Bakeries in Melbourne

[Heather]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Melbourne might have better bakeries than Sydney. Perhaps Sydney does have great bakeries, but I've never noticed them because why go to a bakery for breakfast or brunch when you can go to bills (famous for its breakfasts and brunches)?

I'm currently excited about a new-ish bakery in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. It's called d chirico baker, or baker d chirico. It's run by a young-ish Italian guy, who bakes a great sourdough olive loaf and fantastic baguettes. He does other breads, too, although we always go with the olive loaf. Also, there are five or more varieties of veggie pie - mushroom and asparagus; roast sweet potato, pumpkin and corn; spinach and fetta; mild green curry vegetable. Brilliant sweet things, made by a diminutive Italian girl - chocolate nougat, chocolate macaroon "baci" biscuits, spiced plum cake, apple tart tartin. Service can be so spunky and sparkling you want to adopt the waitress, or so rather-be-elsewhere that you fancy slapping them. Still, it's more often the former than the latter, and the food is ample compensation.

There's also our long-time favourite - Gertrude Steet Organic Bakery, in Fitzroy. It's not the hippy-haven of sprout breads that one might imagine. The light rye is superb - he bakes a whopper of a loaf and sells it in chunks. There are a couple of white sourdoughs, too, but you can't go past the Bakers 100% Wholemeal - he grinds the flour himself, and the bread is seasoned with a dash of olive oil, a hint of honey and just a little sea salt. It's wholemeal heaven. For snacking, there are hardcore wholesome, chewy sourdough fruit buns, and there are his sourdough focaccia slices - potato and rosemary, onion and thyme, apple and kirsch, rhubarb and sambucca.

We have read very good things about Babka - on Roger's foodtourist.com website, among other places. We haven't been there yet. The "creatures of habit" syndrome strikes again! Which of Babka's breads/dishes do you recommend, Roger? We recently bought the book, Baker. It featured Babka's veggie bread recipe, which the baker suggested toasting and spreading with peanut butter. (I'd swap peanut for almondamia - a 50-50 blend of almond and macadamia butters, produced by Himalaya Bakery in Daylesford, and now available at Vic Market Organics. Look out for it when next you visit the market.)

Can anyone recommend other Melbourne bakeries, whether for bread or for grazing? The only other bakery I've visited in Melbourne: Filou's - a French-style place in suburban Carlton -which makes delicious buttery pastries.

Oh, and we buy bread occasionally from Laurent - it's more a conveniently located emergency option than anything. We've also bought Phillipa's bread - another emergency - from David Jones. We don't get excited about Phillipa's or Laurent, although Laurent is a great place to send visiting rellies who live in the sticks. The display cabinet of tiny tarts and cakes makes for great eye candy. When we first moved to Melbourne, we ate at Laurent once - just the two of us - but made the mistake of ordering three things. The waiter puts two of them on the table, and then wanders around with the third little thingy, looking for whoever ordered it - the thought never entering his mind that maybe we did. We were only barely game enough to claim it.

[Monster]

I personally enjoy two bakeries, the first being "Fleishers" which is on Glenferrie Rd, Malvern near the corner of Glenferrie Rd and High St, Malvern. The other being Phillapes which makes the best bread. Especially their bread sticks and more unusual breads. Phillapes is found High St, Armadale near the corner of High St and Orrong Rd.

They're both my choices for bakeries.

[foodie52]

What's the name of the bakery on Lygon: the baker there is really rude, scowling, especially if you show up at 3 minutes to 7 and they aren't open yet...but their breads and pastries are great. If you're walking down Lygon, you pass the cemetery across the street , but keep walking a few more blocks. ( Sorry to be so vague, but it's been a year since I was there, North Carlton area). Would it be Filou's?

[polly]

Baker D Chirico is lovely, as is Natural Tucker on Nicholson st and Babka on brunswick st, fitzroy.

There is a bakery on toorak rd called french fantasies (i think) that makes a supurb rustic baguette. That's what they call it anyway. Best thing there, chewy and crusty.

If you go to Babka, make sure you have some vegetable bread and apple tarte tatin.

[Besha]

When I was in Melbourne last year I spent the entire visit on a quest to find the almond croissant of my childhood. It was the one the French guy at the Vic Markets used to sell...kinda flat and covered in powdered sugar and almonds. I still remember the day he changed to the nasty goopy on the inside kind. It was tragic. I found some good ones, but not the one I was searching for. Any suggestions?