Mister Sunshine's

Wanting to try somewhere new for brunch outside the CBD, my friend and I headed over to Mister Sunshine's in Thebarton after trawling through Instagram on the hunt for something different. Parking was an absolute pain, but we managed to find a park a few streets away. Making our way over, we noticed there was outdoor seating but it was far too cold that day, so we sat inside amidst the mismatched chairs and tables. It was absolutely packed that day, with people dining in as well as people popping in for takeaway coffee and lunch. 

Hot Choc Coconut $4.50

Warm, creamy and comforting. Perfect on a cold day!

French toast $13

Served with plum compote, vanilla labne and pistaccio

Looks delightful but unfortunately I found it very unsatisfying. The french toast itself was quite bland and all I could taste was the egg. A bit of sugar or vanilla would have improved it. The plum compote was the most flavourful thing on the plate, with the plums not too soft and having just the right amount of sweetness. The sauce which I assume came from the compote didn't have a distinct taste, if anything it tasted a little burnt. A promising dish but note quite what I was expecting. 

Smashed pumpkin with poached eggs $17

On toasted rye with feta, toasted seeds, rocket and almond and almonds

No complaints from J over this dish! It looked great (100% instagrammable) and she really enjoyed it.

Although my french toast was a bit of a let down, everything else was fantastic and I wouldn't hesitate to return for more of the menu, as well as the delicious-looking bakery items by the counter! The service was absolutely lovely and the atmosphere was also great, definitely a great location for a casual meal or catch up over coffee.

 

East End Providore

East End Providore has really become one of my favourite places in the East End this year and is somewhere I visit when I don't really feel like trying somewhere new. This post will contain 2 visits, both of which were superb (spoiler alert!)

First visit

Mork hot chocolate with coconut sugar $5

Salted caramel brownie $4

Ohhh those salted caramel brownies. Absolute bliss! A perfect afternoon treat. 

I think we should've ordered tea or coffee to have with these rather than the hot chocolates because they were so overwhelmingly rich. If you enjoy sickly sweet and creamy hot chocolates, then I think you would probably enjoy it but I definitely won't be ordering it again. I wasn't too sure why there was an emphasis on the coconut sugar because I couldn't really taste anything different about it. I also really love how the hot chocolates were presented; on a wooden board along with the glass of water and a small piece of biscotti. It's really the little details that really make a place special!

Second visit

Mushroom bagel $12
with goats cheese, pesto and beetroot relish

Latte $4

If you love mushrooms, you will love this bagel. Everything about this just worked perfectly together and I particularly enjoyed that beetroot relish to balance out the slightly salty mushrooms and pesto. I'd probably say it was one of my favourites lunches this year, just because it's so simple but very satisfying. I don't know what else to say, except try it out if you ever visit!

In the background to the left, you can see that one of my friends ordered the Australian buffalo mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, baby spinach & house pesto sourdough sandwich for $13. She said she really enjoyed it and even though I didn't try any of it, I can definitely say that it looked delicious and fresh!

The food has been great every time I have visited and the presentation is consistently fantastic. You can tell just by scrolling through their tag on Instagram! The service is fantastic and I always feel really welcome here. That sounds a little weird, but you'll know what I mean - just think of those cafes or restaurants where the floor staff will speak to you off-handedly and do nothing more than take your order and plonk your meal down before disappearing for the rest of your visit. The staff here are so friendly and check up on you throughout your meal, but not too frequently that it's annoying. Fresh produce and other goods are also sold here, which are definitely worth checking out. 

Great stuff, East End Providore!

Steven Ter Horst Chocolatier

For weeks and weeks now (months, probably), my best friend Angela has been raving about the salted caramel tart at Steven Ter Horst and how ridiculous it is that I haven't tried it. I knew it had to be good when she jokingly told me that she'd have to chloroform form and drag me there if I didn't go soon. At least I think she was joking...

She finally convinced me to go and we made it an afternoon dessert date with our other counterpart, Natalie! (#triplethreat ;) )

Citron House Made Iced Tea $7.50

Lemon, yuzu, earl grey & fresh mint

This was the perfect drink to have on a warm afternoon! We all really enjoyed this, although I have to say it tasted a lot more like traditional homemade lemonade than it did an iced tea. I couldn't taste any  of the tea at all.

Apple $9

Cheesecake mousse, whipped caramel and poached apple insert on an almond jaconde sponge

My favourite colour is green so of course this caught my eye immediately when I was looking at the cake display while deciding what to order. I was told that was the first day they began serving this as it's part of their new Summer menu which they are slowly introducing in store. They hadn't even put a description for it on display, yet. I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to try a brand new dessert! I found that it was very light and airy due to the cheesecake mousse with very subtle apple flavours. It wasn't too sweet, which I personally really enjoyed, and I think it would be perfect for someone who doesn't enjoy very rich and decadent dessert. Also, perfect for summer because it doesn't leave you feeling weighed down and sluggish!

Mascarpone Dream $9

Mascarpone mousse, praline caramel creameux, hazelnut daquoise & caramel glaze

Daaang this was good. Definitely more decadent than the Apple but still light because of the mousse. Our favourite part was the thin caramel layer sitting over the base which was chewy and ever so slightly salty. We'd definitely recommend this!

Salted Caramel Tart $8.50

Ah, finally, the tart! It was just what I'd hoped after hearing Angela go on about it for weeks. A thick, decadent layer of chocolate ganache sat on top of a layer of delicious, sticky, perfectly balanced salted caramel, all encased in a buttery pastry. I did expect it to be overwhelmingly rich but I think the slight bitterness of the chocolate ganache helped make it more enjoyable overall. I could probably eat a tablespoon of that salted caramel, too. 

