With plenty of new opportunities for exploring in new neighbourhoods, I stumbled across the Kenmore Village Plaza, and more specifically the Village Bakery. With Vietnamese influence evident, I actually thought the pies looked more tasty than the pre-packaged banh-mi, so I took out a curried beef pie and a large slab of their delicious looking vanilla slice. I was completely justified with the pie choice, it was thoroughly delicious. One of the best curried pies I have had outside of Gusto in Melbourne. The vanilla slice, however, turned out to be a little disappointing.

Aesthetically, it looked not only very large, but consisted of generous amounts of filling and evident flaky dark brown pastry sheets. Whilst the pastry had the right characteristics it was certainly not fresh that morning. There was an obvious lack of rigidity when picking this thing up, and based on the distinct lack of crunch when bitten, the quality of pastry was not as good as I predicted. The filling also proved underwhelming. A rich, yellow, thick custard proved to be a heavy set milky custard lacking in the vanilla department. All together, I had to throw away about one sixth of the slice due to being overly full. Big portion but not big in flavour.

On a long drive back from the seaside, Mrs B and I made the call to pull in and pick up something sugary when the opportunity presented itself. Driving through Carina I spotted the Flour Monkey Bakery and thought it sounded interesting so would give it a try. I really wish I had kept driving!
My view of some cakes and slices were obstructed by the lady in front and when I got a clear view I had already been served by the member of staff so had to go with it. I ordered Mrs B a caramel slice and I took both items back to the car for quick consumption.

We both complained about the poor ingredients, flavours and overall satisfaction of our items. Her caramel slice tasted of very little, just sweetness. My vanilla slice too lacked almost every necessary element to make it a hit; flavour, freshness, crunch, saltiness and custardy creaminess. The filling was most unusual and rather unpleasant if I’m being honest. It was thick and slightly gelatinous but with an unusual grainy texture that was most unwelcome. Moreover, it was completely devoid of any taste or creaminess. A complete waste of stomach space. The pastry was thick in places and baked alright, but it lacked butter content and flakiness so I chose not to eat it. The hideously sweet passionfruit icing would normally have gone down well, but after tasting all components together I realised I wasn’t going to persist and I didn’t really want to just eat a layer of icing! Not good.

I visited Latte ‘Mor in 2016 and was blown away by the French vanilla slice I ate back then. The original review can be found here:

http://byronsvanillasliceblog.weebly.com/snot-blog/latte-mor-coffee-shop-helensvale-queensland

Well a lot has changed in 5 years, and similarly a lot hasn’t. I’ve since had two children, moved jobs, moved state and yet I’m back at Latte ‘Mor again for an equally as excellent slice of pleasure, this time only $1.30 more expensive. Rustic yet elegant, bold yet simple. Quality ingredients, beautifully fresh and although a little more pricey than my first visit, I will be back again when in town. Definitely still worthy of a score of 9.75/10.

Next time, I must remember to bring a fork as this one got quite messy due to a pastry malfunction.

I dropped into Toowong French Patisserie on a Saturday morning and took out a French vanilla slice and salted caramel mini eclair for Mrs B for a combined total of $8.50. I headed back home to unpackage the items and we consumed them next to the pool in the sunshine. Mrs B wasn’t blown away by the eclair and didn’t really have much to comment on to be honest. Contrastingly, the vanilla slice has lots for features to discuss.

The item was big and heavy, made of three darkly coloured thick stacks of flaky pastry. The dimensions were approximately 150x60x60mm, with the majority of its height being made of pastry. The custard looked overly yellow and resembled glue holding the stack together. The top layer had a thin layer of fondant icing atop, decorated with a heavy-handed pattern of chocolate. Looks aside, this thing was missing the mark with quantities and ingredients all round. The pastry was so overwhelming and lacking buttery richness that I gave up eating most of it. Yes it was a dark brown, but it was awfully dry and salty. The custard was similar in texture to glue; overly sweet and a ridiculous amount of vanilla essence made the taste quite unpleasantly tangy after eating the serving. The icing was nothing to write home about either unfortunately, with the chocolate used not darkly bitter or from the top shelf of chocolate.

