Afternoon tea with a side of shopping

Spending time in Melbourne is such a treat, apart from the shopping there is the convenience of food being everywhere, and good quality too.

After perusing the shelves in Myers for some cute booties for my new niece, it certainly works up an appetite for some sweetness! Particularly if that means its from Brunetti's! Seriously, the first time I walked into the place on Lygon street, I almost died! There was so much to choose from, where to start, from petite fours, to gelato to cake to pastries, Oh my!

We shared a new york cheese cake, mud cake with gold leafing (fancy!), strawberry and custard tart and a tiramisu (this had some nibbles out of it before I could take a photo!)

You really admire the craftsmanship that has gone into these delightful pastries, because of the portion size you don't become overloaded with a sugar hit! Particularly the cheese cake, mmhmmm it was solid cheese cake but with a crumbly, short pastry. 

Althought Brunetti's is a chain and it risks the loss of uniqueness and speciality - I think its just perfect in for a quick bite in between the madness of retail therapy!

On the way back to the car, I found another macaroons shop! Oh my obsession with macaroons has become a little ridiculous, but these are truly gems! The technique and precision that goes into these little beauties should be recognised. Having attempted at making my own macaroons with such meagre success... i just admire them when made well. In saying that, there aren't too many places I have found that make them to perfection... Until I found La Belle Miette - which translates to "beautiful crumb" or "beautiful small thing". I'll second that!!! Again, some of them didn't make it to the photo shoot - but I had earl grey, pimms & pomegranate, Moet & Chandon, lemon, raspberry, strawberry and sake!

My most favourite would have to be the earl grey - it was so finely balanced with the bitterness of the earl grey and the sweetness of the almond meal. Definitely competes with Via Del Corso in Sydney's Centrepoint tower.