Lune Lab experience

If you live in Melbourne and you haven't heard of Lune... then you must be living under a rock. Being crowned the best croissants in Melbourne (or dare I say Australia ... or potentially even the world), it is place that foodies from all across the world go running to when in Melbourne.

For some die hard fans (such as myself) to be able to get my hands on Lune Lab tickets was a very sacred achievement.

With Lune Lab, it is a 3 course degustation. The first course is always the same, it is a classic croissant fresh out of the oven but the second and third course vary by the season.

The ticket price are steep and I wont deny it is a lot to pay for 3 croissants. However if you love (eating) croissants as much as I do, then you might want to hang in there and keep reading.

The first course 

First croissant is one that is 10 minutes out of the oven. Your host will give you a choice from a huge tray, if you like your croissants softer then you go for something in the middle of the tray or if you prefer it more crispy then the edge of the tray. I went with my trusty food buddy (my lifelong eating partner) and tried one of each. When you taste one after another then the differentiation is  there, however if you just taste one, then it is much harder to call out that difference. Either way you pick, you will still taste fresh out of the oven croissant is still warm and the layers of the pastry is defined and fluffy. This is what I would term buttery goodness.

The second course
Second course is the savory croissant. Fortunately for me, I visited during truffle season and had a lovely surprise awaiting me. The dish was Beef Bourguignon. This was a classic croissant served as a classic French dish. It came with a red wine jus, mash potato and generous shavings of truffle shaved in front of you. The croissant was baked perfectly and you cut through layers of pastry and paired with a perfectly cooked beef. The kale crisp adds that extra texture to balance off the dish. I am a tad sad that this was seasonal. As I finished my dish I was thinking to myself that I  am not sure when I will get another chance to taste this again (if only they offered seconds).

The final course
Final course was a Yuzu tart. This is the Lune version of a tart that is made from croissant pastry.

During the whole experience you will have bottomless coffees and hot chocolate. You can drink yourself silly, like my partner did and be very energetic for the rest of the day. The staff won't judge you and be very attentive to ensure all your coffees/hot chocolates arrive promptly.

Final words
I would highly recommend this experience and would go again. If you are questioning why would you pay $60+ for 3 croissants... well this is why

• creativity and thought that has gone behind the process to deliver something exceptional on the plate
• dedication and art of finessing the details of a perfectly crafted croissant
• taste of something that you cannot easily get anywhere else
• being able to taste croissants done in a very different way
• being able to buy as many of the croissants as you like without having to line up
• truely experience and taste the dedication that Kate Reid and her team has gone to, in order to perfect and elevate the humble croissant.

Oh also, I would recommend the first session over the second session. By the end of our session, some of the croissant varieties have sold out. If you don't want to miss out, best to wake up a bit earlier.

Lune Lab tickets need to be bought in advance and sell out very fast. So if you want to go, head to the Lune website and find the next lot of ticket release, set a reminder on your phone and just have super fast internet when the ticket release day comes. Good Luck!!

Additional rambling notes: I have been a loyal Lune fan (since the Elwood days). I honestly think it is the best croissant I have ever tasted in my travels. I set out on a food adventure on most my holidays and yet to find something that comes close to Lune. Would love to hear other people's Lune or general croissant experiences. 

Aqua S

Ice cream is one of my favourite foods. No matter the weather, I will always have appetite for some ice cream action. This was no different for Aqua S, and on a cold winter's night, I decided to venture out to QV to visit the recently opened store.

I have been to Aqua S in Sydney so the concept was nothing to me. However, I do love soft serves and have a soft spot for all the novelties it comes with.

D loves their sea salt so I got the sea salt and pandan flavour with fairy floss, popcorn, popping candy and toasted marshmallow. I will admit I probably dig go over-board with the topping but it was worth it. The pandan flavor was fragrant but I would have liked it to be strong as I love all things pandan flavoured. The sea salt was not as salty compared to what I had in Sydney, however, it was still quite a good balance with the sweetness but just a touch more salt would have been perfect. 

Overall it is a fun concept. It is more on the pricey side; my order cost me $8.50 (I could have got a large soft serve for an extra 50 cents but I chose not to) but I accept it's the price for creativity and getting to taste a flavour I can't readily get elsewhere.

Milkcow

If you love ice cream like me, especially soft serve, then hearing Milkcow has landed in Australia will be music to your ears. Milkcow originated in Korea, home of PSY and Bibimbap. Located in the not so new Emporium as a temporary pop up (they move to Melbourne Central in May), it's a central location and easy to find for anyone heading to the CBD.

