Eat. @ Candied Bakery

81a Hudsons Rd, Spotswood 3015 ph (03) 9391 1335

The kidlets love going to Scienceworks, and the trip across the bridge gives Hubby and I a good excuse to grab a bite from one of our favourite brunch spots The Duchess.  On our recent trip across town though, we tried out the new bakery kid in town, and had a fabulous lunch of baked goodness at Candied Bakery.  "An Aussie Bakery with an American twist, and a dash of European Influence" - this can only mean good things for the bakery-loving crazy chick in me!  The only negative was that I wanted to try everything but we could only eat so much in one sitting!

How was I supposed to choose from all this goodness??!!

We settled ourselves at one of the benches in the bakery and got into the serious business ordering.

Hubby and I started off with a mocha each.  I'm usually not impressed with coffees at bakeries but this was an excellent mocha.

The older 2 kidlets shared a Milo milkshake ($6.5) and gave it a big thumbs up.

I love a good Croque Monsieur ($8) and this one did not disappoint.  Perfectly creamy and served on brioche!

The beef pie ($5.6) oozed with tasty beef filling, with a beautiful flaky pastry.  This was served with the bakery's own home-made ketchup.

Likewise the sausage roll was delicious.  The sausage meat tasted rustic and home made (in a good way!) and had lashings of vegies through it (so I didn't feel as guilty having ordered two.......)

I was so excited to move onto desserts!  We couldn't decide between the two different doughnuts so....... we ordered both ($3.8 each)!  I liked the Zuppa Anglaise one better, entirely because I unconditionally love custard, but the jelly one was also yummy with the tangy jam oozing with every bite. 

I often use the almond croissant as a yardstick for comparing bakery standards and am happy to report this one ($5) was a winner!

And last but not lease we tried their home made soft serve ($4.5).  They had 2 flavours including peanut and jelly on the day, but Mini Me is a fan of vanilla so we had this, served with their sprinkles and crumble topping.   Perfect for this incredibly hot weather we've been having in Melbourne lately.  

The service was friendly and efficient, and plenty of families popped in for a bite during our visit.  Outdoor seating is available (perhaps not on an unbearably hot Melbourne day) and can be good for those with pets or bulky prams.

We will definitely be returning here the next time we come over this side of town, whether it be for lunch, or a quick pop-in to buy some baked goodies to take home.  Again I'm jealous of you west-siders!

Eat. @ Wonderbao

Literature Lane, Melbourne CBD ph (03) 9654 7887

I know we're really late hopping on the "Bao" train, but we finally got our groove on and tried out Wonderbao, in the RMIT precinct up towards the top our city.  Confession : I was never a fan of the "bao" when I used to go to yum cha as a kid.  I always found the "bread" to be bland and boring (obviously not a carb fan when I was young!), and never had an appreciation for any of the fillings.  It takes a bit to change me from my set opinions but Wonderbao has certainly made me think twice!

There always seems to be a long line in front of this little shop, with queues of people grabbing a quick bite on the go.  We were lucky to get a seat along the bench at the shop front.   As soon as we were seated the friendly staff brought our "baos" out.  First up the Roast Pork Belly Gua Bao ($3.8 each).  I know you've heard it before, but "Bao Wow"!  I really liked this combo of thickly sliced pork belly with a refreshing carrot and cucumber combo in hoisin sauce.  The bun itself was actually soft, and not at all heavy or doughy; perfectly complementing the heavier meat filling!

The Braised Pork Belly Gua Bao ($3.8) was slightly heavier but equally delicious.

Being less adventurous with Chinese food, Macaron Monster went for the good old Cheung Chay Bao ($2) with the chinese sausage.  Hubby topped up his meal with a traditional Char Siu Bao ($2) filled with BBQ pork.  Both were above the standards of the offerings out of a dim sum cart at yum cha.

One "bao" I've always loved is the custard bun.  Okay I'm biased as I'm a fan of custard in any shape or form.  The Nai Wong Bao ($1.7) filled with egg custard was one of the better ones I've had around Melbourne.

For drinks there's a fridge full of Yeo's drinks in different flavours.  Cheekily advertised as F.O.B drinks! ($1.6)

Or you can try their homemade soya milk ($2.8).  We had ours cold as it was a hot day, but you can order it as a warm drink.

Wonderbao offers a quick pit stop for those after a cheap snack.  Order a few items and you've got yourself a budget smorgasbord for lunch!  The shop is small so it's hard to get a seat, especially with a pram, so line up, buy your food and eat it outside like everyone else!   Eating Chinese street food whilst soaking up the graffiti-ed laneway ambience?  That is so essentially Melbourne nowadays!

Toilet and Highchair - No