Chanoma Cafe

We first noticed the beautiful vine hanging down the window, and the light green chairs that appeared gently in the eye sights. So here we are, at this small but crowded Chanoma Café.

We heard this café had a lot of Matcha (green tea) related food, so we decided on this visit to try out their beverage and dessert. The café itself make you feel like you are outdoors, and somewhere near a secret garden.



Matcha Latte $4.50

I couldn't resist the sound of Matcha Latte, the craving for a combination of green tea and milk allowed me to make the decision in less than a second. I enjoyed that vegetal taste initially, with that freshness from the natural green colour. Then the bitterness hits in, with that milky mixture and tiny bit of sweetness. The taste lasted about 10 seconds or so, and I quickly took another sip without much hesitation. If there was something to be noted about, it had to be the amount of bubbles appeared on the surface of the Latte...




Matcha Anmitsu $6.50 (Agar jelly, Matcha soft ice cream, sweet red bean paste, rice cake and brown sugar syrup)

This was a bowl of dessert that Bun had ordered, and he was anticipating the soft ice cream. I loved how chewy the mini rice cake was, and the adorable taste after soaking it in the brown sugar syrup. Bun didn't like the Agar jelly as they had absolutely no taste except for its coldness, so we added those into the syrup as well. The soft ice cream remained a little bitter than the green tea ice creams we have tried elsewhere, but it mixed well with the sweetness of the red bean paste. There were also some small pieces of fruits inside, which compensated the lack of sweetness for Bun.


We felt it was a nice café with quite a fair range of Matcha related desserts and beverage. We actually quite regret that we didn't try the parfait, after seeing the next table ordered a huge one with fancy toppings. If you are not so much of a sugar fan, their soft ice cream can be a quite pleasant afternoon treat.



Address:
501 George St, Sydney (Regent place)

Phone number:
02 9767 5465

Opening time:
7 days  9am - late


View Larger Map

Black Star Pastry

Opposite of Newtown station, there was an open area which leads to Australia Street. If you walk a little bit more, you will find this small but incredibly popular place called the "Black Star Pastry". After winning so many awards and recognitions, it certainly gained a wide range of customers from all around the areas. So on this particular cloudy yet delightful day, Bun and I finally arrived here to hunt down that extraordinary-looking piece of cake...

Pretty much the indoor area was completely full once we arrived there, and the seats outside were also taken. We saw quite a few tourists going in and out with different types of cakes, and we got even more excited while waiting in the long line.

We saw a couple of interesting cakes, and some chocolate flavours almost tempted me to grab them. BUT NO! We were there for a reason...

Lamb Shank + Red Wine Pie $7.80

Before we go on with the cake, Bun started on the pie that made he fell in love at first sight. Yes, it was Lamb Shank, one of his favourite types of meat! I couldn't really tell the filling was actually Lamb Shank, it still tasted a little like beef, but the mixture was totally delicious! The pastry layer was great, with a few extra crunchy bits on the pointy edges.



Strawberry, Rose and Watermelon cake $7.00

Here it is! Our most wanted piece of cake from Black Star Pastry! Indeed like...OH MY GOD! Both me and Bun never really tried cakes with fresh watermelon (we have probably only tried mango, strawberry, kiwifruit etc), and not to mention the addition of flowery scent. The strawberries were huge and fresh, combined with syrupy tastes and naughty textures. The layers of cream and dacquoise created that contrast of nutty and soft sensation in the mouth, along with the boost of watermelon flavours. The overall combination was like a masterpiece, it was one of the most creative cakes we've ever seen. I would strongly recommend this to all the people out there, this unbelievably light-taste cake would be amazing for any type of occasion! (Hint: wedding cake? XD)



Address:
277 Australia Street, Newtown NSW

Phone number:
02 9557 8656

Opening time:
7 days  7am - 5pm


View Larger Map

85 Degrees Bakery & Cafe

85 degrees bakery and cafe has a large variety there, I loved going there due to the quality of the cakes and breads.

Hot Royal milk tea $3.00

Occasionally I would get a cup of tea and this would be my favourite one. The milk was thick, enough to create that smooth mixture with the tea flavours. It's usually served at a very hot temperature so you probably have to be careful when sipping it in.



Snow milky $1.80

This was a huge bun with ice sugar covering the surface like snowflakes. The bun itself was very soft, and there were plenty of cream inside the bun.


Chocolate Almond Chips $2.20

I had no idea why we picked this one, as it doesn't even seem like Chocolate at first. The Chocolate cover was literally black, and it was hard and crunchy. I didn't really have much memory on this particular bread, except the fact it looked abit strange.
























