I really wanted to go back to Agathe a couple of weeks ago when I was in Melbourne for a quiz, but between cramming, spiralling, and Agathé’s rather tight opening hours I sadly wasn’t able to. Spanish bakery La Colmena is where my (local) friend and I settled with in the end, after taking into consideration my bakery desires, our relative starting locations, and the limited time I had before flying out (flight was delayed 2 hours, but I didn’t know this at the time).
The basque cheesecake ($14) we shared was pretty good, although sweeter than I would’ve liked. The texture was very nice, probably the best I’ve had, with a creaminess on the outer layers and a very gooey centre, although I think weighing up the strengths and weaknesses I probably still prefer one I’ve had at a Korean bakery in Sydney that offers a less sweet option for the Asian palate.
The flor manchega ($6) was extremely whatever – essentially thin, multilayered crispy pastry, dusted with sugar and with a bit of an aniseed/liquorice flavour. It is apparently culturally significant, but there are definitely other pastries out there that both have a rich history and taste interesting.
Maybe we just didn’t order the right things?
La Colmena
Prahan Market, 163 Commercial Rd, South Yarra VIC 3141