I had a fantastic first experience here and wouldn't hesitate to come back! All the cakes look beautiful, taste amazing and are definitely worth that little bit extra over what you'd pay elsewhere for something average. Definitely a fantastic way to treat yourself once in a while!
The service was also fantastic with the people behind the counter being very friendly, patient and helpful, explaining the new menu items, then presenting them beautifully and bringing them out to us within a few minutes of placing our order. Steven Ter Horst is located in the perfect location on Rundle St for an after dinner indulgence or just an afternoon treat. I've also heard about their dessert degustations which sound incredible. Pay them a visit guys, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Ginger's Coffee Studio

Taking the bus to uni almost every single week day, I often past Ginger's Coffee Studio on Goodwood Road and had made a mental note to visit. One of my best friends and I were long overdue for a catchup so we decided to venture outside of our usual restaurant/cafe choices in the CBD.

We started with a coffee each while we had a chat and tried to decide what to order. I settled with the classic Eggs Benedict, while Natalie wanted something sweet instead and ordered French toast. We also ordered a bucket of fries to share!

French toast $16

With mulled apple compote, marinated raisins and cranberries, vanilla cream & maple syrup

Eggs Benedict $14

2 poached Claire valley eggs, baby spinach, dill hollandaise on sourdough toast

Bucket of fries $6

The food was definitely above average but I can't say I'll be rushing back for it specifically, especially when I can get the same thing at my various favourite places in the CBD. The pricing was what you'd expect and pretty standard. 

One thing I definitely loved was the service. We were seated immediately upon arrival and offered a coffee or tea while we browsed the menu. It came out in just a few minutes! It was also great that the space is used to exhibit art, which really added character to the entire place. There was also great music playing which further added to the relaxed vibe.

We'll meet again one day, Ginger's!

Cocolat & O'Connell Street Bakery

One of my favourite places to rest my feet mid-shopping in town is Cocolat on Rundle Street! A few friends and I stopped by for a little afternoon treat.

Chilli Hot Chocolate

Definitely one to try if you love yourself a bit of chilli! So perfect on a cooler afternoon when you need to warm up a little. This is one of my favourite items on their menu! 

Iced Chai

I'm rarely disappointed by Cocolat, except that one time where they served me the most terrible macarons (seriously, the stuff of nightmares). So yes, avoid the macarons, but basically everything else is delicious!

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I had to sneak this in somewhere. I don't visit the O'Connell St Bakery often, but whenever I do, I will most likely end up walking away with one of these!

Nutella Heart

Essentially a donut-like dough filled with nutella and topped with a sweet and sticky glaze. What's not to love? I highly recommend it!

Hahndorf Day Trip Part 2: Otto's Bakery and Chocolate @ No. 5

Fresh off the bus that morning, we first decided to go for a walk up Main St.

We managed to walk the entire length of the street and stopped at Otto's Bakery after my friend Dimi said her father recommended it.

We were very keen for lunch, however The Haus doesn't serve lunch until 12pm on Saturdays and it was only about 11am, so we decided to stop for a quick coffee/tea break.

Earl Grey tea $3

Blueberry cheesecake $4 (I think)

We didn't want to eat much because we knew we would be treating ourselves at lunch, however there was something very appealing about this. It was tasty, but nothing too special in my opinion. I'm glad we shared it because our lunch was rather spectacular! 

The pies also smelt delicious but we managed to resist them. My friend who lives in Hahndorf says the people who work there can be rather grumpy, which coincides with the comments on Urbanspoon. On this experience, the young girl who served us was very friendly!

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A few hours after lunch and just before we left, we decided we just had to stop at Chocolate No. 5.

If you have seen my post about our lunch, you'll understand when I say that there was no way we would have been able to fit Belgian waffles or even some fondue in our stomachs, even 3 hours after lunch! We opted for a warm drink each since it was starting to rain lightly.

Earl Grey tea $4

Chai Latte $5.50

One of the best chai lattes I have ever had, and absolutely perfect on that chilly afternoon. It was so smooth and creamy, and didn't leave that awful powdery aftertaste that you get with cheaper ones. Try it if you love yourself a good chai latte!

I'm a little disappointed that I wasn't able to try more of the menu, but I definitely will on my next visit! I've heard from that the waffles are absolutely delicious, so they're definitely on my To Try list.


Check out Part 1 in my "Hahndorf Day Trip" and look out for parts 3 & 4!

Muratti's Cakes and Gateaux

For a bit of a sister bonding sesh, my sister and I went out for a morning coffee at Muratti's!

 So many gorgeous cakes!

 Latte

Salted caramel macaron

$9.60 altogether

It's all about the details! The dark chocolate dipped dried apricots (placed on the spoons) were a lovely little treat on the side to enjoy with the lattes.

They've finally picked up their game with the macarons! Or perhaps they are just more fresh. The past few times I've had the macarons, they've been extremely dry and crumbly - very unpleasant! This time, however, it was the complete opposite and definitely much more enjoyable. This is just my personal preference, but I prefer them to be slightly chewier.

Mini jam and cream eclair

Mini citron tart

$6.40 for both

The eclair's texture was too spongey and chewy for my liking and was overall lacking in flavour. Super pretty but not worth trying, unfortunately!
The citron is one of our absolute favourites - it has the perfect amount of sweetness with just the right amount of tang. Delicious!

It's impossible to dislike Muratti's, with it's delicious cakes and coffee, and consistently great service. Give it a go if you haven't already! Also, their cakes are perfect for birthdays. My family's favourites are the Citron, Concorde and Coffee & Bailey's.