Special occasions with T. Cavallaro & Sons

Best known for making the best cannolis in town, T. Cavallaro & Sons is a Melbourne institution. We remember our first visit. It was truly love at first sight. 

As soon as we stepped through the doors of T. Cavallaro & Sons, we were immediately swept away by the aromas of baked pastry, roasted nuts and sweet syrup. 

T. Cavallaro & Sons was founded by Tommaso Cavallaro in 1956 and proudly catered for the Melbourne Olympics in the same year. The cafe proudly represents the European migrant families who made Footscray their home in the ’40s and ’50s. Since 1956, the cafe has been open every Easter and every Christmas, making sure their customers are well taken care of. 

Today, Tommaso's sons, Tony and Carmelo (who has worked on the premises since its inception in 1956) continue the legacy. 

Behind the shop front is where the magic happens. There, endless trays of freshly baked sweet treats and pastries are being made. The contents of which scream only one thing – decadence.

With recipes that have not changed since 1956, use of time-old techniques and fresh ingredients, the proof is in the tasting.

The sweet treats at T. Cavallaro & Sons are baked to perfection so when Gastrology got hitched recently, it only made sense that we would get our cake from these passionate creators. 

We absolutely loved our 3 tier octagonal white fondant chocolate marble cake.

Every bit was handmade and absolutely moreish. Every element of the cake was perfect: the beautiful flavour, the design, the decorations and even the size. The cake truly impressed - it was beautifully moist and had the perfect airy yet dense texture.

If you have a sweet tooth or need a cake for a special occasion, we certainly recommend taking the trip down to Footscray to see what the fuss is about. 

Location: 98 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Phone: 03 9687 4638 

Link: http://www.tcavallaroandsons.com.au/

Cuisine: Coffee, Bakery 

Bossy Boots

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Bossy Boots.

Drawing on the talent of two top Melbourne chefs Bossy Boots delivers generous hospitality and home cooked gourmet food in a contemporary café setting.

Under the guidance of chefs Ben Forehan and Rachael Browne, Bossy Boots are in capable hands. The pair have worked at notable Melbourne kitchens such as Stokehouse, Circa and Dench Bakers and are classically trained having both studied Vienoisserie at E’cole Le Notre, in Paris.

Bossy Boots has a large local following and is known for its relaxed ambience with chic courtyard and large windows  - the result is an inviting bright space. 

The menu is about fresh, honest food, with a mix of brunch and lunch staples and a nod to Italian fare.

Coffee is from Supreme and served expertly from a La Marzocco espresso machine.

Chicken Stuffed Peppers

The stuffed peppers were a brilliant start to our lunch at Bossy Boots. The peppers were bursting with flavour. The dish was uncomplicated but well executed.

Corn fritters with crispy bacon, avocado salsa, sour cream and chives.

The corn fritters had a crunchy golden brown exterior and were succulently sweet making for a great start to the day.

Carrot and macadamia cake

The carrot cake was a sweet end to our visit. The cake was moreish, moist, perfectly balanced and beautifully textured as a result of the luscious macadamia nuts that had been scattered generously throughout the cake and the citrus element in the icing added interest.

Bossy Boots café also offers some delicious take home food options. We took home a delicious chicken pie which we absolutely loved. The pastry was crisp and flaky – a testament to being worked carefully by masters of pastries Ben and Rachael. Rich and hearty with generous morsels of beautifully slow cooked chicken, it was an excellent pie.

Bossy Boots is an iconic café with its own relaxed style, creating a hub that is unique to Brighton and presents a wonderful counterpoint to the inner city, lane way cafes springing up around Melbourne.

Location: 106 Bay Street,  Brighton 
Phone: 03 9596 6825 
Link: http://www.bossyboots.com.au/ 
Cuisine: Breakfast, Salad, Bakery

Adriano Zumbo Patisserie Review | Zumbo's Tim Tam creations | Autumn Scarf Dinners | Love from Oriental Venice @ David’s | Bindi rare collection wine event

Location: 12 -14 Claremont St South Yarra
Phone: 1800 858 611
Link: http://www.adrianozumbo.com/
Cuisine: Bakery, Desserts
Overall Impression: 7.5/10

Australian and French-trained patissier, Adriano Zumbo is best known for his elaborate, delicious desserts and has developed a cult following thanks to a debut on MasterChef in 2010.

We enjoyed our visit to Zumbo’s Sydney patisseries and are glad to report that the Melbourne patisserie in South Yarra, which is the newest addition to the Adriano Zumbo family, lived up to expectations.

We tried a few cakes and desserts – all reflective of Adriano’s style – appealing to the eye and quirky. 

