Every year, every birthday, I somehow have a theme for my year. Thinking of how my 2011 will look like, it seems that this year is all about making dreams come true. Whether it be a big goal or a small endeavour, I'm hoping that this year will be about making some of my dreams come true.
For more than a year, I've been lusting over, Adriano Zumbo's cakes and macarons. I've been planning and imagining how I'll go to his cafe in Rozelle or his patisserie in Balmain, but my plans never materialized.
Adriano Zumbo is no ordinary patissier. His creations elicit admiration from critics and the public alike and for good reason; they’re unique in concept and execution – quite simply, you won’t find anything else quite like it in Australia.
Inspired by the world around him, his desserts tell a story or take on the personality of their namesakes. Whether it’s Lukas Rides the Tube or Escape From a Columbian Rainforest; Adriano’s fertile mind, exceptional skill and natural curiosity for unlikely ingredients are his biggest assets.{source}
On my birthday, a simple dream came true (that's a good sign, don't you think?). I wanted to spend my day in Manly Beach and it so happened that Adriano Zumbo opened a new patisserie branch there. Luck was on my side.
For more than a year, I've been lusting over, Adriano Zumbo's cakes and macarons. I've been planning and imagining how I'll go to his cafe in Rozelle or his patisserie in Balmain, but my plans never materialized.
Adriano Zumbo is no ordinary patissier. His creations elicit admiration from critics and the public alike and for good reason; they’re unique in concept and execution – quite simply, you won’t find anything else quite like it in Australia.
Inspired by the world around him, his desserts tell a story or take on the personality of their namesakes. Whether it’s Lukas Rides the Tube or Escape From a Columbian Rainforest; Adriano’s fertile mind, exceptional skill and natural curiosity for unlikely ingredients are his biggest assets.{source}
On my birthday, a simple dream came true (that's a good sign, don't you think?). I wanted to spend my day in Manly Beach and it so happened that Adriano Zumbo opened a new patisserie branch there. Luck was on my side.
The patisserie is small and inconspicuous but even from afar, we already smelled the aroma of freshly-baked pastries. The Husband said, "We are definitely here."
We bought two small cakes from Adriano Zumbo's Summer Collection 2011, one for me and one for the Husband.
The cake I chose to be eaten on my birthday was called Gary's Mangoes. I chose it because it's a fruity cake and I love mangoes, very summer-y.
It is made of Macadamia flourless biscuit base, burnt vanilla Brulee, vanilla pepper meringue, macadamia cremeux, mango jelly and a mango mousse. Sounds yum and tasted very yum hehe.
The fusion of sweet and a bit of tangy, plus the real chunks of mangoes. It was deliciously creative. I loved it!
The Husband's choice was of course, something chocolate-y. The cake he chose was Wheely Carry Me Mel.
An ensemble of Hazlenut dacquoise with caramel mascarpone mousse, caramel maison, salted chocolate plates and caramel cream. This cake is rounded off with dark chocolate and rolled in chewy caramel
It was supposed to look like this (photo below taken from Adriano Zumbo's website) but since we took this cake home and it was a very hot day on my birthday, the insides melted and looked liked that (photo above).
But it still tasted great! The inside of the cake looked like this. Very rich but does not overwhelm. The best part for me was the chewy caramel because it wasn't too sweet.
Macarons in different flavors:
Clockwise: Marshmallow (pink), Chocolate (brown), Apricot & Rosemary (green), Vanilla (beige), Bloody Mary (red).
The Chocolate and Vanilla flavours are a must whenever we buy macarons because it's our favorites. The other three flavours we chose them because we wanted to try Adriano's more "exotic" macarons. I loved the Marshmallow and Bloody Mary but the Apricot and Rosemary seemed too strong for me. They captured the two flavours well (Rosemary and Apricot) but I probably didn't like the combination.
Adriano's macarons are the best macarons I've ever tasted. It had the right crunch when you bite it but it's soft and fluffy on the inside. The sensation of each macaron suddenly explodes inside your mouth. Such a lovely gastronomic experience.
Next time, we will buy more macarons and I will take better photos hehe!
If you are ever in Sydney and you want to indulge in the best pastries, I highly recommend you visit an Adriano Zumbo Patisserie.
Adriano Zumbo
Cafe:
114 Terry St, Rozelle, NSW 2039(map)
Monday to Friday 6:30am till 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 7:30am till 4:00pm
Balmain Pâtisserie:
296 Darling St, Balmain, NSW 2040(map)
(02) 9810 7318
Monday to Saturday 8:00am till 6:00pm
Sunday 8:00am till 4:00pm
Manly Pâtisserie:Shop 1a/40 The East Esplanade, Manly(map)
Monday to Friday 7:00am till 7:00pm
Saturday & Sunday 7:00am till 5:50pm