Swiss Devil Chocolate cake $3.60

We picked this because of the HUGE strawberry on top, so it turned out the cake wasn't too special. The cream layers were cut neatly into columns, yet I couldn't really taste it as the larger portion of chocolate has overtaken the flavours.



US Cheesecake $3.60

This is my all-time favourite from 85 degrees, the cheesecake is almost indescribable! The top was covered with a syrupy layer, satisfying that sugar craving. Then the best part was the cake underneath, I always can't believe how milky it tasted and mesmerized by how such texture was formed. For anyone who loves cheesecakes, you got to try this one!


Some of the chains actually do Afternoon tea and other special deals, so it's probably worthwhile to try them out! What better ways can you spend a lazy afternoon than eating cake, drinking tea, chatting with friends, or relax with a book in your hand?


Address:
(I went to the one in Hurstville, there are plenty of other chains in places like City or Chatswood)

246 Forest Rd Hurstville NSW

Phone number:
02 9580 8889

Opening time:
Mon - Fri   7.30am - 9.30pm
Sat  8am - 9.30pm
Sun     8am - 9pm


View Larger Map

Adriano Zumbo

Sizzling neon lights, vibrant colours, funky settings and creative decorations, these were the first few impressions that we had on Adriano Zumbo at The Star.

In here, you can have Dessert train as well! Yes, just like sushi train. (O-M-G what?!) Unfortunately we didn't have time to try it, but I'm sure it will be an interesting experience.

When we were looking around inside the store, we have fell in love with these display boxes, it almost felt like an incredible journey into the future. We stared at these desserts one by one, and they all looked stunning.



We also found these sights at the front window, how adorable!? The mini wheel was made of funny looking shoes, spinning round and round to create amusement for its audiences. Also the tower of pink and orange macaroons instantly reminded you of childhood dreams...all those wonderful days where our world was full of pretty colours and endless sweets.

We also noticed these emergency glass boxes used to display the Zumbarons, it create the urge to reach your hand inside and grab them and start biting! But how brilliant is the idea of putting them inside there??


Ta-da!! Here are the ones we bought!! *Anticipation* Although...one thing I have to mention to you lovely readers out there...I wasn't happy with the service they provide, but it could have just been me. Their ignorance was quite irritating, just not sure if it was due to busy hours or what, oh wells.



 2-pack Zumbarons: Chocolate doughnut and Peach ice tea flavours $5.00

We got this tiny box containing big surprises, and it was pretty difficult to pick 2 flavours out of the many. The Chocolate doughnut one had a generous amount of filling, and it was very rich. The Peach ice tea was a unique one, even though it didn't really taste like the actual peach tea, it was memorable.






Chocolate Mousse $9.00

No doubt this caught our attention almost immediately, as it had a simple but tempting look. It consist a mixture of chocolate and fruity taste, creamy and stimulating. Umm by the way, do most people pick out the berry first and then start eating other components?







V8 $10.00

My goodness, how on Earth am I going to describe this one to you? I DON'T KNOW!! Let's start on the elements? There were black sesame dacquiose, brown sugar crunch, lychee gel, raspberry sponge, raspberry jelly, liquorice cremeaux, and rose chantilly patisserie. The outer layer was soft and melts into your mouth smoothly, however, the core was...full of different textures. There was the layer that felt like sands, the sour fruits hiding somewhere in between, and the subtle punch of lychee flavours. I had about 5 spoons and I just couldn't stand it anymore...no, it wasn't bad actually, just by this time that I already had enough sweetness in my digesting system and can't take anymore in. Now here's another thing, I can't believe I thought of eating the rose pedal as well (blame on the fact it was too beautiful).


What do I think about Adrian Zumbo at The Star? It's modern, it's unique, and it's exciting! You probably can never see that much colours popping out at one particular store in anywhere else, whether it's the environment or the desserts, they were all full of energy. Although I have to say they are a little too sweet for me...



Address:
Shop 1, Cafe Court
The Star
80 Pyrmont St
Pyrmont NSW
(Entry via Edward St)


Website:
http://www.adrianozumbo.com/


Opening hours:

Mon 11am - 10pm
Dessert train is closed

Tue to Thurs 11am - 11pm
Dessert train: Closed on Tuesday
Wed to Thu 6 - 10.30pm

Fri and Sat 11am - 12am
Dessert train:
Fri 6pm - 11.30pm
Sat 2pm - 11.30pm

Sun 11am - 9pm
Dessert train: 12pm - 6.30pm

*Sugar daddy
6 - 8pm Wed to Sat
Pink and White plates are $4 and Black plates are $8



View Larger Map