Brioche by Philip

I experienced overwhelming cravings for pastries Tuesday morning, and after wandering around aimlessly in the city before work, ended up what appeared to be a fairly popular cafe. Brioche by Philip (partly) lives up to its 5-star reputation on Urbanspoon.

What struck me as soon as I walked in was the amazing array of pastries on offer. I was tempted by large selection of danishes and croissants which I will probably work my way through over the next year. Thankfully, they also come in mini-sizes so I won't feel too guilty about making frequent stops here. I did end up making a fairly unusual choice in the end, but I'll talk about that in a minute.

Pastry Selection

Look at that selection! You want a closer look don't you?

Mmmmm

Impressive right? And that's only half of the display! Moving on though, after placing my order, I sat down at the center table and watched all the office workers getting their morning coffee and pastry fix.

Brioche by Philip 

After very little time, my Japanese Red Bean Bun and latte arrived. The bun is an unusual addition to the standard bakery menu. I can't recall having ever seen it in any bakery that wasn't a specialty Asian bakery (such as BreadTop). Nevertheless, I was delighted with it. Some of you may be aware that I have a (slight) addiction to red beans. This is probably as a result of deciding as a child that the ultimate dessert were red beans, leftover from making buns, straight from the refrigerator. No sugar, condensed milk, nothing. Just plain red beans. This bun was therefore perfect - not too sweet but with generous amounts of red bean in a soft pastry. The smattering of poppy seeds on top just were a delicious added bonus.

My second breakfast of the day - Japanese Red Bean Bun and a Latte

I've heard mixed reviews about their bread though. Some people love it, others have questioned as to whether it's actually bread or just a rock. If I'm ever running low on bread though and can't make it to the markets, I might just give Brioche a shot. [Update: I purchased a fresh rye sourdough loaf ($5.50) from them on the 27th of April, and it was pretty terrible. Rock hard on the outside and not cooked on the inside, it was barely edible. Of course I'd eat it anyway, but, disappointing to say the least.]

You may have noticed that I've put off talking about the coffee for as long as possible. Well, the truth is I'm not so mad about it. They use the 5 Senses blend, but I prefer my latte less bitter and acidic, especially as I hate adding sugar to my coffee. I've found my perfect latte already, so I should just stick with it. Sometimes, convenience just rules over taste so there's no-one to blame but me.

Brioche by Philip (CBD)
99 Queen St, Melbourne
Mon-Fri Breakfast & Lunch