I was so excited about their opening I have visited twice already; the first time I went with my Vet. Vet ordered the Milky Cube which is the original soft serve with a a chunk of honeycomb. It's a very natural tasting (obviously) flavour and the honeycomb texture works well with the creamy soft serve.

On my first visit I got the Santorini. I was a sucker for the fairy floss (it comes as a big cloud of floss) and it comes served with oreo crumbs, pistachio, tropical syrup and a wafer stick. I like my ice cream action packed so this ticked the box for me as it met my expectations.

On my second visit I tried the Green Light. This was a simple and straight forward soft serve with almond flakes and mint syrup. I initially though not having chocolate was a bit weird (mint and chocolate combo is a winning one)but it actually worked out really well. It made it refreshing and the almond flakes added a nice bite to complement the mint flavour.

Overall  I loved the creaminess of the soft serve, the staff were nice and the pop up store is definitely worth visiting. I hope they bring out more flavours soon so I have reason to go back again.

 

Scroll Ice Cream

Back when the Taste of Melbourne was taking place, I discovered Scroll Ice Cream. Unlike traditional ice cream that comes in scoops, Scroll ice cream comes in scroll form. It has a variety of flavours that were fresh or chocolatey. So when I got an invite to try more of their ice cream and learn how to scroll some of my own I couldn't turn the offer down.

So before we talk about the taste, you might be wondering how it's made. So the ice cream base is in liquid form and poured onto a cold plate. From there you add in the flavours/textures you want (e.g. lychee, strawberries, pretzel etc.) and start chopping away. After a bit of chopping, you spread it thin and scroll it up. Put the scrolls in cup nicely, then add in the toppings. This concept came from Thailand, one of the owners was on holidays in Thailand with his girlfriend, she loved it so he decided to bring it back to Melbourne so she could have it whenever she wants (cute story).

I was lucky to try three of their flavours and make one of my own. The first one I tried was Perfect Matcha. This had a lychee, matcha base and topped with more lychee and pocky. The good thing about scroll is, you can customize how strong you want the matcha flavour to be. The ice cream flavour was smooth and surprisingly didn't have a lot of have a lot of ice crystals in it. The lychee gave it that bit of sweetness to cut through the matcha.

Second one was Salted Caramel Popcorn. This was as the name suggested, a salted caramel based ice cream (duh) with salted pretzel smashed in. The texture had a bite and topped with popcorn and more pretzel, was a fantastic combination of bite, creaminess and crunch.

The other flavour we tried was the strawberry pavlova (I made this one), this was a vanilla base, then with strawberries and meringue smashed in with the ice cream base. The creamy texture with the strawberries and meringue through it made it a good interpretation of the real thing. (Sorry guys, no close up of this one, my skills aren't as good as the Scroll peeps, so it wasn't very photogenic)

Overall I was impressed with the ice creams I tasted. Besides the novelty of the presentation, the flavours we tried had a great range of depth of taste and a array of textures.

 

Fritz Gelato

This is a name that has been popping up a number of times in the newspaper recently. Melbourne and Sydney have been going through a gelato craze so there has been a number of articles on the best gelato in town. Fritz's name has popped up quite a few times.

Anyway I was near one last Saturday night, so the time had come for me to try one. D and I visited the one in Richmond. It's located on Bridge road, near all the restaurants.

We walked in and was greeted with a friendly guy behind the counter offering us to taste. The strawberry panna cotta caught my eye, so I had that to taste. It was too sweet for my liking. I really wanted pistachio when I walked in and sadly they didn't have any that day.

In the end D and I decided to get a 3 scoop to share, it was like 3 degrees outside and we couldn't decide on the forth flavour so we just got 1, 3 scoop to share. We got the hazelnut, blood orange and strawberry sundae.

The hazelnut was the winner out of the 3, velvety texture and strong hazelnut taste. Blood orange had all the right notes. good tangy and sweet balance. Last flavor was the strawberry sundae, this was a bit 'ordinary' compared to the other 2 flavours. It was a really good strawberry gelato taste to it, but I felt like I wanted more, after tasting the other 2.

Next time I go back, I think I will get the salted caramel. There were 2 ladies near us to got it and was saying how good it tasted. I definitely had gelato envy!

Overall 17/20 great gelato and just makes me want to go back for more!

