If there's one thing I cannot resist, it's dessert. I probably have the biggest sweet tooth out, no question about it. While at Max Brenner, my friends will stop after a while, claiming the chocolate to be too sweet and feeling slightly sick. I, however, can continue ploughing on and enjoy the sweet chocolate-y deliciousness to no end. However, I have tried going on a health kick recently to lower my sugar levels and lately, I have been toning down on the sugar. Until last night when I took my sister to ride the Zumbo Dessert Train that is! I have been before so I will probably be smooshing my previous visit with this time's doo di dum...
The first time I visited was near the beginning of this year and the serving sizes have definitely changed as well as the prices - they are much smaller now but the prices are cheaper too so it's easier to try a variety of things which is better! So onto taste... Excuse the crappy photos from this trip because they were taken on my Nokia.
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| Violet Crunchie - honeycomb foam, violet bavaroise, chocolate shards & honeycomb pieces |
This tasted like Violet Crumble/Crunchy only soft and creamy! So it was enjoyable.
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| Peach Melba - fresh raspberries, blood peach compote, vanilla creme Chantilly, vanilla emulsion & raspberry pistachio cake |
The foam, though interesting to look at and provides that element of fun, didn't quite add anything spectacular in this situation. The cake tasted a bit odd and was slightly on the dry side without the vanilla creme (which was very nice). I thought the compote didn't quite meld together with the cake so the entire thing didn't quite sit well with me.
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| Hazelnut Dacquoise - hazelnut dacquoise, hazelnut praline crunch, milk chocolate Chantilly & caramelised hazelnut |
I have to say this one is my favourite! The hazelnut praline added that extra crunch and was nice and buttery. The hazelnut flavour was very strong as well so no complaints there (:
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| Chocolate Fondant - chocolate fondant bar cake covered, pistachio macaron, chocolate, vanilla creme Chantilly & raspberry compote (I think?) |
Delicious! The fondant was smooth and thick and luscious. Sort of like a brownie. But maybe brownie's sophisticated cousin. The pistachio macaron didn't taste like pistachio and had that fake almond taste that seems to be associated with "pistachio". BUT THE FONDANT WAS YUM.
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| Chocolate Coffee Brulee - chocolate coffee brulee, chocolate sacher cake, milk, emulsion & espresso melt |
Once again, foam was just an element of presentation. The sacher cake felt more like a brownie to me... But no complaints there as I love chocolate and I love brownies so a winning combination for me! The brulee was quite bitter and probably just a tad over-caramelised for my liking... But the espresso melt (the log in the background) more than made up for it and was sweet yet dominant in espresso flavour and sat well with a non-coffee drinker like myself!
TRIP #2
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| Ripe Cherry - dehydrated chocolate mousse, cherry compote, coconut moisture & foam, $4.00 (normal price $5.00) |
I was in love as soon as I put the first spoonful into my mouth. The cherry compote tasted of real cherries and none of that artificial flavoured crap that tastes like medicine. Every component melted into each other and it was a delight to eat. Like a high class Cherry Ripe bar (:
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| Twisted Annuziata ganache, pear compote & pear gel, $4.00 (normal price $5.00) |
I particularly loved the red pear gel! There was a poached pear piece inside encased by a jelly. However, the pear components didn't quite match the Annuziata ganache. Though delicious separately, together it definitely did not match.
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| $4.00 (normal price $5.00) |
Once again, I ate this in two separate components. The corn, fantastic by itself but when paired with the mango at the bottom? Not a good combination. Great as individual elements though!
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| Watermelon Yogurt - compressed watermelon, yogurt creme legere, yogurt snaps, green apple bubbles & orange custard, $4.00 (normal price $5.00) |
Watermelon is great in any form! Fresh, juiced, frozen - all good. Compressed? Also fantastic! This was one of the desserts that worked well together. If you managed to get everything onto a spoonful, you could taste the creaminess of the yogurt and custard, with the juicy watermelon providing an element of freshness that just gives it that little extra oomph. The green apple bubbles were actually really sour and I preferred eating it without the foam (:
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| Coconut Millefeuille Lola, $9.00 & V8 Cake, $10.00 |
The coconut millefeuille consisted of caramelised puff pastry, coconut cremem legere, coconut jelly and coconut moisture. I really am curious about this "coconut moisture". Why call it moisture? What exactly is it referring to? Well, it'd be great to sate my curiousity but for now I am just pleased to say that whatever this "moisture" is, it sure is tasty! The caramelised puff pastry has this slight burnt taste to it, like all Zumbo's caramel products seem to have. Probably the temperature and time he cooks it at and that's the end taste he goes for. I would personally prefer it to be slightly less caramelised but no biggie because the coconut innards were ever so yum.
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| Individual V8 Cake - vanilla creme Chantilly, toasted vanilla brulee, vanilla water gel, vanilla ganache, vanilla macaron, vanilla dacquoise, vanilla chiffon cake & vanilla almond crunch |
CHECK OUT THE INNARDS!!! I was particularly enamored by the water gel - it was like an awesome textured jelly! I loved this cake, it was surprisingly light for all those different components and it wasn't extremely sweet. I could buy this and eat it over and over again because it was delishhh. It definitely wasn't as rich as the chocolate version - the V8 Diesel. Even though that one was very rich, I really loved that one too. I know what I'm going to have a go at making later in the future!
I always love buying Adriano Zumbo's creations, but they're always so expensive and overpriced :( So I can only buy it as a rare treat every once in a while!
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