… :- My Nook is full of Pixels -: …

It was a glorious sunny morning, and so I went to breakfast with some close mates to the Brighton Baths cafe.

I hadn’t been there before (since they fixed the place up), and was quite impressed. I ate the fruit loaf (toast), and received a thick slab of goodness. Not your TipTop fruit loaf variety. It was very nice with tatura butter and strawberry jam.

I also noticed they are doing a fair bit of contruction work to the Sailing Club next door.

If you’re into Italian foods, then you’ll find a huge range here - including Beer, Water, Liqueur, Wine, Pasta, Freshly baked breads,  condiments, cheeses, prosciutto and other small goods…the list keeps going!

Most importantly, you will also find the classic Italian “thick hot chocolate”…Lick those lips.

Look out for the following packaging

If you have a sweet tooth like I do, then you will find heaven at Brunetti’s. A pasticceria like no other.

There is always an excuse for a biscottino or dolcetto, from the vast array on offer…profiteroles (would you like that with vanila, pistacchio, chocolate, zabaione), canoli (chocolate, vanilla, ricotta) , pastry cakes, slices and so on (it doesn’t end).

Thankfully, I live on the other side of town as I would otherwise be one giant blob of human custard if I lived close by.

If you need something to take to a dinner party or special do, then you can’t go wrong swinging by Brunetti and turning up with a nice selection.

Lori and son, Michael, are amongst Melbourne’s greatest pastry chefs. Every day, they bake some of the most delicious cakes and pastries you can imagine.

One of my favourites is their Sacher Torte. A cake originating from Vienna, it’s a rich chocolate sponge baked with flaked almonds, kirsch liqueur, apricot jam and chocolate ganache. Yummm.

If you haven’t experienced the indulgence, then may I suggest you do…

There’s quite a few cafes and coffee spots around town, where you can savour the very best in nature’s own golden elixir.

When it comes down to the nitty gritty, there’s a few things that you need to make a truely great coffee, and many cafe/coffee shop operators either don’t know or don’t give a damn.

1) The finest pure Arabica beans, sourced from around the world (Ethipoia, Brazil, Jamaica, Columbia, Kenya, Indonesia) and expertly blended to produce the perfect amount of flavour, body, acidity, crema and aroma. Robusta beans are simply second grade, and most coffee drinkers wouldn’t know the difference.

2) Expert know-how in the blending and roasting process, that produces consistency, batch after batch. This extends to the ability to custom blend to suit your individual tastes - are you a true coffee coniseur who appreciates an espresso, doppio or ristretto in proper white porcelain at the correct temperature with a golden crema or a wannabe that drinks decaf light soy latte.

3) The right equipment - the Espresso machines and grinders to match. Real machines such as La Pavoni, that are designed and calibrated to extract pure caffeine. Beans that are freshly ground, and haven’t been sitting around oxidizing. And not toys that extract some oily sludge from pre-packaged cannisters available in packs of 10.

4) The training - whether you want to be a full-time Barrista or simply make a great coffee at home - you need to know how to put it all together.

In my opinion, Oasis Griffiths offer the best coffee in Melbourne. You won’t find their beans in Coles or Safeway, but you will in the best coffee spots around town.

You will have to make the trip to their office and roasting factory in Mulgrave (just near the corner of Ferntree Gully Rd and Springvale Rd, behind the Subaru dealer) and pick some up for yourself (and a machine and grinder if you haven’t already got one).

PS.
Instead of white sugar in coffee (its too processed), try some quality brown sugars instead such as demara. They compliment the coffee much better.

They have a wood fired oven and make fantastic Italian style pizza’s. The rest of their food is great too. It isn’t a glamour restaurant, rather a family run no-nonense and laid back kinda place.