The colourful Zumbarons, while not our favourite macarons in Melbourne, definitely are the most interesting and different.

If you haven’t already, this patisserie is certainly one that is worth a visit.

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Zumbo's Tim Tam creations...

In a collaboration sure to whip dessert-lovers into a frenzy, Zumbo has teamed up with Arnott’s Tim Tam to create a limited edition range to celebrate Tim Tam’s 50th birthday. 

Available in stores this March, Adriano Zumbo’s Tim Tam creations include three indulgent new flavours: tantalizing ‘Raspberry White Choc’, seriously addictive ‘Salted Caramel’ and the deliciously decedent ‘Choc Brownie’.

The new range is inspired by Zumbo’s unique and whimsical take on desserts and provides a tempting variation to the classic chocolatey varieties. 

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Social Enterprise Scarf Announces Seasonal Partnership with Kerala

Scarf Community is a social enterprise that borrows top restaurants to provide front-of-house hospitality training, mentoring and employment to refugees, asylum seekers and other young people who face barriers to fair training and employment. 

Scarf mentors work at restaurants such as Cumulus Inc and Mamasita, have operated dinners from restaurants including Union Dining, Markov and Epocha and three quarters of Scarf graduates go on to get jobs at places such as No 35 The Sofitel, Ladro and The Atlantic Group.

Scarf are excited to announce their new seasonal partnership with ethical caterers, Kerala, for their Autumn dinner series, starting on March 17th at Top Paddock, Richmond. The seasonal partnership follows the success of the trial at the end of 2013 which saw dinners book out weeks in advance and record numbers for the season.

Diners can expect Scarf’s Autumn menu to be South Indian influenced without being constrained by tradition typified by dishes such as crispy skin pork belly with spiced chickpeas and green mango curry or desserts like coconut rice pudding with cardamom, pistachios and candied papaya. 

What: Autumn Scarf Dinners

When: March 17 - April 14

Why: Help refugees, asylum seekers and other young people who face barriers to fair training and employment

Bookings: bookings@scarfcommunity.org

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Love from Oriental Venice @ David’s

As part of the Melbourne Good Food and Wine festival David's is hosting a five course dinner with a focus on seafood – mainly prawns.

Capturing all the romance of a city on water, but with a village distinctive Chinese flair, Zhouzuang provides the ideal muse for David’s Love From Oriental Venice feast. 

What: Five course dinner with a focus on seafood

Where: David's 4 Cecil Pl, Prahran

When: Tuesday 11th March, 7pm - 9.30pm

Costs: $45 or $65 with matched wines.

Bookings: (03) 9529 5199

Read more about David's here.

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Bindi Rare Collection Wine Event

Renowned winemaker, Michael Dhillon is hosting an exclusive and intimate long lunch showcasing rare vintages matched to a bespoke 5 course reversed degustation, designed by Cory Campbell.

View menu here.

Discover Footscray

Gastrology bloggers were taken on a foodie tour of Footscray recently as part of the 'Your Footscray' campaign which brings together all aspects of life in Footscray including safety, transport, holidays and most importantly—food...

Coffees @ Cafe Cui

Location: 58 Leeds Street, Footscray 

Phone: 03 9687 6967 

Link: http://www.cafecui.com.au/

Cuisine: Breakfast/Brunch, Modern Australian 

We met our chaperone, Jack at Cafe Cui (pronounced Café Q). Located just opposite Footscray Station, the café sources all its vegetables and meat from the Footscray Market.

Having only opened its doors in June last year, Café Cui has already gained a loyal following as a result of its location and freshly sourced produce.

The menu boasts a variety of delicious brunch options including the popular Shakshuka eggs bake, the chef’s own invention, with braised capsicum, tomato and middle eastern spices.

The cafe's modern and relaxed fit out makes it a perfect spot for a caffeine hit. Our coffees contained a perfect layer of silken froth, complete with a flawless rosetta, and tasted terrific.

 
Footscray Market

Melbourne's best cannoli @ T. Cavallaro & Sons

Location: 98 Hopkins Street, Footscray

Phone: 03 9687 4638 

Link: http://www.tcavallaroandsons.com.au/

Cuisine: Coffee, Bakery 

As soon as we stepped through the doors of T. Cavallaro & Sons, we were immediately swept away by the aromas of baked pastry, roasted nuts and sweet syrup. 

A Footscray institution, T. Cavallaro & Sons was founded by Tommaso Cavallaro in 1956 and proudly catered for the Melbourne Olympics in the same year. The cafe proudly represents the European migrant families who made Footscray their home in the ’40s and ’50s. Since 1956, the cafe has been open every Easter and every Christmas, making sure their customers are well taken care of. 

