Pastry: Incredibly flaky, like a short bread 7/10
Presentation: Well assembled, nothing flash 7/10
Value for money: $3.70 - Medium portion, good sugar hit 8.5/10
Overall score: 7.6/10
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Filling: unpredictably good vanilla custard 8/10 Pastry: Incredibly flaky, like a short bread 7/10 Presentation: Well assembled, nothing flash 7/10 Value for money: $3.70 - Medium portion, good sugar hit 8.5/10 Overall score: 7.6/10 I found myself in a part of Melbourne I’d not been before so thought it wise to stop at a bakery in the neighbourhood. You know, it’s quite refreshing to pay for a vanilla slice with a five dollar note and receive a handful of change these days. I sat outside the bakery and smashed this one in less than a minute. I was equally as surprised by the quality of the item. Dark, flaky, almost short bread-like pastry that crumbled and broke off in rich shards of sugary goodness. A sweet, vanilla cream custard filling and messy fingers to follow. A slightly more compacted pastry would have been beneficial for picking up and chomping through, but for the most part a recommendation for anyone that is driving past and only has a pocket full of change.
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Filling: Fluffy, but bland cream custard 5/10 Pastry: Puffed and crunchy 7/10 Presentation: Well assembled, neatly encased in foil 7.5/10 Value for money: $5.90 - Medium/large portion, large price 4/10 Overall score: 5.9/10 Sharing a neighbourhood with Aviv Bakery, I opted for a bakery I’d not tried before, just down the road in Elsternwick. I popped into Benjamin’s and took out a beef and red wine pie and neatly presented triple stacked vanilla slice. Having burnt the roof of my mouth on the scolding hot pie filling, I needed to cool the burn with custard. Breaking the slice into two horizontally, I picked it up and consumed it in two smaller servings. I instantly noticed some crunchy pastry and this allowed for easy slice manipulation. Though crunchy, the pastry lacked depth of flavour and richness, as did the custard. More of a whipped cream with a hint of custard powder, it was light and fluffy, but not a deep, luxurious custard. Selling at Patisserie prices, but pieced together with standard bakery components, next time I might return to Aviv’s when in the area.
Filling: Thick, yellow and overly sweet custard 4/10 Pastry: Lacking a crunch 5/10 Presentation: Well assembled, good proportions, thick icing 7.5/10 Value for money: $3.70 - Medium/large portion, cheap price, not on pint 6/10 Overall score: 5.6/10 Missing the turnoff for The French Lettuce for a cheeky revisit, I stumbled across Angelo Pasticceria a few blocks north instead. Selling a range of authentic Italian items and a handful of Australian baked goods I was pleased to see a half decent looking vanilla slice. Handing over a five dollar note and receiving $1.30 in return, I was satisfied with the price of my selected item. Standing in a nearly cut square cuboid shape with a thickish white icing atop, the proportions looked encouraging and the pastry thin and crispy looking. The custard was definitively yellow in colour and looked thick and claggy for want of a better term. In terms of taste and texture, it’s safe to note that the pastry was not flaky or crunchy, but potentially soft due to being slightly stale. The custard was completely tasteless other than unnecessarily sweet. No vanilla, no creaminess, no egg. Nothing. I enjoyed the texture of the icing, but due to the sweetness of the custard, it was actually redundant. Next...
Filling: Typical bakers custard 6/10 Pastry: Thick and starting to go soft 3.5/10 Presentation: Some inconsistencies but nicely iced 6/10 Value for money: $3 - Average portion, cheap price, passable 6/10 Overall score: 5.4/10 Heading to Healesville for a sunny day out at the sanctuary, A half way pit stop was required for morning tea. I dived into Madeleine’s Bakery and left with a seldom seen $3 vanilla slice. An average sized portion, consisting of two hefty slabs of tightly packed puff pastry, uneven in colour, but satisfactorily keeping at bay a decent stack of somewhat set custard. Starting with the positives; the custard had a nice creamy taste to it, nothing too surprising but pleasant enough. The icing was probably the best component; thin, glossy and a delivering nice amount of sweetness. The pastry looked like it might have been flaky and buttery, but sadly it was bland and starting to go soggy from the moisture. Potentially a day old? I didn’t feel too disgruntled, having only parted with $3. I chowed down in a few short bites, before the kids in the back started asking questions of “where’s mine?”.
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January 2022
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