Le Petit Gateau

I know there is a lot of new cake and dessert stores popping up everywhere. However Le Petit Gateau remains one of my favorite cake stores in Melbourne. I have known about this place for awhile now and it only recently occurred to me, I rave on about how great Lux Bite is, in my blog but I never mention anything about a place I regularly visit.

I've compiled this post from a number of visits, hoping to capture as many of their cakes as possible.

This place has a rather popular Brownie and passionfruit chocolate gateau. Made up of a nutty brownie base, passionfruit cream, chocolate moouse, chocolate glaze and a passionfruit jelly on top. The flavours come incredibly well together. It is a rich cake, but the array of flavours in chocolately and has that hint of sourness from the passionfruit mmmmmmm heaven on the tastebuds!

Another one I really like is the cosmopolitan. This is made up of a carrot cake base, cheesecake centre and a raspberry jelly on top. A combination of rather simple cakes but a fabulous texture combination. From soft and spicy to silky cheesecake and finally the hint of berry sweetness. Yummy!

They also have the classic Black Forest. This isn't a stand out cake for me. I like it because I like Black Forest but it is spectacular. Light fluffy chocolate cake with good cherry flavours but just a little lacking.

Overall this is a place with beautiful cakes and worth a visit. Also, if you have the entertainment book there is a buy one get one free voucher inside so makes it even more tempting. 16/20


 

Shanghai Street Dumpling

I always walk pass this place and there is always a line outside. At the start I dismissed it as just another cheap, nasty dumpling place. However my partner kept going on about how he wanted to try it, so I eventually agreed to go with him.

Upon arriving I was quite surprised that it was a lot cleaner than the usual cheap dumpling places and was a lot more pleasent to be able to talk over a meal rather than shout.

There was no way I could visit a dumpling place without trying the xiao long bao. The xiao long bao exceeded my low expectations, it was not as oily as I imagined it to be. The fried xiao long bao had a really thick skin but the filling was juicy and not too fatty.

What deserves a mention is their wonton in chilli oil and peanut sauce. These come in a plate of 15 and they are super tasty with a bit of a kick from the chilli oil. If you like something spicy there is always extra chilli oil on the table. The nuttiness from the peanut sauce almost gives it slightly creamy dimension for a split second when it enters your mouth. Worth a try.

Also, tried the noodle with pork sauce (Ja Jiang Mien), this is different from the usual Ja Jiang Mien I've eaten before, as it comes with brocolli instead of cucumber. Not an outstanding dish but not a bad dish either.

Then, there is the beef noodle soup. I would not get this if you have an Asian palete or an Asian mother. Feels like it's aimed to be a white man's dish (no offence to anyone). The beef is overcooked and the noodles are bland not the usual flavours you would expect to get at a place like this. Feels more like those fake Asian noodles you get at the corner shop.

Fried rice cakes with pork and spiniah wasn't any better. It was overy salty and the pork was over cooked. I have been told by the friend I was with, that this dish is normally a lot better. I guess it shows the inconsistency. I guess if it was less salty, it would be a rather pleasent dish.

Finally, there was the oyster sauce with broccoli. I know it's a simple, standard dish, but I love having it to balance out all the meat and carbs. Felt like a rabbit nibbling on all the greens.

Overall I do like this place. This post was based on 3 visits and each time I had to wait at least 20 minutes. But this is a cheap dumpling joint, so don't expect exceptional service. 13.5/20

Ying Thai 2

End of the week and all I wanted was just a good, cheap, fast dinner before heading to my friend's birthday drinks. I wanted my Coconut rice and Green curry on a rainy cold night so Ying Thai 2 seem to fit my craving.

For those who haven't been before, it is located on Lygon St and generally quite hard to get a table on weekends, as it was once upon a time, a cheap place for uni students to grab a bite.

I've had their salads before and I know how electrifying spicy they can be. So when I ordered the Som Tum salad with crab I specifically asked that it be mild. When it came out, I must say I was very disappointed. The crab was not a fried soft shell crab, as I thought it would be. It was just a crab steamed and pulled apart. Even though I asked for mild it was still so spicy my mouth went numb. Then when I asked the waitress about it she said it was already mild. I am not stupid and I am pretty sure my dish was not mild.

Then there was the Pad Thai. This was not outstanding or nothing but probably the most enjoyable dish of all the things I ordered for the night.

Finally my Coconut rice and Green Curry came. The rice was a bit too sweet for my liking but still strong with coconut fragrant. Green curry was just bland and felt like something thrown together very casually. Overall, what I looked forward to much was such a let down.

I think over the years, the standard has dropped a fair bit but the prices went up. Service wasn't great either, the table next to me was kicked out after the finished their meal, even though no one was waiting for a table.

Overall 9/20 I won't call it cheap Thai anymore, I think it's just average over-hyped Thai now.

Snow Pony

What to do on a lazy Sunday with gloomy weather..? Have brunch!

Located on a local shopping strip in Balwyn, this is not some place you would know about unless you were local or the type the of person who researches your food adventures.

To start off I shared a McPony with my partner. This is as you probably guessed, a bacon and egg muffin inspired by McDonald's breakfast menu. Tasty bacon and soft egg with melted cheese..... definitely hit the spot for me to start my meal.

"Giddy up" which is almost like breakfast with the lot. Poach eggs, bacon, roast tomato, avocado, mushrooms on grained toast. You can't really get this wrong and Snow Pony gets it really right.


The smashed avocado with mushrooms is mushroom and avocado overload. It's a great dish if you love your mushrooms and avocado, it comes with feta, which gives it a nice kick in flavour.

Then there is the toasted banana bread, with mascapone, banana, berries and pistachio. This is absolutely amazing. For me it was all my favorite things put together in a beautiful way. However if you don't have a sweet tooth, it might be too much sweetness first thing in the morning, so maybe go halves with someone ordering a savory option.

I won't review the coffee, as I am not a big coffee drinker so this is something you have to find out yourself.


Overall I was very happy with Snow Pony. I would give it a 14/20, I also had 25% off from the Entertainment Book which made it even better! Thumbs up from me, and if you are in the area, definitely check this place out!