Event: The Flour Market

I woke up Sunday Morning at 6:00am, bright and early, to make my way to The Flour Market, an event that gathers the best bakeries, cafes, patisseries and pastry chefs in Melbourne. I'd missed out last year, so I was determined not to miss out this year. But when I reached the venue, Collingwood Town Hall, I was deeply regreting my reluctance to get up an hour earlier because the queue was going around the block! Luckily, it moved fairly quickly and I was able to get in and buy some of the pretty baked goods on offer. There were heaps and heaps of bakers that I wanted to try the pastries from...But I ended up buying from 5 stores: Nora, Pop Up Scroll, Candied Bakery, All Day Donuts and Linh Dang.

From Nora, I bought a Rice Pudding, Charcoal Tart with tropical fruit. The shell was deliciously crunchy, while the centre was smooth and creamy with the aroma of shredded coconut and sweet exotic fruits. A balance of delicate flavours and beautiful colours. I will definately try Nora's other charcoal tarts, as well as their artistic breakfasts.

From Pop Up Scroll, I had the pleasure of trying a Nutella and Salted Caramel Scroll as well as a Coconut and Cherry Scroll. I really loved the Nutella and Salted Caramel combination. Delightfully decadent, the saltiness brought out the rich hazelnut flavour of the Nutella as well as the sweetness of the thick caramel hidden under that glossy chocolate topping. I wish there was more cherry in the other scroll, but I enjoyed it otherwise too.

From Candied Bakery, I sampled a Chocolate Cream Pie. The pie filling was dense, like chocolate fudge, while the dollop of cream on top was light and fluffy, like a chocolate mousse. Together, they created the most amazing chocolate experience and made me realise how underrated the chocolate pie was in Australian culture. A must try for every chocolate lover out there. My dessert-tasting assistants, also known as my brother and sister, both named this their favourite dessert item from my Flour Market loot.

From All Day Donuts, I selected a Strawberry Cheesecake donut. This was incredible. The donut was soft and doughy with a thin layer of sweet, strawberry icing on the outside, dusted with long, white sugary spinkles. From the first bite you could taste a thick, creamy cheesecake flavoured custard flowing out from the inside. All Day Donuts did not kid around with the custard either - there was a fair amount of creamy custard inside that donut shell. This was one of the most craving-inducing donuts I'd tried in awhile and I'd love to go back to All Days Donuts to try some of the other flavours.

Finally, from Linh Dang Patisserie, I tried a Bubble gum and Popping Candy cream puff, as well as a Popcorn and Gold Flake Chocolate Caramel Tart. I think both of these desserts were my favourite. The cream puff was delicately constructed, with layers of sweet peach cream, bubble-gum flavoured meringue kisses and white chocolate coated with popping candy, all sitting on a crumbling pastry cup. It was such a fun combination. So light and airy, so sweet and creamy. Everything you'd want in a cream puff, with the added crackling of popping candy. The tart was also amazing. The crunchy caramel coated popcorn and milk chocolate topping was paired perfectly with the rich, flowing caramel and biscuity shell. Linh Dang also set out a beautiful display at the market too, which you can see on my instagram page.