From a monetary point of view this vanilla slice provides a large portion for the price, but the overall makeup and quality of components let the item down significantly.

With a drive through the neighbourhood, I popped into Francy’s Patisserie for one thing, and one thing only. With the slice in the bag I returned to the car with fork in hand. This slab was dense and the icing revealed itself to be soft and fluffy so I didn’t want to hassle of cleaning up my fingers from eating it like a sandwich. The fork broke the slice up surprisingly well, though after sampling the butter cream icing to find out it contained desiccated coconut I didn’t bother eating the top layer of pastry and icing. I worked my way through the thick custard and whipped cream mottled filling with the accompaniment of the bottom layer of thin pastry quite happily. The filling was fine, but lacking any real vanilla in the mix. The pastry was very thin but with the ratio of filling and icing it got lost so was hard to tell of its real worth. A reasonable product for the price I guess, but just lacking some finesse. If in town, bring a fork.

Filling: Thick vanilla custard 7.5/10
Pastry: Good colour but soggy 5.5/10
Presentation: Well crafted miniature rectangle 8/10
Value for money: $6 - Tiny portion size, disappointing for the price/size 4/10
Overall score: 6.5/ 10

I called into Sweet Crumbs first thing on Saturday morning for a hard to come by vanilla slice. I was surprised at the size of the slice in the cabinet with a price tag of $7.50 advertising the cost. I took the gamble and the price was actually a bette (but still overpriced) $6. With the tiny treat now purchased I ate it in the privacy of my car just around the corner.

It was a real shame to turn the slice on to its side to get a better grip for picking up, only to feel the soggy layers of pastry buckle under the pressure, and visibly peel away instead of flaking off into shards. Nonetheless, after three of so floppy bites the beast was gone and I was left with a sugar hit comprising of overly sweet custard and fondant icing on an otherwise small sandwich of pastry. Was this slice baked fresh this morning?

The custard was nice enough; a rich yellow and notable vanilla flavour, just not indulgently rich and served generously. The pastry as mentioned was lacking firmness and flake, though baked to a nice mid brown colour. Nice enough little independent bakery selling other tasty looking treats, but the vanilla slice didn’t quite hit the spot this time around.

Filling: Luxurious thick eggy vanilla custard 9.5/10
Pastry: Wafer thin, excellent flake and golden brown 9.5/10
Presentation: Low-rise square, well dusted 9/10
Value for money: $6 - Medium portion size, overly messy and extremely rich 8/10
Overall score: 9/10

After a splash around at the nearby Settlement Cove Lagoon I needed a custard pick-me-up before the drive home. With minimal bakeries standing out on Google I stumbled upon Preece’s who not only have cafe style food, but also make cake and pastries and offer catering. Apparently they are quite well known for their vanilla slices, one review on Trip Advisor stating it’s the best they’ve ever tasted. My kind of place to stop...

Mrs B popped in whilst I drove around the block after being moved on by a parking inspector. I returned to pick her up and with little time to spare I flung open the cardboard container and picked it up. From the get go there was seismic action evident, with sliding of pastry sheets and custard magma trying to erupt out the sides. After a few bites and tentative nibbles I gave up on trying to eat it sensibly and got Mrs B to dig around in the glove box for a utensil. She offered me a set of wooden chopsticks as they was no other choice. I was able to munch my way through the delicious pastry sheets with ease due to the buttery flakiness and freshness. The custard ended up being finished off with an uneasy chop stick scooping action, but my word it was rich and satisfying. They know they have a good product here, so with the wonderful view opposite it’s no wonder it sells for $6 a square.

Filling: Mounds of thick, rich, whipped vanilla cream 8.5/10
Pastry: Underbaked and lacking flakiness 6/10
Presentation: Large rectangular breeze block, decorated fondant icing 8/10
Value for money: $6.50, medium/large portion size, very filling 6.5/10
Overall score: 7.25/10

With my last vanilla slice consumption coming as a vegan alternative, I was keen to get dairy back into my diet pronto. I took a drive out of town towards the picturesque Samford Village, about 20 minutes from my home. With a stunning green and mountainous backdrop I was welcomed by the sight of Samford Patisserie. I ventured inside and purchased a large slab of their ‘Euro’ vanilla slice. With a robust stature made up mostly of heavy whipped filling, I bravely ate this bad boy with my bare hands.