Today, Tommaso's sons, Tony and Carmelo (who has worked on the premises since its inception in 1956) continue the legacy. 

Behind the shop front is where the magic happens. There, endless trays of freshly baked sweet treats and pastries are being made. The contents of which scream only one thing – decadence.

With recipes that have not changed since 1956, use of time-old techniques and fresh ingredients, the proof is in the tasting...

The sweet treats at T. Cavallaro & Sons are baked to perfection and we can confirm that T. Cavallaro & Sons' certainly serves the best cannoli that Melbourne has to offer.  Every bit is handmade and absolutely moreish. The cannolis are filled with either patisserie cream or ricotta and dusted with a sprinkling of almonds. The cannoli casing was perfectly crisp and we fell in love with the traditional ricotta filling. It was decadent, creamy and had a beautiful citrus finish. 

Although it is very easy to over sweeten ricotta fillings, it seems that T. Cavallaro & Sons have found the perfect balance. Their cannoli is truly divine. 

If you have a sweet tooth, we certainly recommend taking the trip down to Footscray to see what the fuss is about. 

Sugarcane juice @ Vy Coffee Bubble Tea

The sugarcane juice is made before your eyes!

Location: 44 Byron St, Shop 4, Footscray (near Little Saigon Market)

Cuisine: Sugarcane juice, coffee, tea, bubble tea

We were immediately transported to the streets of Vietnam as we explored Footscray's Little Saigon Market. What better way to enhance that experience than a refreshing sugarcane juice by the vibrant bustling streets.

The juice was deliciously sweet and refreshing. We loved the addition of kumquat in the juice which added a delightful acidity and balance to the beverage. 

Ethiopian cuisine @ Konjo Cafe & Restaurant

Location: 89 Irving Street, Footscray 

Phone: 03 9689 8185 

Link: http://konjo.com.au/

Cuisine: Coffee, Ethiopian/Eritrean, Vegetarian 

A recent addition to Footscray’s Ethiopian food scene, Konjo Cafe and Restaurant already has a cult following. A welcoming ambience and delicious Ethiopian food mean that this eatery is popular among young and old alike. 

If you're not sure what to choose from, Konjo does an amazing platter which consists of 2 vegetarian dishes, 2 lentil dishes, 1 mild lamb stew, 1 spicy lamb stew and 2 beef dishes served on a tray of injera and an extra basket of injera.

We enjoyed how flavoursome each dish was. The beautifully made injera which we used to pick up bites of the little dishes was the perfect canvas for the rich and spicy flavours.

The platter was the perfect introduction to Ethiopian food and was simply delicious. 

We also tried Konjo's specialty dish (which you will not be able to find anywhere else) which is a finely-minced beef dish called Kitfo which owner, Abdul prepares by hand and serves with a special clarified butter.

Footscray Train Station

Our tour of Footscray was a culturally rich and eye-opening experience. It was amazing to see how passionate the small business owners we met along the way are about their suburb and hear their stories. We look forward to returning to Footscray and experiencing more of what this amazing suburb has to offer.

Special thanks to Jack Walden from The C Word for being a brilliant chaperone.
Gastrology bloggers discovered Footscray courtesy of Regional Rail Link.

Cafe Review: Vintam's Bakery Café

Location: Shop 109, 111 Merchant Street, Docklands

Phone: 03 9670 0116

Cuisine: Asian, Bakery, Vietnamese

Overall Impression: 7/10

Vintam churns out cheap and cheerful Vietnamese delights such as banh mi and pho.

The banh mi offerings at Vintam are brilliant value. 

BBQ Chicken Roll

BBQ Pork Roll

For about $6, you receive a crunchy bread roll shimmered with egg mayo and pâté, filled with generous serves of the meat of your choice (both the BBQ chicken and the BBQ pork are particularly delicious), topped with a salad of sweet pickled carrots, cucumber, coriander and fresh chilli glossed in a hoi sin glaze. It is both fresh and very tasty.

Alanna tried one of the muffins and was not impressed. But at $3 a pop, it was difficult to be too critical.

No frills - the food is simple, to the point and irresistible.

Special thanks to my favourite S***** S***, Alanna for a delicious lunch at Vintam.

Event: Rustica Sourdough Bakery reopening

Location: 402 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Phone: 03 9417 7775
Link: http://www.rusticasourdough.com.au/
Cuisine: Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Coffee

Rustica Sourdough Café was opened last year by master baker, Brenton Lang (formerly of Phillippas Bread). A successful venture, today, Rustica supplies some of Melbourne's best cafes with delicious wild yeast fermented sourdough.

While this degree of success would leave most content, after 16 months of focusing on his breads and baking, Brenton closed the doors to customers for a gastronomic intermission whilst he worked to refresh and reinvent Rustica to be the café he envisioned. 

