November 30, 2008: Brunetti XIII

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

As Michael mentioned, we had Damian and Annette as houseguests for the weekend. They were hit with sizable hangovers on Sunday, their last day with us, so we first guided them to Filter for a cooked breakfast. Somewhat refreshed, they were in a sufficient state for a gentle stroll along Brunswick St and through Carlton Gardens (Damian's a fan of the Royal Exhibition Building) before it was time for one last Melbourne coffee. Surprisingly it was Michael who thought to lead them to Brunetti, where we tend to take all our guests.

Though most of Brunetti's desserts are available year-round, I noticed a few new items entering the sweet rotation - most of them creamy creations served in cups. The larger ones go for $5 or $6, but there are also shot-glass-sized tasters such as the Bicchierini that I chose ($3). Indeed, I think bicchierini is Italian for 'small glasses', so you're probably just looking at a single bicchierino. It contains micro-layers of vanilla mousse and raspberry coulis, a cute concoction with a jam-and-cream flavour. It's a little over-priced but it's the kind of cheery mouthful that could just make your morning.

____________

With a Brunetti trip for every houseguest (and perhaps a couple extra besides), this cafe has earned its own category. You can read every account here.

October 4, 2008: Brunetti XII

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

   

In their last hour before departing, we introduced Marie and Stephen to Brunetti. Not having yet lunched, Michael and I shared a foccacia patata. It was $5 very well spent - large and warm and bready with a hint of salt, rosemary and olive oil softness.

   

We didn't waste too much time before hitting the cake display. For Michael, there was a cherry Danish (~$4.50) and a coffee calling out. It tasted almost, though not quite, as good as it looks.

   

I fell for one of the fancy numbers - I didn't quite catch its name (it had such a soft, breathy voice amongst the din of sweets on show) but I think it's called Alcazari and goes for about $6. It starts with a thin but firm layer of flourless chocolate cake, then features a white chocolate mousse with caramelised almonds and a couple of dark chocolate flourishes. The mousse is really quite impressive; while other delicacies deteriorate from kitchen to plate under the Brunetti model, it retains a featherlight texture with its richness. It's probably a bit more than you or I should try to handle on our own, so bring a friend for this one.

____________

Why yes, this is the twelfth time we've blogged Brunetti. You can read all of our accounts here.

August 30, 2008: Brunetti XI

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

   

To my delight as much as hers, Katy returned to Melbourne for the weekend as a surprise birthday gift from her boyfriend! We hastily made plans to meet at Brunetti for morning tea. I made a point of ordering the barley-based orzo that Julia recommended, and was a little stumped when asked what kind of coffee I wanted with it. I went with a cafe latte, and received a subtly nutty and sweet drink with a light coffee kick. Having now reread the wikipedia page on orzo, I'm confused as to whether there was actually coffee in the beverage or whether it's just prepared in the same range of styles (latte, long black, etc). Could that twitchy leg I developed afterwards "from the caffeine" be psychosomatic?

To accompany my orzo latte, a mini bomboloni with lemon custard. The perfect little package for an early treat!

____________

Want more Brunetti? We have this and ten other visits archived here.

February 15, 2008: Brunetti X

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

After dinner at Shakahari, we led our guests across the road to Brunetti for dessert. They were appropriately wowed by its extent, so Michael and I made relatively fast orders and hunted down a table as they browsed. With a huge (and delicious) meal under my belt, I didn't find it too difficult to limit myself to two small Tartufo al caffe ($1.40 each). Their two-toned chocolate coating was pleasant, but the interior coffee cream was dry and powdery.

Michael chose a French custard tart with cherries ($5.30). He enjoyed it well enough, but it was a typically unremarkable Brunetti dessert.

You can read our full catalogue of Brunetti experiences here.

January 15, 2008: Brunetti IX

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

After spending two weeks in regional Victoria with her sisters, my Mum had one last free night in Melbourne before flying back home to Brisbane. It was about time we introduced her to Brunetti, right? Two of her sisters, Lynne and Carol, also joined us. They are an indecisive bunch when gathered together and the variety available at Brunetti was the catalyst for a good 20 minutes of umm-ing and aah-ing. But everyone got their coffee, cake and seat in good time.

I picked a cake that I haven't seen displayed before. The Domino ($5.90) is a sizable slice of chocolate cake, layered with strawberry cream and kirsch, then iced with chocolate. It far exceeded my expectations - I was anticipating a dense brick of a cake with impenetrably hard icing, but instead encountered a yielding ganache and almost sponge-light cake that retained plenty of flavour. The cream and kirsch were sparing, adding only a smidge of extra richness. It's fortunate that I arranged to share it with Michael - I would otherwise have consumed all of its deceptive lightness and been rather sorry afterwards. It's still a triple-layered chocolate cake, after all.