Disappointingly the pastry wasn’t 100% up to the task and made the situation more precarious than expected. I had to eat the slice with a head tilted sideways action to avoid mass spillage. The layers were pale in colour and lacked firmness or flakiness. The filling was more cream than custard, though one might argue it was whipped cream custard. With a slight yellow hue there was obviously more to the filling than just cream, with a lovely vanilla sweetness and a richness that eventually caught up with me towards the end. The icing was delightful and my aftertaste was made up entirely of dark chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Had the slice not been so expensive I might have been tempted to score a little higher. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday anyway!

Filling: Heavy set soy vanilla custard 6/10
Pastry: Thin but soft and unremarkable 5/10
Presentation: Traditional, effort made to decoratively ice 7/10
Value for money: $6.75 (estimate) Small/medium portion size, divided 4 ways 6.5/10
Overall score: 6/10

Heading out for the weekend with the kids in tow, Mrs B and I orchestrated a stop at a vegan bakery to allow our dairy free, sugar loving mini-me’s the chance to eat one of daddy’s favourite foods. With no risk of dairy contamination I was unusually relaxed to let the kids kick back and enjoy their slices. We bought a vanilla slice and cookies and cream slice for a combined (whopping) $12.50, got them cut up into 4 even pieces and then jumped right in.

My son Theo loved his vanilla slice and even finished off my daughter Ellie’s, who struggled with the custard. He expressed his fondness for the custard and icing. In fairness he’s only ever had one once before, and I made it for him at home!

For a dairy free alternative, I was impressed overall. But marks are obviously scored in direct comparison to the normal criteria, so I can’t offer any bias. The custard definitely had a soy undertone flavour to it, and was quite well set with a thickening agent. There was definite vanilla content and it presented with a not too offensive colour compared with other vegan custards I’ve seen and attempted to make at home.
The pastry was a little insignificant; a good thickness but rather soft and flexible consistency that only really allowed for quick pickup. The icing was consistent with all icing; sweet and sticky but with a good chocolate aftertaste.

Admittedly I think I preferred the cookies and cream slice, which resembled a dense chocolate brownie topped with whipped margarine vanilla icing. A great bakery for my kids, and I will no doubt be back to let them choose more from the cake cabinet in the near future,

Filling: Thicker than necessary, slight vanilla aftertaste 6/10
Pastry: Slab-like, fatty and firm 2/10
Presentation: Dubiously butter iced, hint of passionfruit 5/10
Value for money: $4.30- Small/medium portion size, throwaway job 4/10
Overall score: 4.3/10

With a last minute stop for caffeine after the drive from Brisbane to Australia Zoo, we called in at Glass House Mountains for a coffee. Mrs B snuck into CJ’s pastries and pulled a blinder- a coffee, butter chicken pie and a cheeky and very unexpected vanilla slice. With little time to spare before heading off again, I scoffed the butter chicken pie with aplomb, washing it down with most of my coffee. Excellent pie; great pastry and rich filling.

The vanilla slice however is a different story altogether. Short, flat and presented with passionfruit butter icing I sank my fingers in and bored down until I hit the first layer of pastry, gripping tightly as pictured. The icing in this heat is a real mystery and I can’t see how it adds value. There was little to no sign of any passionfruit flavour, just the odd seed for visuals. As it turned out the pastry element was also a real let down and I ended up peeling the top layer off with the icing clinging on, binning it and eating the custard with small bites. When done, the bottom layer of pastry also got thrown away. The pastry was fatty, firm and quite unpleasant overall. The custard was the only part worth consuming. It’s taste was that of creamy vanilla custard, it’s texture somewhat more set than I’d have liked.

Great pie, not great vanilla slice, average coffee.

