Blog Archives - VANILLA SLICE (SNOT) BLOG

VANILLA SLICE (SNOT) BLOG

Tony's Pies - Essendon, VIC

1/31/2015

Rating: 7/10
In one word: Brown

A sunny Friday night, a nice walk home via Tony's was in store. Initially confused by the disparity between their product photo showing dusted icing sugar and the real thing topped with a light brown fondant, I got my hopes up thinking it may be another coffee flavoured icing. Sadly not the case, I was left further confused when the icing had no real taste whatsoever. I was impressed with the price of $3.25 for a very hefty slab, also with the freshness of the crisp pastry and creamy custard filling. Although not eggy and all-that vanilla flavoured, the consistency and creaminess of the custard was pretty satisfying.

Queen Victoria Market Cake Shop, CBD, VIC

1/29/2015

Rating: 4/10
In one word: Underachiever

The cake shop has a good reputation inside of the busy deli hall and I was interested to see how their 'French vanilla slice' would fare. Starting with the positives; the appearence is very inviting, with a tall, slender, triple layered stature and glossy, decorative icing on top. Unfortunately that is where it ends. I sampled the custard first with a fork; its slightly rubbery texture and non -descript flavour was cause for concern. It lacked any real creaminess, richness, egginess and only a very faint hint of vanilla came through. To make matters worse, the pastry was dreadful; a one way trip to soggy town. Good icing though, right? Average at best. Another example of a well proportioned and presented slice, lacking in taste and texture.

Something Different - Homemade

1/25/2015

Rating: 8/10
In one word: Worthwhile

Recipe - www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/vanilla-custard-slice

The method involved making sure the pastry was crisp and golden, the custard creamy, yet eggy and packed with vanilla bean and the icing sweet, yet raspberry scented to cut through the richness. Result...Not bad for the first attempt. 30cm square of rich, custardy goodness. Real homemade custard was delicious but a little loose in the slice. A little more cornflour to thicken it up or some type of whipping to give it more volume perhaps? Raspberry as an icing flavour was a real success. This was the only deviation from the recipe's dusted icing sugar. Shop bought puff pastry wasn't ground breaking but did its job effectively and did not go soggy until day 2 when cutting proved a bit difficult.

Fun to make, great to share and a worthwhile venture.

Continental Cakes, St Kilda, VIC

1/19/2015

Rating: 7.5/10
In one word: Eggy

My second bakery on Acland Street and in my opinion a nicer slice than Monarch Cakes.
A thick, eggy custard with a nice after taste of vanilla. Buttery, flaky pastry that almost resembled a crumbly biscuit rather than a crisp, thin pastry. Topped off with a healthy dusting of icing sugar, all together a tasty vanilla slice which needed two sittings to finish.

Bayswater Cake Kitchen, VIC

1/17/2015

Rating: 5/10
In one word: Passe

Style over substance. Although not officially on my bucket list this place's success in the state competition had me curious to try their products. Aesthetically they were great, neatly presented, proportioned and decorated with choice of icing. Unfortunately the taste did not match the appearance. I tried both the traditional and French vanilla and found the pastry to be crispy but flavourless and in truth a little dry. The custard did not resemble traditional custard whatsoever, more like slightly sweet air. Lastly the icing did not have any real flavour or sweetness that left an after taste of vanilla at all. Either their standards have slipped since the numerous trophies or everyone else's have risen significantly. A real shame.

Convent Bakery, Abbotsford, VIC

1/12/2015

Rating: 7/10
In one word: Historic

I was keen to visit the Convent Bakery for it's history. The grounds are beautiful and the place was busy on an overcast day. I took the mille-feuille style vanilla slice away and ate it at home. Its appearance is quite traditional; three layers of flaky pastry, 2 layers of crème patissiere and dusted icing sugar. Its shape long and skinny, the pastry noticeably wood fired in their historical ovens and rich in colour. For the second time today, a pleasant experience but not mind blowing. The pastry lacking some of the crunch I'd expect, perhaps due to not being freshly baked, but buttery in taste. The custard was the right consistency but not deep in vanilla flavour. I'm sure I will head back for their wood fired pizza, they looked good.

Richmond Pie Shop, VIC

1/11/2015

Rating: 7/10
In one word: Underwhelming

Third slice off the bucket list.

The pie shop has a good reputation and their posters are a bold claim - "Best in suburb". I was initially underwhelmed with their presentation in the cabinet, with a handful of small slices positioned together in paper cases ready for action surrounded by lots and lots of pies. The product itself was pleasant; creamy custard, flaky pastry and a thick dusting of icing sugar . I wasn't blown away with a vanilla flavour and craved more due to their slightly overpriced ($3.50), small size. Pies and a coffee also sampled and enjoyed. Best in area? Not sure until I try a few more in Richmond!

French Baguette, Footscray, VIC

1/7/2015

Rating: 9/10

We all know that the French and Vietnamese do great pastry and custard so this was a no brainer. The array of cakes on offer in this cafe is extensive and the 'help yourself' style tong serving was quite good fun. On offer were the traditional vanilla slice (single layer of custard and dusted icing sugar) or the mille-feuille styled slice (double layer of custard and decorated fondant icing). Leaning more towards fondant icing I went for the french style slice and I was not let down. Rich, creamy, sweet and fantastic pastry - crisp, buttery and straight forward to cut with a knife into manageable chunks. Very generous with the portion size and quality of components. I will be going back for sure.

Hausfrau, Yarraville, VIC

1/7/2015

Rating: 7/10
In one word: Jammy

This random little place only got my custom due to the bakery I was originally intending to visit around the corner being closed. Thanks to some quick thinking and some Googling Hausfrau came up. A pleasant surprise to see a layer of strawberry jam nestled in the slice - almost like Sorrento's little brother. The overall experience was pleasant but I have to say that the pastry was not crisp and easy to cut, the custard slightly more creamy then eggy and the icing sugar a little thin on top. Great coffee.

Narooma Bakery, NSW

1/4/2015

Rating: 1/10
In one word: Rancid

Why did I buy one of these? I was seduced by the prospect of another passionfruit icing success but was left feeling a bit saddened by the experience. In such a beautiful town I expected a decent bakery. The vanilla slices were on two shelves in the cabinet, now I understand why! I think I was given the leftovers from a few days ago. The slice was subsiding due to the separation of the icing and some of the custard was discoloured and rancid looking. This was not what was on offer at the front of the display cabinet. To top this all off the icing itself wasn't particularly passion fruit flavoured and the pastry was soggy and impossible to cut. A real low point in my recent experiences.

Cafeteria Luis, Moonee Ponds, VIC

1/3/2015

Rating: 5/10
In one word: Underbaked

I originally tried one of these about a year ago - I had a better experience that day. This slice looked really appetizing in the glass display case. And when I sampled the custard with my fork I thought it would be a sweet end to 2014. However when trying to cut the damn thing up I realised the pastry was not cooked. In fact, it was rather unpleasant and it left a nasty taste in my mouth. I found myself having to deconstruct it to try and get some enjoyment out of the creamy custard. Won't be doing that again.