T by Luxbite – All About the Tarts!

Kuma Bear

Kuma Bear

Inside the Kuma Bear

Wang Wang Panda

Wang Wang Panda

Wang Wang Panda

Menu:

I am a huge sweet lover and when LuxBite first opened, I made the effort to get from the Melbourne CBD on a train to check out the beautifully presented desserts they had to offer. So when I heard about their new venture – T by Luxbite (the T stands for Tarts) – I couldn’t wait to check it out.

The creators of South Yarra patisserie – LuxBite – Bernard Chu and partner Yen Yee opened their latest venture last year – T by LuxBite – located in the Melbourne CBD at the new CBD development – The Archway (near the Spencer Street end of Flinders Lane) making them neighbours with Altius Coffee Brewes and 5 & Dime Bagels. Unlike at LuxBite where you can experience macarons and cakes, T by Luxbites main focus is on tarts, emulating their classic French technique and quirky Asian influence – hence the name.

The store itself is small, modern and cosy – with only take away available. Each day there will be 10 different tarts available on offer. The main showcase is the tarts on display along with signage stating the name and the ingredients of each tart – which allow you to understand the Asian flavour combinations which are certainly interesting. Macarons are also available to be purchased and the larger macaron cakes can be ordered. Some tarts are shaped to look like a common character – such as Gingy from Shrek, Rilakkuma and most recently a Panda to support Earth Hour.

The Kuma Tart – Cookie, Mork Hot Chocolate, Strawberry, Banana, White Chocolate Milkshake Mousse, Caramel, Chocolate Tart (and is Nut Free). This tart is way too cute to eat but after one mouthful you will soon get over that and want to keep eating more and more of this tart. The Banana flavour wasn’t too strong, which was what I was worried about and the other ingredients really did work well together. The Caramel was the hero of this tart along with the mousse and chocolate base.

The Wang Wang Tart – Sour Cherry Jelly, White Sesame Caramel, Black Sesame Panna Cotta filled Chocolate Tart, Coffee and Hazelnut Praliné Mousse, White Chocolate Glaze. I love the fact that they made this tart to support Earth Hour – such a great cause to support! Once again I was a bit apprehensive of the Black Sesame flavouring being too overpowering – but it wasn’t. The sourness from the jelly together with the sweetness of the panna cotta and the mousse worked really well together.

The tarts are colourful, vibrant and bursting with Asian flavours. Tarts are only sold in takeaway boxes. Dessert lovers will definitely enjoy this store – check it out now!

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to Picture above or at http://tbyluxbite.com.au/ and select Tart Collection
Atmosphere / Ambience:
Service: Friendly and Helpful
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
tbyluxbite.com.au
Shop 2, 517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Tel No: 9629 9662

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 8:00am – 6:00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TbyLuxBite
Twitter: @TbyLuxBite
Instagram: tbyluxbite

The Raw Trader – Guilt Free Joy!

Outside Raw Trader

Inside Raw Trader

Seating at Raw Trader

Wood Paneling Feature Wall

Inside Raw Trader

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

Dessert Display

It’s Everything free!

Dessert and Coffee at Raw Trader

Latte at Raw Trader

Close up of Deconstructed Orange Mousse Tart

Deconstructed Orange Mousse Tart

Menu:

Raw Trader is a newly opened café and specialty dessert that whose main focus is on healthy eating! They offer organic, raw, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and Paleo healthy desserts and treats. They make the dream of eating desserts guilt-free come true! It also brings the dreams of people who have food allergies or reactions to particular foods come true as now they too can enjoy and experience the joys of delicious tasting desserts without any reaction.

Raw Trader is located off Latrobe Street in Melbourne CBD on Sutherland St, conveniently located near Melbourne Central and Emporium. It is run by Emily Samyue who is a former food technologist who left the corporate world to start this great idea!

The fit-out is brilliantly designed by Studio Y – there is a combination of raw wood together with a slick modern warehouse vibe. There are baby blue table tops which contrast well with the feature wooden wall panelling. The metal baby blue stools topped with resin sack covered cushions complete the look. There are also high light wooden tables located towards the back, with baby blue poles running thru the middle to the high ceilinged venue. The space is light and airy. The main attraction of course is the polished concrete counter (brown with touches of baby blue), which houses the La Marzocco coffee machine as well the star of the counter – the desserts display. Each variety of dessert has its own name board and is displayed upon a wooden board.