Lune Croissanterie

Do you like pastries? Because I do? In fact I love baked goods; bread, cakes, muffins, scones. If it can be found in a bakery or a patisserie, chances are I will like eating it. So when D told me about this amazing little store in Elwood that opens for only 3 days a week and people line up for it, from 6am in the morning I was intrigued.

Lune is located is a quiet suburb area of Elwood. It's by sis/bro team Kate and Cam. Kate had extensive experience under her belt prior opening this little quaint shop with her brother. If you haven't read the newspaper articles, you might be wondering why line at up 6am and not go later? Well, Lune only bakes a limited amount of pastries each day. Tickets go out around 6.30am and the first 30 people in line will get a choice of everything on offer for the day and the subsequent numbers, less as the number goes up.

I actually made 2 visits to Lune, the first time was a Sunday. I got there at 6.20am on a Sunday morning and we were number 72. By the time it reached us, there was still pastries but only plain croissants were left. We left with only 6 plain croissants (6 is the limit per person).

Even though I didn't get any flavoured croissants I was not disheartened. 2 weeks later I went again but this time I went with Miss P. We got there at 6 this time was number 32 and 33. This time round we had almost the choice of everything. The Danish and ham cheese croissant was sold out by the time it got to us. This was a tad disappointing because all morning while waiting in line, Miss P kept saying how badly she wanted that one.

For my 6 I got 1 plain, 2 cruffins, 1 twice baked, 1 rosewater, pistachio chocolate and 1 choc almond.

The cruffin flavours were tiramisu and peanut butter and jam. The cruffin was fluffy and the mascapone was piped into the centre of the cruffin evenly and a hint of coffee. It was buttery, creamy, sweet, and just so damn good.

The PBJ cruffin was Miss P's favourite. A good ratio of peanut butter to jam to highlight the salty and the sweet.

I actually wanted a pain au chocolat but when I heard what was in it, I changed my mind in a heartbeat. The rosewater gave it that beautiful fragrant and the pistachio that nutty goodness. Loved it

Choc almond croissant also came with a hint of orange frangipane. Fluffy like the rest and the perfect amount of buttery goodness.

The twice baked coconut pandan was my favourite out of everything I tried. The top was covered in crunchy almond flakes and filling was stuffed with coconut and pandan granache. I loved how the pandan ganache wasn't too sweet and didn't take away from the actual pastry and the butter taste still had a gentle linger.

If all you can get it plain, I would still take it. These babies were airy and fluffy. I got 6 the first time and stuffed 2 with cheese and ham when I got home. I ate it plain, I ate it with jam. Mum ate one and also agreed it was one of the best croissants she's tasted.

Over 18.5/20 this place kicks ass in terms of it's produce. Is it worth waking up that early for? Hell yea! However still wish she will make more, so I can buy more and get more sleep.

Chez Dre

This is one of those places I love going to but don't go as much as I like to. Most people think of sweets when they hear Chez Dre but they offer more than that. They have a great selection for brunch with heaps of savory options too.

When D and I went for brunch, we picked out 2 savory options as we knew, we were going to take some cakes home after.

D got the duck sandwich. This was pulled duck with red cabbage, onion jam, apple and truffle mayo on a panini. Won't lie, it was really the truffle mayo that attracted us to this dish. D and I both love our truffles so when truffle is an option on the menu, we would gravitate towards that option. This proved to be a good choice too, the duck was beautifully confit and the crunch of the cabbage with the sweetness of the apple, made it a very filling meal but not to the point you feel disgusting. It was one of those great sandwiches, that you want more of.

I got the baked eggs. I always have great difficulty deciding what to get for brunch, I love my savory and my sweet. This time, savory won, because I knew I had to take a cake (or 2) home. The baked eggs came with eggplant, chorizo, onion and zucchini served with toasted baguette. This was one of those hearty winter morning meals. The warm eggs came with a kick from the chorizo, the egg was just runny enough and there was plenty happening with intense flavours off all the ingredients.

I've been here quite a few times but still struggle when it comes to cakes. They have a great selection but the problem is.... they all look so enticing. After much pondering I finally decided on the lychee dome and strawberry, vanilla fraisier.

The lychee dome had lychee mousse, lime curd, raspberry jelly and finished with coconut. This was a light and fluffy dessert, great for people who don't want something heavy.

The strawberry and vanilla fraisier was more on the cake side. It had multiple layers consisting of orange, vanilla, basil olive oil biscuit and strawberry jam. I love the different components and the texture that came with each mouthful.

