What conundrum I was in: CS unable to appear at all today; I was nursing a sore stomach; nobody showed up to eat for me until 11.30am... I soldiered on, like a true Dessert Queen with mixed feelings.
Paris Patisserie is only 6 minutes walk from my house, on Bondi Road. How is it that I've never bought a morning croissant aux amandes is beyond me. I walked in and immediately hated myself for not being able to eat much, if at all! Oh, the endless pastries, tarts, gateaux... CS, where were you when I needed you most!? I had to buy something simple and light(ish) so a cinnamon brioche it was. And the little bits that I put in my mouth... mmm... I love brioche and this is good fluffy brioche - even better if warmed, and dowsed with chocolate sauce, sprinkled with chopped almonds... Okay, I'm imagining again. The point is, you all must go there and pick up something and report back due to the lack of variety I managed today!!
On I walked to Wellington Cake Shop, only a block towards the beach from Paris Patisserie. It was very busy - a good sign. This Hungarian bakery has strudels, kugelhupf, sweet cheese pastry pockets - none of which I dared to purchase. Again, I thought I'd better buy something, anything... An apple cinnamon bagel, which isn't in the shape of one but the texture is definitely lighter and more moist than the average bagel. Perfect as a snack; perhaps with apple sauce mixed into the dough but without overpowering cinnamon. This one item per store pattern is beginning to make me cry!Time to head down to the beach. Seeing as I was alone, I walked past some of the potential hang-outs: Blue Orange, a tad disappointed from my last visit - their French toast brioche just cannot beat those at Flat White Cafe; Le Paris Go Cafe, busy, packed, not much on the sweets menu. I decided to wait for the others at Gelato Bar on Campbell Parade - at least they have heaps of desserts on display! My purpose wasn't to eat them, you see... Being fully aware of my digestive condition, I ordered poached eggs, mushroom with rye bread, plus a pot of mint tea. How BORING! I got stuck into my Stieg Larsson book (the last of the trilogy). When RC & DL arrived, I pleaded for them to start chomping!
As was expected, no one could eat like CS or I. Accepted. So crepes with strawberry & ricotta cheese (was it?) and a cinnamon twist were ordered. The crepes were surprisingly good - the tart strawberries combined with the cheese made great filling for the light crepes. We love pastry so the cinnamon twist was a safe pick. Although I note that the style of desserts here are more Bavarian hence the pastries aren't as buttery or fluffy as those of the French variety. This is also true with the palmier leaf (measuring 15 cm x 15 cm) I collected for CS - not before I broke off a wee bit to "test-taste"!
We walked past the not-so-packed-now Gusto Cafe and wondered what all the fuss was about. The boys ordered their takeaway lattes as there were no seats and I consistently ordered one item: pistachio & almond shortbread. So the coffee is actually very good. Now I understand why the joint is filled with people for hours on end. The shortbread was disappointing as it was not buttery enough to be called shortbread. If it was a cookie, it'd still be just okay. Worth trying the coffee proper next time.The Winter Festival at Bondi was nearing its end. Apart from the ice rink overlooking the beach, packed with kids, mums & dads, a dozen food stalls were set up. We got excited by seeing Max Brenner flags but on close inspection nothing obvious from the bald man was available. There is one thing that I always love at outdoor events and it's poffertjes, those mini Dutch pancakes. Once in a cafe in Den Haag I stared, drooling, at the enormous baking cast with envious glee. Perhaps it reminds me of Taiwanese egg-puffs which are of similar size but these buttery, hot, fluffy dollops of baked batter, served with maple syrup or chocolate sauce, to them I will always say YES!
KT