Filling: Light and fluffy half and half combo 7.5/10
Pastry: Thin and well baked, soggy and limp 5/10
Presentation: Triple stacked, long and flat appearance 7/10
Value for money: $5.20 - medium portion size, more mess than gratification 6/10
Overall score: 6.4/10

With a stop in Ashgrove on my way home I stumbled upon a bakery I’d never seen or heard of before. It was my obligation to scope out the vanilla slice options, with a half and half French vanilla on offer. Selling at a slightly higher than normal $5.50 I wasn’t sure how the slice would handle under the microscope. Thankfully the custard wasn’t as gelatinous as I first thought and it had a nice vanilla creaminess to it. When eaten with the whipped cream it was especially light and airy. The main problem was the three layers of thin pastry that proved to be limp and not up to task. With a slice constructed like this, it required rigidity and a backbone. It buckled under the pressure and filling oozed out in every direction. Though a nice colour and thickness, the pastry just had the wrong texture and substance. I might find myself back here for another sample, as it was hard to tell if the pasty was indeed just stale or in fact the ingredients used meant the texture was not quite right. I’ll keep you posted...

Filling: Light and fluffy vanilla cream custard 8/10
Pastry: Dark and distinguished flaky layers 8.5/10
Presentation: Triple stacked and decoratively iced 8/10
Value for money: $4.70- medium portion size, messy but satisfying 9//10
Overall score: 8.4/10

My mid week review was one of the worst I’ve had to write up in recent times, so I was keen to restore balance once more over the weekend. Driving through Ashgrove I stumbled across a very popular and inviting looking Gerbino’s. With nothing to lose I parked up and strolled in. I was impressed by the variety and quality of items on sale, and was tempted by the Amore Mille-fuielle which was decoratively presented with piped custard and fruit topping, but thought it best to purchase the nearest and dearest relative to the Snot Block. Selling at a very reasonable $4.70 the slice had some excellent characteristics; namely the fresh whipped custard and darkly baked layers of flaky pastry.

I started by picking up the entire slice and taking careful bites as not to upset the balance of filling, but this proved a pointless task. The whole thing collapsed after a few more nibbles and I consumed the rest like a custard addict with no cutlery. Overall the slice was a pleasant experience and proved excellent value for money. The pastry was very dark, approaching the point of burntness, but was lacking the rich biscuity taste you sometimes get with similar patisserie products. Flaky and fresh nonetheless and good value with three layers. The custard was more like a fresh whipped vanilla cream, though it had a little more substance to it than that. A definite subtle vanilla taste present and airy and messy as you like. The French vanilla slice was proportionally excellent and finished with neat layer of decorated icing on top that gave the dark savoury pastry the sweet edge it needed to balance it out. I’ll be back, no doubt!

Filling: Unclassified, yellow plastic 1/10
Pastry: Fatty and soggy 2.5/10
Presentation: Damien Hirst chocolate pattern, glad wrapped 4/10
Value for money: $3.20- medium portion size, unpalatable 2/10
Overall score: 2.4/10

The urge for a vanilla slice normally leads me to rational decision making but with a 5am early (kid) wake up I was in need of one regardless. The alarm bells were deafening on this one in the pretty low end looking Vulture Street bakery. With a bargain price of $3.20 I might even argue that this is $3 overpriced. Clearly catering for heavy foot traffic with schools nearby, the slices are pre-wrapped in glad wrap and set within an inch of their lives with gelatin.

The pastry looked suspect from the get-go and the lifeless sheets when picked up illustrated the point perfectly. Soggy and under baked, it didn’t even taste nice. The fatty after taste was quite off putting actually. The custard was predictably poor, but worse still completely devoid of taste and creaminess. Not even a custard. The icing was the best element and sticky with my warm fingers. $3.20 for half decent icing doesn’t work for me. Never mind, next...

Filling: Rich, eggy vanilla custard 9.5/10
Pastry: Golden, buttery, caramelised and flaky as you get 10/10
Presentation: Neatly stacked and encased in acetate sheet 8.5/10
Value for money: $5.50 - medium portion size, delectable 10//10
Overall score: 9.5/10

With some pretty lacklustre vanilla slices attempted since my big interstate move, I had yet to find something good let alone outstanding. I googled ‘best vanilla slice in Brisbane’ in need of some inspiration and the first result brought up reviews of Flour and Chocolate Patisserie. With two venues to choose from I selected the Northgate store as I was heading out towards Ikea for the afternoon.

