In one word: Proportioned
A deliberate pit stop, with another bakery nearby vying for my trade. I bought myself a steak, tomato and onion pie and a vanilla slice for a grand total of $7.50 (I'm pretty sure that makes the vanilla slice $3.10).
The pie was moist inside and crisp on the outside but lacked real richness from the filling, much the same as the vanilla slice I later found out.
Whilst neatly proportioned and freshly baked; the pastry crumbled and flaked beautifully and the thinly spread icing gently coated my fingers when handled, the custard was just lacking that intensity I was craving. Although a nice viscosity and smooth texture, the very subtle vanilla flavouring let it down. Perhaps real vanilla bean instead of essence is needed here.