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Bakery

Milkwood Bakery – Berry NSW Restaurant Review

I went many times to Milkwood Bakery but with varied levels of enjoyment.

The Portuguese Tart ($4.20) had a nice and crispy and crunchy pastry, but I didn’t enjoy the (lack of) warmth to the filling and found it overall to be a bit oily for my taste.

The Vegan Carrot Sesame Cake ($5.50) was chosen as they had run out of their far superior regular carrot cake (reviewed down below). I liked that as compared to their regular carrot cake a small portion was available, and though it did not taste as rich or as good as the standard option it was ultimately not bad, especially as they had hamstrung themselves with the strict avoidance of any dairy.

I enjoyed the pastry component of the Beef and Pork Sausage Roll ($7.20), which was oily and flaky. The meat was thick and well textured, but in my opinion too salty to tick every quality box.

The Wagyu toastie ($13.50) had a pastrami like wagyu meet with cheesse and beetroot. It was alright, but not the best toasted sandwich of the Shoalhaven area.

I enjoyed the chocolate exterior of the Lamington ($3.50) but really quite hated the texture and taste of the sponge.

This carrot cake is actually very good. The cake itself was nice and moist with an unusually large helping of walnuts, with good flavour, and I also quite enjoyed the frosting. It is certainly much more pleasant than the vegan version also sold at Milkwood. I only wish that this could be sold in a smaller portion, though we had no difficulty inhaling this delicious cake in its entirety.

The Beef Bourguignon Pie ($8) was pretty good, though I’m not sure it was exactly $8 good. It was quite mushroomy, and perhaps I would give it a higher rating if I were a paid shill for Big Mushroom, who look like they’re splashing out on the social media influencers these days.

And finally, the Blueberry Custard Tart ($6.50), with its shortbread crust. I’m sure it is clear by now that I have a lot of opinions for someone who can’t bake himself, but this crust felt just a bit floury for my liking. Was a big fan of these huge juicy blueberries though.

Milkwood Bakery
109 Queen St, Berry NSW 2535
(02) 4464 3033

Categories
Bakery

The Tart Sisters – Ashfield NSW Restaurant Review

We actually loved our brief visit to the Tart Sisters, which is so next door to Ashbury’s 3 Tomatoes cafe (it’s literally the same building but in a different suburb?) that I initially thought it was the same establishment. This review will start as a review of our first visit, but will inevitably roll on as we continue to go and go and go.

The tart sister inside called us “kids” which was a bit odd but not a bad feeling, considering my partner and I are considered adults by most modern metrics.

My partner wanted much, but after a full meal at 3 Tomatoes I stopped her from ordering more than just this slice of carrot cake ($6), with a promise that we’d return. And what a slice of carrot cake it was. This above photo is a pictoral representation of the single best piece of carrot cake I have ever had. The complex, moist, nutty consistency of the cake was divine, as was the healthy and generous serving of cream cheese filling. I still can’t, thinking back to when I ate this a month and a half ago, wrap my head or tongue around just how perfect this was, and I must encourage all non-anaphylactics to try this right away.

UPDATE, SECOND VISIT

This brioche with jalapenos, tomato, and cheddar ($6) had strong school canteen energy, even though I don’t think our high school ever sold those mini pizza things in particular – we were more of a McCain pizza pocket school. The bread was of course soft, and the jalapeno imparted a nice tanginess, but I couldn’t help but feel something was missing, as an obligate omnivore at this vegetarian bakery. Overall not bad, but imagine if there were some ham or pepperoni.

The mushroom and cheddar tart ($6) is also vegetarian. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything with meat at their bakery. Anyway, this was not bad either, but honestly neither of their savoury pieces were as good as their sweet pieces.

I really quite enjoyed this apple and almond tart ($6). I went from someone who didn’t know that frangipane existed six months ago to someone who absolutely loves it. Even though the apple and frangipane was a bit sweeter than I would have liked, the whole thing was just so buttery and delicious, with an excellent crust, that I can still recommend it.

This dark chocolate and raspberry brownie ($4) was dense, with an enjoyable raspberry swirl. Yum.

COMMENTS: On serial review I have come to believe that their sweet offerings are superior to their savoury offerings, unless you’re someone who wouldn’t miss a lack of meat anyway.

The Tart Sisters
117 Holden St, Ashfield NSW 2131
02 9716 6998