Want to read about our previous 8 visits to Brunetti? They're all here.

September 10, 2007: Brunetti VIII

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

What would a night with interstate guests be without a trip to Brunetti? Fun, perhaps, but with fewer pairs of widened eyes. After sharing a tapas-style dinner with Beth and Ryan, we reunited with Jack and Emma for a 6-person dessert fest. Michael reacquainted himself with the pear and cheese crumble from his second visit (and the photos I took of it this time were really awful). That gilded cocoa-based creation you see above is my Chocolate Oblivion ($4.50, from memory): a heated and molten chocolate cake. Here is a crisp brownie-like film yielding to a cakey layer, then giving way to viscous cake batter without a hint of baking powder to sour it. Oblivion, indeed - blissful in this modest serving size, but sure to put you into a chocolatey coma were it any larger.

(Check out our other Brunetti trips: one, two, three, four, five, six and seven.)

July 13, 2007: Brunetti VII

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

As I hinted in my previous post, I've been spending the weekend with a long-time friend, L. Her journey from Brisbane was made for entirely unselfish reasons - to introduce her internationally-acquired partner S to another Aussie city and to pull her sister L2 away from a demanding day job for a bit of fun. The trio managed to pack in a formidable five days of shopping, sight-seeing, eating and catching up with friends, with a day-and-a-half of it based at our home. On their Friday night arrival at our place, I decided to team a welcoming home-cooked dinner with a very Melbourne dessert out on Lygon St.

One of my favourite moments of the weekend was presenting the very vego-skeptical S with a plate of enjoyable meat-free food. Aware that he'd taken a shine to Australia's meat pie, I prepared a muffin pan's worth of TVP mince pies, fragrant with a rosemary gravy. On the side were lemony potatoes with artichokes (I'll make these again and blog them soon) and a handful of baby spinach leaves. Though there was plenty to talk about and fill each other in on, I didn't miss the look of wonder on S's face after his first couple of bites or his keen acceptance of seconds.

An hour or so later it was on with the coats and out onto Lygon St. The expansive and varied dessert selection at Brunetti has consistently impressed our visitors to Melbourne, and L comes in as second most excited ever (Emma wins by a whisker). Michael bravely claimed a table outside for us to squish around, and this mild discomfort was far outweighed by the cakes in front of us and watching the careful art with which L demolished this chocolate-topped tart:

I picked a winter pudding for Michael and he reported that I did well to match his tastes. It was a warm little rendition of the bread-and-butter-pudding, a concoction with custard, cherries and chocolate. For myself it was the triple chocolate mousse (pictured at the top of the post): I'm still not really sure how it's supposed to be eaten politely, with the plastic wall seeming impossible to remove. Perhaps I'm meant to genteel-ly leave those last smears of mousse on the plastic? (No chance!) Top to bottom, this mousse is a study in light to dense chocolate, beginning with a creamy white version and ending with a firmer dark mousse and thin chocolate biscuit layer. Its modest size proved to be more than enough to satisfy my choc-o-meter.

(You can also read about our other visits to Brunetti: one, two, three, four, five and six!)

January 19, 2007: Brunetti VI

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

After a few months' Brunetti drought, we managed to find two excuses to visit this week! Our first companions were two of Michael's relatives, visiting from Queensland. Since Emma and Simon arrived almost three weeks ago we've had vague intentions of taking them, but it took Emma firmly setting aside this Friday evening for it to happen.

I was a little concerned that my over-blown promises of aisles and aisles of glorious cakes might mean that they would actually be underwhelmed by the Brunetti experience. Far from it! Emma lingered over the enormous pre-ordered cakes (Happy birthday Helen! And John! And our blessings on the child being christened on Sunday the 21st!) and was photographed in front of one of the display fridges before she even noticed the dozens and dozens of single serves she could have for herself. Then there was some time spent hovering around the multiple profiterole flavours before she finally picked out two. Without quite so much external deliberation, Simon ordered a large slab of mud cake.