Raw Trader makes ALL their products on site (even the nut milks), using the best selection of ingredients with bucket loads of love and care used to create the delectable treats. Along with desserts, they also offer organic coffee – Red Star coffee – tea and hot chocolate. There are also a selection of home-made organic whole fruit and vegetables juices and smoothies available such as Immunity (Orange, Carrot, Kale, Spinach, Acai, Ginger) and Calming (Almond, Raw Cacao, Blueberries) – just to name a few.

There is a vast array of desserts to choose from – raw cheesecakes, slices, bliss balls, chocolate bark, muesli bars, chia puddings just to name a few. There are flavours such as Cherry Ripe Slice, Apricot & Mandarin Slice, Chocolate Pudding, Carrot Cake, Tiramisu, Deconstructed Lemon-Mousse Tart, Apple Crumble, White Chocolate and Berry Layer Cake, Chocolate Banana Slice, Black Forest Cake, Kiwi Layer Cheesecake, Choc Orange Bliss Ball. As you can see there are a variety of options available, with the menu changing daily – you never know what you will get when you arrive at Raw Trader – it all adds to the fun!

You can see from the pictures above the selection that was on offer to me when I visited Raw Trader. I decided to order the Deconstructed Orange Mousse Tart. I am not usually a huge fan of orange flavoured desserts – but I really enjoyed this version! The Orange taste was light and airy as was the mousse. The chocolate crumble that was added around the mousse – added a soft texture and further enhanced the orange flavour. Overall, it was a scrumptious treat that I would recommend you try out. The deconstructed lemon mousse will be next on my list to try! I also had a latte – which was strong, intense and full bodied – just what I needed for the perfect pick me up! I didn’t try their almond like but I think I will give it a try next time around.

You can also buy products from Raw Trader – they offer a range of house-made retail products, such as organic raw granolas, organic teas, organic activated and raw fruit and nuts mixes as well as home-made organic raw almond and hazelnut milks. They also make specialty cakes to order so if you are looking for your next celebration cake then look no further than Raw Trader.

Raw Trader is a great addition to the city for what is a growing raw movement and health-conscious trend. It might be a tad on the pricey side however for what it caters for and the quality of ingredients they use it is quite reasonable. What is great as well is that they are open till late from Wednesday to Saturday which allows you to enjoy these sweet treats and great tasting coffee late into the evening. You can either dine in or takeaway – whichever you prefer!

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to Picture above for list of smoothies and juices. Desserts vary on a daily basis
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Fun, Modern and Relaxed
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://rawtrader.com.au/
10 Sutherland Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 0478 692 008

Opening Hours:
Closed Monday and Tuesday
Wednesday to Thursday: 7:30am – 8:30pm
Friday: 7:30am – 10:00pm
Saturday & Sunday – 10:00am – 10:00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rawtrader14
Instagram: rawtrader
Twitter: @rawtrader14

Boney – Where The Old Pony Was

Tofu & Mushroom Hot Diggity Dog – Roasted Roots, Fresh Shoots & Sichuan Sauce

Menu Outisde Boney

Entrance to Boney

Boney

Potato Skins

Snapper Burger – Salad Greens, Bread and Butter Pickle

Snapper Fillet – Green Mango, Lemongrass and Peanuts

Chocolate Brownie, Roasted Rhubarb & Walnut Crumble

Desserts at Boney

Jaffa Mousse & Vanilla Mascarpone

Pistachio’d Pav, Stone Fruit Compote & Cardamon Cream

I was initially struck by the interesting name of the place and wanted to check out both the food and the venue – hence my visit initially to Boney.

Boney is a new venue for music, dancing and dining and resides in the location of the bar that used to be named Pony. Boney comes to you from Camillo and Daniel Ippoliti who are also responsible for such places as Revolver Upstairs, Cookie and The Toff in Town. Boney is a welcoming and intriguing place and the food is quite delicious and the menu varied that after the first time there I had to come back and check out quite literally everything else on the menu!

The original structure has been retained – although downstairs there is now a kitchen and the old furnishings have been replaced. There is a glow of red neon lighting throughout the venue which matches perfectly with the solid black walls. This was done in order to keep a Rock’n’Roll vibe as said by the owners. Upstairs will be turned into the venue’s intimate band room where live independent artists and DJs can perform (7 nights a week). In keeping with Pony’s trend – there will still be the infamous 2am live performance slot.