With a queue out the door and round the corner Mrs B insisted we drove on, but I knew that a queue was a good sign. Waiting patiently for 20 minutes I entered the store, only to watch the tray of vanilla slices deplete before my very eyes and more and more people ordered one from in front of me in the queue. Thankfully I took the penultimate slice and ordered a jam donut, a vegan sponge cake for the kids and some hot drinks and took them snuggly back to the car.

The kids smashed the sponge cake with coconut cream icing and fresh fruit with minimal effort, Mrs B chowed down on her jam donut and was left content and I carefully unwrapped and elevated the tri-layer beauty to my lips. This is what I’ve been waiting for....

With dark golden pastry and rich yellow custard it wa s evident this was going to be a thing of quality. The pastry was rich and dark and extremely flaky. The top layer had an additional crunch when bitten, like a rich buttery caramelised sugar biscuit. Outstanding. The custard was actually custard. Cream, vanilla, egg and a little agent used to thicken the mixture. It slid around, spurted out the sides and caused me all sorts of chaos, but it was delicious and very fulfilling. One of the best selling points is actually the price. Other bakeries and patisseries selling this sort of standard food would charge $7-9 dollars for one of these. Excellent value, excellent ingredients, just a shame about the queue.

Filling: Slimey, unclassified substance 1/10
Pastry: Baked OK, but middle layer soggy 5/10
Presentation: Effort made to present but obvious warning signs visible 6/10
Value for money: $5.30 - medium portion size, throw away job 2/10
Overall score: 3.5/10

I’ve experienced the good and the bad at patisseries in Australia before, but today I experienced the ridiculous. I bought a triple-stack French vanilla slice from La Vosh, along with a raspberry macaroon for Mrs B (who turned out to be most satisfied by her sweet treat). The slice looked risky from the get go, but after ordering some takeaway coffees the urge kicked in and I felt like a gamble.

With somewhat messy fondant icing covering the top layer of pastry and the bright yellow custard visible through the paper casing, I suspected the pastry itself might be a little soggy. I was right with my guess, but I was not expecting to be as surprised by the filling. In contrast the pastry was relatively well baked; a nice thickness, just not fresh and a little soggy (especially the middle layer). The filling however was the most curious I’ve experienced in a long while. A texture a little like cookie dough, with bits breaking away and a sliminess to it that made it a little stomach churning. It’s hard to analyse fully. The taste was almost non existent but just a little sweet if anything. The icing was clumsily applied and very average in contact to the filling. This was not a cheap product , selling at over five dollars. In contrast the coffees were decent. Certainly not a French vanilla slice as I know it, maybe a different part of France I’ve ver been to.

Filling: Fresh, smooth creamy custard 7.5/10
Pastry: Flaky and well baked 8/10
Presentation: Nicely proportioned rectangle, messy 7/10
Value for money: $4.30 - medium / large portion size, heavy going 8/10
Overall score: 7.6/10

Out and about on Australia Day 2021, I had to indulge in the Australian classic. In a new neighbourhood of Everton Park I spied a banh mi shop so had to do the research. I ended up stealing clear of the bani mi as they looked a far less appealing proposition compared to the half decent vanilla slices!

Taking the penultimate slice with a slightly larger footprint I decided a standing up approach would be best as to not get covered in icing sugar and/or custard depending on how things went. The slice indeed was messy and I held my nerve not to inhale sugar and took small bites evenly around the slice to prevent slopping. The pastry was well baked and flaky though slightly more thick than necessary. The custard too was quite well constructed; light and airy though missing a natural vanilla sweetness.

With no additional holiday surcharges applied to the sale I felt rather satisfied with the size and quality of the slice, but I must admit I do already miss my go-to banh mi shop in Melbourne!