Gastrology bloggers were delighted to attend the grand re-opening of Rustica to see the new place and celebrate the start of a new era for the café with a tasting of Brenton's most popular sourdough breads and baked goods. 

Everything served is made onsite in the back bakery from cake to cronut to almond croissants to fig ficelle to chili jam. The beautiful range of artisan breads are exceptional, a credit to Brenton’s use of time-honoured techniques of crafting bread. The café cultivates wild yeasts and nurture cultures that become the flavour base from which a selection of classic and contemporary breads are crafted. 

The sourdough breads at Rustica are of particular note. Practising the art of authentic and traditional sourdough means the flavour and texture of each loaf is enhanced. 

The tastings ended on a sweet note with an array of decadent offerings ranging from popcorn macarons to lemon curd filled cronuts. 

We particularly enjoyed Rustica’s award-winning passionfruit tart. The pastry was desirably short, light and crisp and the passionfruit curd was delectable and struck the right balance between sweet and sour. 

On top of being an excellent bakery, the Rustica Sourdough café serves a complete breakfast and lunch menu which features a wide range of fresh sandwiches, freshly baked pies, stone-baked pizzas and delicious treats. We sampled a couple of their baked pies which were absolutely moreish. 

In the next few weeks, Rustica will be extending their evening hours during Fri/Sat nights to encourage dinner diners in the area to have a delicious, dessert experience along with Roastcraft coffee or a glass of wine from their new wine list featuring wild yeast fermented wines. We look forward to returning to Rustica to sample their new dinner menu.

Cafe Review: Monarch Cakes

Location: 103 Acland Street, St Kilda

Phone: 03 9534 2972  

Link: http://www.monarchcakes.com.au/

Cuisine: Bakery, Coffee, Desserts/Ice Cream 

Overall Impression: 7.5/10

Monarch Cakes have been doing what they do for over 75 years and the proof is, quite literally, in the pudding. Staying true to their Polish roots, many recipes have originated from their shop in Poland. Every cake is made fresh using raw ingredients in their most natural form.

mini chocolate kooglhoupf 

Monarch’s famous Chocolate Kooglhoupf lives up to its hype. The cake is marbled with white cake and chocolate fudge and is beautifully soft and moist. It was certainly a special treat. 

100 year old polish baked cheese cake

One of the best cheesecakes in town, the Polish Cheesecake was absolutely moreish. Truly standing the test of time, we were hold that the cheesecake has been made the same way since the early 1920’s. 

Monarch Cakes continues to be a St Kilda gem. It is the perfect place for cake and coffee or, if you prefer, to takeaway for a guilty pleasure at home.  

5 & Dime Bagels

Location: Varies
Phone: 0433 339 367
Link: http://www.5dimebagel.com.au/ and facebook
Cuisine: Bakery

Zev Forman, owner and baker of 5 & Dime, has set out to bring fresh New York style bagels to Melbourne.

His bagels are hand rolled and boiled which sets them apart from the regular Melbourne bagels that have been made by a machine and steamed to increase production. 

The resulting bagels have a fuller flavour and wonderful texture. While the bagels are not necessarily authentic and traditional, they most certainly are the real deal. 

The bagel types include sesame, poppy and cinnamon raisin, with the everything bagel (garlic, onion, sesame, poppy, sea salt and nigella) being our favourite! 

So far, these lovely bagels are sold at farmers' markets and to a few cafes. 

To find 5 and Dime Bagel's next location, check their website or Twitter feed. Private orders of over 12 bagels can also be arranged with 48 hours notice.

The bagels were delivered to Gastrology Bloggers courtesy of Zev Forman.

Restaurant Review: Sugardough Panificio & Patisserie

Location: 163 Lygon Street, Brunswick
Phone: 03 9380 4060
Cuisine: Coffee, Modern Australian, Bakery
Overall Impression: 6.5/10

Sugardough is a lovely café in Brunswick.

Sugardough serves good coffee and brunch and has the most tempting array of cake selections. However, due to its popularity, the café is frequently packed which means there might be a bit of a wait before you are seated. 

Cafe Review: Freestyle Espresso

Location: 6 Union Street, South Melbourne
Phone: 03 9696 4396
Link: www.freestyle-espresso.com.au/
Cuisine: Coffee, Breakfast/Brunch, Bakery
Overall Impression: 6/10

Freestyle Espresso is a lovely cafe in South Melbourne.

Tucked away in an alley way (in a very Melbourne sort of way), Freestyle Espresso delivers fresh and delicious lunchtime options in a casual and relaxed ambience. The coffee is lovely and the staff members are friendly.