed croissant d’amande and escargot to go with his usual Chai Latte whilst Miss J got a mixed berry brioche and a chocolate milkshake. I knew what I wanted…a Mille Feuille and the Egg brioche, having seen a divine photo of it on omnomnomnom, http://bright-copper-kettle.blogspot.com/2010/08/parisian-patisserie-moonee-valley.html

 Service was decent, professional and attentive, though I wouldn’t exactly call it friendly. Perhaps they were quite busy at the time…? Food and drinks came quickly enough and away we went.

 The star of the morning I would definitely say is the famed almond croissant. True to its reputation, it came with a nice crunch on the outside, soft and fluffy with a slight cakey texture on the inside. I thoroughly expected it to be too sweet but found it quite nice. Also expected it to taste buttery but was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of it and the slight vanilla taste it carried. Definitely a big plus for the almond croissant!!

 The egg brioche which I had high hopes for was alas, overcooked. The egg was hard and the yolk fully fried. The brioche as with all the pastries was nice and light and would have been excellent were it not for the much overcooked EGG! To me, that’s how eggs are killed, by overcooking the yolk…honestly, I don’t care about the white. I’m happy to have it fully cooked or par cooked but the yolk…the life of the egg…it needs, I repeat, needs to be given the right respect!

 The mixed berry brioche saved the failed egg brioche by having a nice, light, not too sweet, custard filling that complemented the berries and the brioche very well.

The escargot was nothing too special, perhaps a bit on the sweet side for me especially with all the of sultanas in it.

 The Mille Feuille, which I ended up having to takeaway, was excellently done. I was trying to compare it to the excellent one I had at French Lettuce and the pretty decent one from French Quarters and would probably rate it between the two with French Lettuce still ticking all the right boxes for me. The pastry was nice and crunchy and went extremely well with the not too sweet custard filling.

 

  So, was it worth the 1 hour 15 min drive? Definitely for the almond croissants but perhaps, I should consider walking next time…calories in vs calories out….

Cold Soba Noodles

The idea was simple enough, eat my way through A-Z, blogging and sharing my experience with family and friends. The execution, however, has become quite difficult as I seem to get distracted very easily with the goal, so as always, ideas were set to be changed, so unfortunately, I have decided that I will go my own way and blog all my food experiences…the ones worth mentioning, of course…

Melbourne has just endured a scorching 36°C day and for the first time in recent memory, I did not feel like dinner. Actually, that would be a lie. I did feel like dinner but all I felt like was ice cream. But isn’t dinner by definition something savory?? Or at least, that’s what I’ve been brought up to believe in. Savory ice cream? Peanut butter ice cream? That’s sweet and a bit savory? I can have dinner and dessert all rolled in one...

Maybe not…so I got thinking and finally, am reminded of a dish I had when I was travelling in Japan last year. A quick bowl of plum pudding and date & walnut ice cream followed by a quick trip to the Asian grocery store later, this is what I whipped up: Japanese Soba Noodle with my version of soba sauce and sides.

Soba そば, is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It can be served either cold or in hot soup as soup noodle. For today, I’m serving it cold with a side of freshly julienned carrots, cucumber, enoki mushroom, seaweed and alas but not least, kim chi. I know, I know…kim chi?? Where does that fit in?? Well, I wanted something cold and that was available and I felt like it too, so kim chi it was and it went down very nicely, thank you very much.

For the dipping sauce, I kept it quick and simple by using dashi stock (from dashi granules), dissolving it in water, then boiling it with mirin, bit of sugar and soy sauce. The sauce was then kept in the fridge to cool.

Store bought dehydrated soba noodle was used and after cooking it, was kept in the fridge as well as I prepared my sides.

To serve, I added some wasabi and chili paste (I like my spices, even in hot weather) to the dipping sauce and topped it with dry roasted sesame seeds and mixed everything (except the kim chi) together for an easy, one bowl meal. The result, a super easy, healthy, home cooked meal perfect for the hot weather. The dipping sauce was mild tasting but flavorsome enough, bringing out the hotness of the wasabi and complementing the fresh, mild flavored sides.

Elevenses - 585 Little Collins St, CBD

After having had a restricted diet for 3 weeks, I’m finally back in the market for good food. Ooh…how I have deprived my taste buds…not my tummy though…there was definitely enough food but when they generally taste similar (cooked with pretty much the same herbs, no/minimal spices, same vegetables, salt…) and you know exactly what you’ll be having for each meal for the next 3 weeks, it gets a bit tiring and uninspiring. But ooh…well, I have discovered that I am not that fussy with food and for a greater cause, I will be willing to go on it again (which I will after a few weeks’ break) but for now, please, allow me to eat, drink and be merry!! :D

So, Elevenses is a café that I’ve been meaning to try but due to my work schedule, have not been able to make it there but Melbourne Cup day is definitely a good day to go as they tweeted that they’ll be open. Parking was easy in Melbourne and it was easy enough to get there. The place was empty apart from the girls and I was actually surprised at how small it was but I guess it is after all, an espresso bar.

Toby’s Estate is a favorite blend and I quickly got my caffeine hit organized. As I still couldn’t have ‘proper’ food, I had to watch and take notes as my friends ordered their meals…the Braised rabbit sandwich and the Roast pork sandwich. Too bad they didn't have the Kangaroo/Rooben sandwich on the day.

They were both interesting items, not commonly seen in small eateries and can easily be done badly. On the other hand, they can be ‘Wow! This is great!!’ The pork was definitely the latter, pulling apart easily whilst still moist and tender. The vegetables(yes, including the gerkhin) made it appear very healthy and gourmet. The rabbit on the other hand was a bit tougher and I was told, takes some getting used to as it’s not a familiar meat to have with a slightly stronger taste compared to chicken.

Ms K had the almond croissant which was a bit too dense, appearing more ‘cakey’ than light and flaky as croissants should be.

Coffees were well made and my strong latte was definitely appreciated. So, Elevenses, a good place for socially, ethically and environmentally responsible coffee, good place for a quick elevenses(aka morning tea/smoko), not so good for a sit down meal or to catchup as space is very limited.

Suggestion: honey on bread with condensed milk??