Filling: Underwhelming, typical bakery custard 6/10
Pastry: Thin layers, very pale but serviceable 6/10
Presentation: Nice stack, better aesthetics I’m packaging 8/10
Value for money: $4.50 - medium portion size, not amazing but a good morning tea snack 6.5/10
Overall score: 6.6/10

With the dust settling in my interstate move, I was in new lands with new opportunities for snot blocks. Searching nearby to my new work, I found West End Bakery and took the short walk to investigate. With an appetising spread in their cabinet and a decent coffee in tow I sat in Musgrave Park and devoured. In high heat with sticky fondant icing this proved messy.

The slices were neatly arranged in the shop’s cabinet and the acetate wrapping helped to hide some of the finer details of the slice. When removing the packaging the colour of both pastry and custard were quite contrasting. The triple stack featured rather pale layers that looked like they would disappoint. To my pleasant surprise they held up quite well to the task and proved just fine, if not a little tasteless. The custard was quite yellow and more set than I’d have hoped. Taste was also lacking to the mixture overall. The icing was the best element; neatly decorated with fine chocolate pattern and a really nice thickness it wasn’t an unpleasant experience having to lick my fingers clean at the end!

With a dry spell of stopping in country towns on my mammoth drive from Melbourne to Brisbane, I pulled into Moree in regional New South Wales for a quick bite for my two hungry kids. A subway sorted them out whilst I Googled the nearest bakery in my area. Moree Bakehouse popped up the most likely so I pulled up and entered briefly. Too late to back down I took a glimpse of the inevitable less than satisfactory item and ensured I have a coffee to wash it down with.

Picking up this thing in the heat was horrible. The pink butter icing was soft and sticky and my fingers sank into it like quick sand. Worse still, it was overly sweet and enhanced with a strawberry flavour which was most unnecessary. Arguably though, without the flavoured icing the whole slice would taste of very little. The pastry was OK, but average at best with a gentle crunch and the custard filling lacked flavour, creaminess or smoothness. I didn’t finish the whole thing as it was just too much to handle and my kids grew restless watching me wrestle with the icing.

The big drive from a Melbourne to Brisbane. My first pit stop an hour and a half into my first leg found me in Seymour. Having never visited the town before I took a punt of a pie and bakery shop for my obligatory vanilla slice. With a double espresso to sharpen my driving skills and a (so thought) passion fruit vanilla slice in tow I consumed them in the car with the cat to my side in her box. Upon the first bite it was obvious that the icing was not passion fruit at all, but plain and that the pastry might cause some serious custard dropping on my lap. The filling was served in a large dose and provided some precarious biting and nibbling action to halt the eruption. The pastry’s rigidity made the experience less than enjoyable and let the slide down overall. The custard was airy and light but lacked a killer punch of vanilla. The icing was fine, just not passionfruit.

Filling: Delicious fluffy, creamy vanilla custard 8/10
Pastry: Well baked, fresh but not memorable 7.5/10
Presentation: Lots of filling, neatly sliced, loss of sugar in bag 7.5/10
Value for money: $4- medium portion size, fresh and satisfying overall 8.5/10
Overall score: 7.4/10

Out and about in leafy Diamond Creek, Mrs B and I sought something tasty for lunch. With limited choices we opted for a banh mi from a local bakery. Mrs B returned to car with a bag full of goodies, including my BBQ pork roll and as pictured and a wild card French vanilla slice. The rolls were tasty, the bread wasn’t as lip-slicing as some bakeries but the filling and taste was very good indeed, just a little soggy by the end due to the large quantities of sauce inside.

The French vanilla slice lost some of its sugar in transit but still remained in tact. It’s proportions were interesting, noticeably higher than a lot of common slices of the same footprint. With such vast quantities of custard I was hoping for a good batch, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s texture like airy whipped cream, it’s flavour like vanilla ice cream - it didn’t hang around long in between the surrounding layers of pastry. I had to eat this thing fast as it was squirting out all sides and compressing fast. The pastry itself was fresh and very serviceable. It could have been baked longer for a darker appearance and some more crunch, but nonetheless it was a decent component.

Overall a recommendable little bakery if you find yourself in the area.