Michael found a slice of warmed apple strudel to his liking, which he pronounced to be one of his better Brunetti experiences. I picked out a hazelnut brittle ($2.60), a dainty little sandwich less than two inches square. This was an intensely sweet, rich treat with unexpected textures. The brittle wasn't brittle at all, instead a soft and slightly chewy piece of toffeed hazelnut chunks. The ganache filling didn't ooze under pressure: it was firm and smooth with flecks of hazelnut meal. The package was then cemented together with choc-dipping at one end. Such complexity and richness really is best enjoyed in this modest serving size, ideally with a strong coffee alongside! Unfortunately my caffeine sensitivity prevents such a thing in the night hours, and I resorted to their too-sweet chai latte instead.

(Read about our other Brunetti visits: one, two, three, four and five.)

January 16, 2007: Brunetti V

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

Brunetti usually proves to be an impressive dessert stop for interstate guests, and our night with Michael's Uncle Lee and Aunty Chris was no exception. Above is Michael's sour cherry tart: the cherry flavour verged on the medicinal but was agreeably sour, as promised.

At 1 inch diameter and $1.40 each, I figured I could afford to taste two mini-tarts. The passionfruit custard was just the right combination of smooth, sweet and fruity, but the chocolate version didn't grab me. Still there's no harm done at this size, with the offending pastry probably having been walked off by the time I arrived home!

(You can read about our previous visits to Brunetti here, here, here and here.)

September 30, 2006: Brunetti IV

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

I figured our guests from the north would be wowed more by the shelves and shelves of cakes at Brunetti than anything I could prepare. Michael and I joined in with more than half a heart apiece. In the left corner is my choc-hazelnut parfait. Ornately decorated firm chocolate icing concealing a moist dense chocolate cake. The candied orange was a welcome break in an intensely chocolatey (and overly sugary) experience. In the right corner is Michael's Grand Marnier tart. The chocolate pastry case was dominated by a weird jellyish custard that tasted faintly of orange, but not delicious liqueur orange. Dad and Anne seemed to enjoy both the range of cakes and their eventual choices, although I suspect Dad wanted to possess one of the enormous profiterole towers. For me, the quest for the perfect Brunetti treat continues.

Categories:

• Restaurants

August 24, 2006: Catering for Carol

We arranged to have Carol over for dinner on this night, to thank her for her generosity during our first couple of weeks in Melbourne. During our time in her house, we noticed her smallish appetite and addiction to avocado and crackers before dinner. Thus we decided to prepare a few rounds of nibbly food instead of an elaborate main meal. During the day Michael made pesto and dukkah in his prized mortar and pestle. (Dukkah is a Middle Eastern spice mix, best mopped up using toasted Turkish bread dipped in olive oil.)

(The recipes are included at the end of the post.) Carol arrived with the un-yuppie contributions of Cheezels and Snack chocolate, and I demolished about two thirds of the Cheezels before I even looked at Michael’s earthy gourmet creations. (Despite the overall tone of this blog, I’m not much of a food snob. My most craved food is probably chips.)

Our after-thought of a main course was an encore performance of the marinated tofu, this time with ginger in the marinade, with some carrots, bok choy and a wedge of lemon on the side.

The original dessert plan was to visit Koko Black, but it was a dreary cold evening and we picked up some treats from Brunetti before Carol arrived instead.

I carefully cut the cherry almond tart and sticky date pudding into thirds, unsure of how to deal with the chocolate cannoli. The sticky data pudding was unusually encased in shortcrust pastry, with a dense date-and-walnut centre and sticky sweet caramel topping. The cherry tart had more shortcrust pastry, an almond meal filling that tasted distinctly of amaretto, a layer of custard, and a few sour cherries and flaked almonds on the top. At this point the dilemma of how to neatly divide the cannoli was superseded by the dilemma of how to fit them into our full stomaches. The solution was to wrap up one cannoli and send it home with Carol, while stashing the other one in the fridge.

Pesto
(we adapted this from Diana’s kitchen. Her recipe has more garlic and uses a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle.)

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, finely minced

Pummel the basil in the mortar until it’s mushy. Add about a 1/3 of the pine nuts and a clove of garlic and pummel some more. Add about a 1/3 of the parmesan cheese, pummel, and drizzle in some of the olive oil. Repeat with the remaining ingredients, and don’t use all of the oil if you’re happy with the consistency. (Extra oil probably helps preserve the pesto if you’re not going to use it all straight away.) Reduce the garlic further if you want to interact with anyone else for the next 24 hours.

Diana says, “Basil pesto keeps in refrigerator one week, or freeze for a few months.”

