Alice Nivens – Baked Goodness!

Alice Nivens Cakes

Cakes at Alice Nivens

All in house made

Awesome Tea Cup Lights

Inside Alice Nivens

Latte at Alice Nivens

Chocolate Brownie

Alice Nivens Artwork

Chocolate Brownie and Latte

Alice Nivens is tucked away in the Port Phillip Arcade and is known for its quirky Alice in Wonderland theme – just have a look at the colourful artwork which shows a picture of Alice and the White Rabbit. Alice Nivens is known for their baked goodies – and bake fresh every day!

The sweets range from cupcakes to brownies to slices. On the day I visit there is a Rosewater and Strawberry whoopie pie, Alice’s caramel slice, Lemon and Pistachio Slice, Cake pops, muffins and home made muesli.

For lunchtimes – there are also a range of sandwiches that can be made, with various toppings such as smoked chicken, turkey or the vegetarian option of roasted pumpkin, hummus and olives.

I couldn’t look past the chocolate brownie – sweetly topped icing sugar in the shape of a rabbit – tres cool! To go with this sweet treat – I ordered a latte. Coffee is from Small Batch and is truly delicious. The brownie was rich, intense and I loved the harder top layer. The combination of this layer with the smooth chocolate underneath was great.

You can follow Alice Nivens on Instagram and Twitter (@AliceNivensCafe) to find out what their daily creations of sweet are!

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Cakes and Sandwiches – refer to pics above
Atmosphere / Ambience: Quirky, fun and great for a tea party
Service: Friendly
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://alicenivenscafe.com/
Shop 13
Port Phillip Arcade
228 Flinders St, Melbourne

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 4pm
Saturday & Sunday: CLOSED

 

Le Petit Gateau – Simply Sublime

Brownie and Passion fruit Chocolate Gateau and Cosmopolitan – Carrot Cake base, White Chocolate Cheese Cake and Raspberry Jam

Flourless Orange Cake and Hazelnut Millefeuille

Mister Green Tea and Crisp Lemon Tart

Black Beauty

Le Petit Gateau is located on Little Collins St, underneath the RACV Club building and is a cafe style place that serves delicious cakes and tarts. Each cake is handmade daily in the kitchens located on site, and when you enter the cafe you can see the pastry chefs busily creating the mouth-watering creations.

The cakes and tarts are created by award winning French pastry chef Pierrick Boyer and his team. Each of the cakes and tarts are original recipes and feature fresh, distinctive flavours to suit any occasion. The cakes are artfully decorated and minimalistic which create a modern contemporary look. For occasions cakes come in 2 different sizes – small (which generally suits up to 4- 6 people) and large (which generally suits 8 -12 people). Additionally, there is an Individual Showcase Cake Selection – where most of the cakes on their menu can be sampled, along with creations of the day. The Mister Green Tea cake is a masterful creation, which comes complete with a spot of raspberry jam and gold leaf. Inside you are greeted with delectable green tea mousse. For Green tea lovers this is a must try!

All the cakes have a distinct flavour and are appealing for any occasion – but if I had to pick a favourite off the cake menu it would have to be the Brownie and Passion fruit Chocolate Gateau. This cake consists of a Brownie base, crunchy praline, passionfruit custard with chocolate mousse. The Chocolate is quite rich (chocolate lovers will adore this!) but the Passionfruit Custard really breaks up the chocolate-ness and is delicious!

My only qualm is that it is not open on the weekends. So if you did need a cake ordered for the weekend, you will need to pick it up on Friday afternoon.

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – For full cake menu refer to http://www.lepetitgateau.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Le+Petit+Gateau/menu
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Comfortable – you can either eat your cakes in house with a cup of coffee or you can take them away. Cakes come in cute little boxes with a window so you can catch a glimpe of the cakes.
Standout Dish: Brownie and Passion fruit Chocolate Gateau
Service: Friendly and happy to answer any questions you have.
Orders: Ordering a cake is simple. You can either order over the phone if you know what you want, but you have to have a credit card to make a payment. They are also happy to add a plaque if you need, to suit any occasion (it is an extra $2.50)
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.lepetitgateau.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Le+Petit+Gateau/home
458 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 9944 8893

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 5:00pm