Pastry: Presentable, thin layers, but lacking bite 5/10
Presentation: Highly stacked rectangular tri-layer effort 6.5/10
Value for money: $4.50 - Big portion but memorable for the wrong reasons 5/10
Overall score: 5/10
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Filling: Bland, gelatinous, milky custard 3.5/10
Pastry: Presentable, thin layers, but lacking bite 5/10 Presentation: Highly stacked rectangular tri-layer effort 6.5/10 Value for money: $4.50 - Big portion but memorable for the wrong reasons 5/10 Overall score: 5/10
I hadn’t planned on stopping in a bakery whilst passing through Thomastown, however I saw the awning for Santinas Cakes next to the main road and thought I would give them a shot. I took away one of their highly stacked Italian vanilla slices, heavily dusted with icing sugar and packaged in its own piece of acetate. Upon peeling back the plastic I noticed the gelatinous texture and pale colour of custard that had been concealed previously. Nevertheless, I chowed down with a huge bite to take out all three layers of pastry and the double helping of custard. Sadly the custard was very bland, milky and without much sweetness or vanilla. It had obviously be made with large quantities of corn flour as this would explain the cloudy colour and slightly rubbery texture. The pastry, though looking half decent, in truth was very average. It was nicely puffed and golden in places but it lacked a biscuity crunch and was a little soft. Having had a good handful of Italian versions of a vanilla slice now, I cannot remember having a really good one. Shame.
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Filling: Sloppy vanilla bean custard 8/10
Pastry: Lacking crunch and butteriness, a disappointment 5/10 Presentation: Typical mille-feuille shaped skinny rectangle, but unstable 6.5/10 Value for money: $5.50 - Not as tasty as I’d have expected and pricey 6/10 Overall score: 6.4/10
En route home I called in to a French Patisserie in the heart of Brunswick gaining some press. With an authentic Frenchman behind the counter, he suggested a vanilla slice and a raspberry choux would be a good combination for a pregnant Mrs B craving sugar and cream. Trying desperately hard to place the two items in the takeaway box, sadly the vanilla slice started to slump and the lovely gentleman needed to reconstruct the rasberry choux after a minor collapse. The mille-feuille had noticeable vanilla bean content running through the custard and tasted creamy and rich when sampled with a cheeky finger. The pastry, however, was a let down. It was uneven in thickness and texture; crisp in places but soggy in others and lacking the buttery richness you normally get with fine French pastries. When eaten all together the custard wasn’t strong enough in flavour and was overpowered by the pastry due to the overall quantities. The icing was beautifully patterned and a good thickness, containing a nice chocolate after taste when finished. Mrs B loved her raspberry choux, and for once I had food envy!
Filling: Sweet, creamy, fluffy custard 7/10
Pastry: Well baked and crispy 6.5/10 Presentation: Well proportioned rectangle with chocolate drizzle pattern 8/10 Value for money: $4 - Fresh but unlikely baked on site. Satisfying overall 7.5/10 Overall score: 7.25/10
I wasn’t out shopping for a vanilla slice but I walked past this little place in the middle of Westfield and couldn’t resist. At first I thought it might have been a Costco bought slice, but the chocolate drizzled pattern on top is definitely different to theirs, so I took a punt. The slice is most likely bought in from elsewhere, but at least it was fresh and overall pretty satisfying. The custard was a nice yellow colour, fluffy and light in texture and creamy in flavour. There wasn’t much in the way of vanilla, but it ticks a few boxes. The pastry too was well assembled, dark brown and consistent in thickness and bite. The flavour lacked slightly, but the two layers did their jobs effectively for picking up and biting through. Finally the icing; a good thickness, sweetness and nicely decorated with chocolate. Perhaps it would benefit from also being a little larger!
Filling: Very sweet but fluffy pudding mix 5/10
Pastry: Surprisingly crispy and fresh but lacking in colour and flavour 6/10 Presentation: Typical homemade or canteen-styled effort, cut wonky 6/10 Value for money: $5 - freshly baked but not lovingly concocted 5/10 Overall score: 5.5/10
I write this post with mixed emotions as the product I’m out to review is not particularly good - but not awful. I visit Espresso 155 regularly to buy their coffee beans and am always happy to stop and have a chat with the friendly owners. It’s a great cafe with awesome coffee, a large variety of Keep cups and a very strong ethos of pleasing the customer. Since I last visited they now have some homemade cakes in their display cabinet, including some vanilla slices...so who was I to say no! Selling at an overpriced $5 the slice was your typical home assembled effort, most likely using shop bought ingredients, such as frozen puff pastry sheets and vanilla pudding mixture. The pasty was fresh at least, but didn’t set my palate alight. The filling was overly sweet and tasted like a packet mix, with a creamy consistency and fluffy, springy texture. The icing was unusual; grainy and soft and actually detracted from the rest of the slice. Worth a punt, but I will stick to the coffee beans thanks.
Filling: Smooth, sweet creamy custard 6/10
Pastry: Fresh, dark, crispy and flaky 8.5/10 Presentation: Beautifully crafted, picture perfect icing 9/10 Value for money: $5.20 - freshly baked but lacking vanilla and egg content 7/10 Overall score: 7.6/10
Driving through the far northern suburbs, I stumbled across an authentic Italian bakery that’s been trading since 1966 - the year England famously won the Wold Cup. I was impressed at their huge array of cakes and enticing window display in the bustling Lalor high street. The vanilla slice was elegantly assembled and neatly packed into a takeaway container, wrapped in acetate to avoid leakage and likely adhesion of custard to the box walls. The icing was as good as I’ve seen on my journies and I took my first bite with real anticipation. I got the initial crackle of the golden pastry, then the creaminess of the custard and the slight sweetness from the icing, ending on a rich chocolate aftertaste. What was noticeable was the excellent consistency of the custard, but the apparent lack of eggy richness and vanilla running through. One of the finer Italian made slices I’ve tasted so far but still lots of room for improvement.
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January 2022
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