Dukkah
(This recipe is copied directly from the Australian magazine, January 28-29 2006)

Ingredients:

65g sesame seeds
30g coriander seeds
15g hazelnuts
2 teaspoons ground cumin
sea salt, to taste

Roast the seeds, nuts and cumin separately in a small dry frying pan over a low heat until fragrant. Don’t let them become too dark. Pound everything together in a mortar and pestle until finely crushed but not pulverised. Mixture should be dry rather than a paste. Season to taste with salt then store in an airtight container until required. Serve with warm fried tortillas or warm pita bread.

Tip: dukkah is also lovely on roasted or grilled vegetables or warm wilted spinach.

August 18, 2006: Brunetti

Update 27/1/2019: Brunetti is still trading, but has moved from Faraday Street into a huge custom-built space inside Lygon Court.

After enjoying as much of Michael’s curries as my spice-meter could take, I somehow talked him into a repeat visit to Brunetti for a late-night dessert. Well, late by Brisbane standards: Brunetti has been swarming with people on the nights that we visited at 10:30 and then 11:30, to the point where we were struggling to find a table.

Another attempt to capture immense variety of sweets within:


This time they tempted Michael, too.


He ordered the pear and cheese crumble in the background. I didn’t manage to sneak a bite before he’d gobbled it up, remarking on the richness of the ricotta and restrained sweetness provided only by the fruit.

The main feature is a slice of Opera: almond sponge with alternate layers of chocolate and coffee cream. I wasn’t completely sold on the texture of the cake: sponge that thin seems more like soggy pastry to me. The creams were extravagantly rich and a delight almost until the end, when it was almost too much for me. Another slightly less-than-perfect Brunetti experience than hasn’t diminished my intentions to visit again. And again.

Address: 194 - 204 Faraday Street, Carlton
Ph: 9347 2801
Website: www.brunetti.com.au

Categories

• Restaurants

August 13, 2006

Our second day of sampling the local menus…


Breakfast at the University Café , 257 Lygon St Carlton

The breakfast menu is the standard array of healthy muesli, porridge and fruit, hearty cooked breakfasts, and a couple of sugary sweet options, with prices hovering around $10. I couldn’t detect the promised cinnamon in my ricotta pancakes, but they were light and cakey with a generous serving of stewed apple and rhubarb. The food appeared quickly and our waiter courteously stopped by twice to check whether we needed anything, even though the café was quite busy. Definitely good value, even though the menu doesn’t offer any surprises.

Lunch at Sweet Source, 288 Rathdowne St Carlton North

Naturally the name was enough to reel me in. Even so, we actually visited for lunch and I restricted myself to something savoury. Sweet Source has a tempting array of foccacias, pies and frittatas in the display case, and soup and grilled sandwiches on the menu, all at about $6-10. We arrived late and consequently they had sold out of a number of dishes. Michael’s vegetarian pie was delicious and completely devoured by the time an ordering mistake was resolved and my beetroot and goats’ cheese pastry arrived. Thankfully it was worth the wait, with the sweet beetroot layer concealing an even sweeter, softer layer of caramelised onion. The salad, including fennel, radish and a light poppy seed dressing, was also a winner. I’ll be back for more weekend lunches but next time I might avoid the smoggy Rathdowne St seating, order take-away and sit in the nearby park.

Afternoon treat at Brunetti, 194—204 Faraday St Carlton

Our friends Krusty and Jason introduced us to Brunetti when we visited last December, and I was itching to return. This is a huge, bustling establishment with more cakes and espresso machines than I have ever seen in one building. I ordered the relatively modest Sacher, a chocolate and hazelnut biscuit. The chocolate cream centre was divine, but overall I thought the biscuit was too sugary. There are likely to be many future posts regarding Brunetti as I attempt to document its size, energy and variety, and steadfastly sample its desserts.



Dinner at Los Amates, 34 Johnston St Fitzroy (now closed)

This Mexican kitchen prides itself on traditional rather than Tex Mex cuisine, and the menu includes several funny commentaries on the authentic way to enjoy their food and drinks. We tried our Mexican beer with salt on the rim of the glass and the juice of a lime. There was a good range of vegetarian appetisers and entrees, and three mains priced from $14-19. Then we hit an option we couldn’t pass up: the vegetarian platter for two.

(A comfortable and warmly lit restaurant means uncolourful photos, unfortunately.) With two salsas, guacamole, and sour cream we were able to spice up or cool down every morsel to our taste. We enjoyed trying preparations that extended beyond the usual burritos but found that the bean, mushroom and mixed vegetable fillings didn’t have distinctly different flavours. We cleaned the platter easily, but I was sufficiently satisfied that I didn’t order a spiced hot chocolate afterwards.