As you approach the venue, on the outside walls you are greeted by a large menu where you can have a read about the food you can order. Just from reading the menu there are so many options and varieties that you often can spend a long period of time deciding what you want to order. I certainly had that issue. There are many dishes for vegetarians as well which I think is fantastic! The menu is designed and crafted by Karen Baston and there is food available for Lunch, Dinner or Take-Away. Together with the standard menu, there is a selection of daily specials – two per day – one for lunch and one for dinner. The Menu has some smaller snack like dishes to start with and then progresses on the menu to the larger dishes and ends with sides and of course finishing with the Boney Sweet Spot.

The first time around I ordered the funkily named Tofu & Mushroom Hot “Diggity” Dog – which is vegetarian version of a hot dog – and I was impressed! When it comes out the filling inside the hot dog is quite colourful against the white backdrop of the plate. The tofu and mushroom “hot-dog” is separate and is encased in like a filo pastry and is very tasty – I always love the combination of tofu & mushroom. The flavours work well with the colourful ingredients – being tomatoes, peppers and finished with a chilli sauce. Really quite delicious. We also ordered a side of Potato Skins which were amazing! They were seasoned to perfection and coupled with sour cream have to be one of my favourite potato skin places. This is a great dish to just snack on as a bar snack if you have just come here for drinks. (I did have dessert the first time I went here but I will come back to that =p)

The next time around I came I ordered the Snapper Fillet with Green Mango, Lemongrass and Peanuts. Once again this was a colourful dish with the glossy snapper fillet sitting atop of the Thai inspired salad which consisted of the peanuts, lemongrass, green mango and many other things such as bean shoots, cucumbers, carrots, red onions. The snapper was cooked superbly and was moist and had been flavoured well to match the Thai flavours of the salad. It really did feel like a healthy dish which packed a punch. G ordered the Snapper Burger which came with Bread & Butter Pickle. When the burger came out it did look impressive and she wasn’t sure how to eat it as it was quite huge. There was of course the snapper burger, and layers of tomato, pickle and salads encased in buns. G said the burger was tasty and the snapper burger different to anything she has had before.

Now onto the desserts – the menu for desserts had changed since the first time I had been there but sounded just as great. The first time around I had the Chocolate Brownie, Roasted Rhubarb & Walnut Crumble. The Chocolate Brownie was absolutely to die for and came served warm – it was filled with rich chocolate gooeyness! The Roasted Rhubarb complemented the bitterness of the chocolate and added a tang to add depth to the dish. It really was delicious. This wasn’t there unfortunately the next time I went back, so that time I ordered the Pistachio’d Pav, Stone Fruit Compote & Cardamon Cream. I must admit this dessert wasn’t as good as the Chocolate Brownie, however it was an interesting tasting dish. The Pav was crunchy and literally melted in your mouth and I really did love the cardamon cream – the spiciness of the cardamom really did complement the stone fruit compote. As a whole the dish worked really well and it is definitely a dish to try. G ordered the Jaffa Mousse & Vanilla Mascarpone which was just as delicious. I did get to try this dessert as well and it was quite rich tasting and definitely one for chocolate and jaffa lovers. The Vanilla Mascarpone was a great addition to cut through this richness. Next time I really do want to check out the Ginger & Lemongrass Creme Brulee. Boney has created three really great desserts.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed Boney – both times that I went there – it is a shabby chic venue that really has a personality and fantastic food that really is up there with the best of them. All this whilst staying casual, cool and funky. Definitely check it out whether it be for some casual drinks and snacks or a catch-up / hang out with some easy to eat and tasty food.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to http://boney.net.au/menu/ – consists of Small and Larger dishes as well as Dessert. There is also a Special Menu with dishes depending on what time and day it is.
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Funky, Chilled Out and Just FUN!
Standout Dish: Tofu & Mushroom Hot Diggity Dog….and their desserts!
Service: Fantastic and Attentive. They are super friendly and helpful as well when you have a tough time deciding what you want to eat and believe me you will!
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://boney.net.au/
68 Little Collins Street, Melbourne
Tel No: 9662 1026

Opening Hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 12:00 pm – 3:00 am
Thursday: 12:00 pm – 5:00 am
Friday to Saturday: 12:00 pm – 7:00 am
Sunday: 5:00 pm – 5:00 am