Overall 17.5/20 this is one of my favourite brunch places in Melbourne, I love the diversity they offer from sweet, savory to coffee. Definitely a brunch institution in Melbourne.

Aqua S

After months of seeing this pop up on my Instagram, I finally got myself there to see what all the fuss is about. Prior visiting I had heard a range of opinions from "it's amazing" to "just a gimmick". I was keen to see myself and I was in the area so WTH, I gave it a go.

I got there at 12 and saw 3 girls playing around behind the counter. Besides the girls I also saw a fairy floss maker, popcorn maker and a huge tray of toasted marshmallows. The flavors of the moment were their famous sea salt, chocolate and pomegranate. I was really disappointed as I wanted to try their melon flavour but sadly that was weeks before I made my visit.

They offered a range of topping such as popcorn, fairy floss, popping candy and toasted marshmallow I settled for sea salt and pomegranate with fairy floss and popcorn. I didn't really know what to expect with sea salt soft-serve, it reminded me of dipping my fries in a soft serve at Macca's. It wasn't bad at all. The pomegranate was tangy and sweet. However to me the highlight was the fairy floss and how pretty it was.

I'm not sure it's a place I'll frequent but the fairy floss was fun and it's one of those dessert that make very pretty photos.

Overall 15/20 I would happy to  go back to try it again if a flavour of my interest pops up.

Dex2rose

A few weeks ago on a lazy Sunday K and I went to Dex2rose to try what they had to offer. They are a nitrogen gelato place located on Little Bourke in the city. It is the textbook Melbourne style hang out, it's off a small street in a lane way, then when you walk in, it's a cool modern warehouse convert feel.

Personally I am a big fan of gelato made with the nitrogen process as it has smaller ice crystals within the body of the gelato and it leads to a softer and creamy texture in the body, so when the owner Jesse invited me along to try their offering, I couldn't decline the offer.

First thing off the menu we tried was "The Original Mr Grey", this was a earl grey tea flavoured gelato laced with hazelnut chocolate throughout the body of the gelato. Beautiful aroma but still hits that chocolate spot.

Next was "Orange is the new Orange. This has cardomom (third most expensive spice in the world) that leaves a subtle smoky aroma to orange blossom gelato then topped with a zesty lemon caramel. For me the hero was the lemon caramel and I wish there was more of it in the gelato, but K seemed to think it was fine just the way it was.

We gave the gelatos a break and moved on to try their drinks offering. Nitrobrew coffees is one of those specialty offering to those who crave more a caffeine hit over a sugar rush. It is one of the very few places in Australia that offer this, it a a cold brew cooled/charged with nitrogen and serves from a beer tap. The coffee itself comes with a bit of a head like you would expect to see in beer. The actual coffee was very full bodies with apple and cinnamon infused into the coffee to give it a different feel from your typical cold brews. They offer you the option of syrup and milk so you can play around to have it the way you like your coffee. Personally I liked it best black with syrup, that way I found that it bought out the apple flavour in it. K and I played around with milk, and syrup. I found when you added milk, it dulled down the apple but highlighted the cinnamon.

After the coffee we moved onto their cold pressed juice. One thing I noticed straight away, was their cold pressed wasn't based on the usual 'healthy' flavour combination but just good old fruit flavours. I love watermelon juice, so it was an easy decision for me. Cold press watermelon bought out the intensity of the watermelon which was perfect for the warm Melbourne day that it was.

We moved back to the gelato afterwards and tried the "Rockkaido" which was a rockmelon and Hokkaido millk gelato and topped with raspberry cream. The milk and rockmelon worked wonders, the raspberry added a nice touch and was good for visiual but you won't notice it too much if it wasn't there. This was all about that rockmelon flavour, I found the rockmelon part to be stand out,

Lastly we tried the "White Dragon", this was an oolong tea and white grapes gelato. Not a combination I have seen before but I loved it. This was my favourite out of everything I tried. I am a real sucker for tea flavoured/scented things and this hit the spot and together with the sweetness and texture in the grapes, it was a nice creamy taste that has a small chewy bite from the frrozen grapes. It was topped with coconut rosewater cream which was unusual and delicious. The dairy free cream was something that took me by surprised and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Overall 16.5/20 I think this definitely ups the gelato game in Melbourne. The creation of unconventional flavours, lane way location and appreciation for coffee makes this place 'so Melbourne'. I am sure with Jesse's passion for gelato, there will be heaps more exciting flavours to come from this place and I know it will be place that I will be frequenting after dinner a lot more now.