Filling: Great colour but slimy texture and nondescript flavour 4/10
Pastry: Well baked, very flaky but slightly thick 8/10
Presentation: Excellent proportions, neatly cut and smoothly iced 8.5/10
Value for money: $3.80- medium portion size, fresh but very average 6/10
Overall score: 6.6/10

With an impromptu trip into the south east of Melbourne I called into Hawthorn Road Road Bakery on the way. We smashed some pretty decent roasted pork banh mi sandwiches first and then stopped in at Booran Reserve to let the kids run loose. I devoured my vanilla slice whilst watching my now 4 year old scale the highest climbing frame/slide structure known to man.

The slice had so,s good features aesthetically. It had good proportions and colour, with a deep yellow custard and dark brown, well baked pastry layers visible underneath the thickish top layer of glossy white icing.

Upon a few mouthfuls it was evident that the taste was not as good as the looks. The icing was too heavy and sweet, the custard lacked sweetness ironically and vanilla didn’t seem part of the ingredients. The pastry was the best component to the slice overall, with the layers well baked and flaky. At only $3.80 this is a decent slice for people who are happy to smash one without really over analysing it. However, in my line of blogging this is not the perfect slice, but does provide some value for money at least.

Filling: Delightfully airy vanilla custard 9/10
Pastry: Tightly baked and golden brown 9/10
Presentation: Excellent proportions, well crafted, cased in paper 8.5/10
Value for money: $5- medium portion size, fresh and satisfying 10//10
Overall score: 9.1/10

Heading over to the North East for the day I identified a modern little bakery in Ringwood North to drop into for a pie and vanilla slice lunch. They advertised some rather good looking vanilla slices “baked daily” on their Facebook page, so I was keen to get in on the act. Ordering a curry pie and the slice only set me back $10.50. No doubt that this type of bakery in other suburbs would be selling the same goods for a third more. They had plenty of other delicious looking options to choose from as well. I’d be happy to have another visit in future to sample more.

I demolished the pie quickly. It was delicious. Nothing memorable or fancy, but it hit the spot perfectly.

Moving on to the vanilla slice - I carefully tore the paper bag to reveal the narrow, but high rectangular double-decker. My first impressions were how well proportioned the whole thin was; a heavy custard to pastry ratio, even with three layers of dark brown pasty on offer. Handling with care, I picked it up and decided to rotate the slice 90 degrees and consume horizontally to limit the loss of the creamy filling. My plan worked perfectly due to the quality of the tightly compacted flaky pastry. It proved rigid in its construction but with a precision bite broke away beautifully into bite size pieces, with 100% consumption and no loss whatsoever. The pastry was beautifully baked, dark golden brown and as flaky as you could hope for. The custard too was of a high standard; so fluff pay and airy and a gentle hint of vanilla. I only think that some vanilla bean speckles in this mix could really improve the filling.


Clearly a lot of thought has gone into this little business. It’s modern, simple aesthetic, good pricing and quality products being made fresh daily. Spread the word, pop into The Pastry Board. Say Byron sent you!

Filling: Nothing special, creamy custard 7/10
Pastry: Super fresh and crumbly, slightly pastry heavy 8/10
Presentation: Neatly stacked and dusted, cased in paper 8/10
Value for money: $6.80 - medium portion size, fresh but not mind blowing 6.5/10
Overall score: 7.4/10

Out for a lunch time walk in the newly re-opened High Street in Kew, I poked my nose into Via Verona Pasticceria. With lockdown restrictions easing further it was nice to see more people out and about and even a few customers indoors having a coffee and cake once again. I bought myself a vanilla slice and small latte for $10.30 and sat in the park nearby and smashed both with relative ease.

I was happy to pick up the rectangular, triple stacked slice to discover the freshly baked, flaky pastry. When bitten the layers slid around with the creamy custard acting as a lubricant between all three moisture resistant layers. In truth the pastry was the all round best component to the slice, as the custard proved Ok, just not knockout in any way. I feel the price tag fits with the suburb rather than the product on offer, and although it was excellently fresh and neatly presented, it missed the mark for top shelf and good value for money.