Question, what’s better than a local cafe? One that is also a bakery! Rustica Sourdough is a cafe slash bakery hybrid who does a fantastic array of sweet treats from breads, small pastries and cakes. Jan and I were more than happy to be invited to Rustica Sourdough on behalf of ID Collective. Absolutely ecstatic with high expectations as I did my research and drooled at pictures on Instagram and photos on fellow bloggers’ blog post. And guess what? They did not disappoint!
These breads are fresh baked daily. Many come in just to purchase breads and pastries. The selection is plenty and even if I were to try one everyday, I know I won’t be bored. A girl like me chooses carbs over diet, eeks!
The layout is pretty basic and we loved its simplicity of having just white brick walls and painted art do the talking. Jan is not one to appreciate art but he said he loved the unique drawings and it was quite captivating. The place was also warm and inviting especially when the outside winds were out to kill.
We had ourselves a cup. The Mocha was darker than expected with not much chocolatey taste. Jan was not a fan because he does not like coffee, but to me it was great. My cappuccino on the other hand was extremely robust and it kicked start my senses this morning. Yes, now I am awake!
Isn’t this just the most gorgeous holy mother of french toast? This sexy one had a mix of fresh peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiched in between two gigantic brioche. Topped with Nutella ice cream, hazelnut sprinkles, chocolate cookie crumbs and a good amount of strawberry slices. My favourite part was the dried flowers that elevated the stakes. Sure it made plating even prettier, but the dried flowers were packed with perfumed aroma that makes the dish fresh and balanced. Overall it was a really tasty dish, but we could use with a little more jam, peanut butter or even chocolate sauce.
The Croque Monsieur was stacked in three levels of pumpkin brioche. The main meat used here was ham hock, which was gracefully glazed and smoked. Every layer has warm and melted Swiss Gruyère, a key component that was very much needed I must say. A side salad and pickles also helped to balance the strong umami flavour. All in all, we love how Rustica Sourdough knows it inside out the importance of balancing flavours and textures.
There is even a toaster, jam and butter board at the front communal tables if you prefer toasting your breads on your own.
We peeked inside the kitchen and spotted a chef who was skillfully making croissants. All croissants’ shapes and sizes were precisely equal and constructed with finesse.
Thank you once again Rustica for packing tons of sweet treats for us. The unpackaged items above are named from the twelve o’clock scale, clockwise and to the center. One of the standout piece for me here was the Pear Danish as you know how much in love I am with handmade flaky pastries. The passionfruit mango tart was Jan’s favourite with a unique sour combo and crumby base. The doughnuts were also stellar but the best flipping pastry here are hands down the mighty croissants. These croissants were simply one of the best I ever had, and it would take a great deal of effort to beat these ones! They were huge, baked with an overall flaky and buttery finish. Both croissants were infused with fillings and I still cannot decide which of the two is more tasty.
We left Rustica Sourdough receiving a huge loaf of roast pumpkin sourdough. It smelled like perfection and its different from other sourdoughs I have had. The body of the sourdough was yellow and the colour evened out really nicely. This sourdough is more savoury and it is great whether dipping it in creamy soups, or just simply making eggs on toast. Thank you Rustica Sourdough for your kind hospitality and we will be back again for sure!
RUSTICA SOURDOUGH
402 Brunswick St, Fitzroy | (03) 9417 7775
rusticasourdough.com.au
facebook.com/RusticaSourdough