Simon Food Favourites: Strudel

14 October 2011

Gelato Bar Bondi: Strudel, Cakes and Gelato, Westfield Bondi Junction (1 Oct 2011)

Level 6, 500 Oxford Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022

Phone: (02) 9387 8862
http://www.westfield.com.au/bondijunction

Strudel pastry with crunch

After a bit of a disappointing strudel pastry from Strudel Baron I was determined to revisit the Gelato Bar in Bondi Beach. To make things closer to home I discovered the same strudels being sold in Westfield Bondi Junction at Gelato Bar Bondi. Apparently the shop here is owned by the original owners of the Gelato Bar and both places get their strudels and cakes from the same bakery which I believe is located somewhere in Bondi. The Cheese Cherry Strudel ($5.80) had good flavour and the crunchy caramelised pastry I favourably remembered from my childhood for many years. The Apple Strudel ($5.50) filling wasn't as good as hoped but the Chocolate Hazelnut Strudel ($5.50) was definitely worth trying. Nice balance of chocolate and hazelnut flavours and the signature crunchy pastry. Slices may look small but are quite filling so you could easily share one between two.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Good strudel, Plenty of cakes choices, Handy location in Westfield with free parking

CONS: The pastry is super crunchy so particularly messy when cutting, Possibly rich in sugar but I guess that's what makes it tastes so good

MUST TRY: Cheese Cherry Strudel

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Cheese Cherry Strudel ($5.80)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Chocolate Hazelnut Strudel ($5.50)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Apple Strudel ($5.50)

Cake display

Gelato bar

Service counter and display

Located on Level 6 opposite Max Brenner and near Bondi Pizza

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21 August 2011

Strudel Baron: Cakes and Pastries, Drummoyne (20 Aug 2011)

172 Victoria Road, Drummoyne NSW 2047
http://strudelbaron.com.au

Tempting sugar hits to be had

On the way to a friends afternoon tea I picked up a Cheese and Cherry Strudel ($13, half log). The filling was quite nice and tasty but I was rather disappointed with the actual filo pastry. My childhood grew up with countless weekend strudels from the Gelato Bar in Bondi Beach which were a lot more crispy and flakey with slightly caramelised sugar to my knowledge and I found the Strudel Baron version much softer and less crispy. It also seemed to have a slightly doughy scent which made me think of it being a little undercooked. I'm no expert on strudels but I tend to prefer a crispy and flaky pastry. We also found at least three broken or whole bits of cherry pips inside which wasn't the best thing to find especially when serving to kids which made it particularly worrying, let alone the danger to cracking a tooth. On the other hand the Iced Palmier was very good. Pastry was buttery and flakey with an icing that wasn't overly sweet and balanced well. A perfect combination that I'd happily get again. There was plenty of other tempting choices which all looked fresh and good quality. There's some seating inside but when crowded it can feel a little claustrophobic in the tiny space.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Lots of tempting cake choices, Looks pretty fresh and good quality, Only 3% fat in the filo pastry (but watch out for how much sugar), Friendly service

CONS: Strudel pastry wasn't as flakey and crispy as hoped, Found bits of cherry pip, Limited and crowded seating, Located on a very busy road so stopping and parking can be a bit challenging

MUST TRY: Iced Palmier, Other cakes next time

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