To tart or not to tart - Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills

Dear Readers,

Ok so I have been wanting to go to the Bourke Street bakery ever since I found out about it, things have been so busy that I didn't get a chance to until yesterday. For those who aren't from Sydney or new here like me, Bourke Street Bakery or BSB as it is lovingly called is sort of a Sydney Institution for baked goodies. They have four branches in Sydney and are very popular. They also conduct bread making classes.

So coming back to my little BSB adventure, I had a dental appointment in the city and as hubby cancelled our lunch date I decided to visit this beautiful little bakery in Surry Hills. This was a long-ish walk from Martin Place station and after 40 minutes I finally found this elusive bakery. I love walking and so did not really mind the 4km walk on a sunny Sydney afternoon, it was the fact that I did not know the way and iphone maps kept dropping out (3G signal is bad with all these high rise buildings around) I made it finally only to discover that it's a really tiny shop and it was really really crowded. 

I just stood gaping at the goodies, standing in the queue. There were muffins and tarts and danishes, beautiful artisan breads and lots of sourdough. Before I could really wrap my head around anything, it was time to order. I decided to do a take away and I was frantically thinking what should I get so that I can sample a few different flavours. And then I saw these mini tarts, to tart or not to tart that was the question as there were so many other delectable baked treats around. I decided to tart it up all the way and ordered 4 different ones, Rhubarb and almond, Ginger Brulee, Passion fruit Meringue and Chocolate Raspberry Mousse. 

I was famished by now and there was the walk back to the station, and then the train ride back home before I could enjoy these little beauties. To say I was tempted to take a bite would be an understatement, but I had to be patient as I wanted to photograph them before I ate them. Finally all the photography jazz was over and I cut all the little tarts into halves (one half of each for hubby) I believe in sharing. I wanted to be greedy but restrained from temptation somehow. Both of us really enjoyed the tarts and have planned to go there together next time for weekend brunch. If you are on the prowl for some delicious baked treats head to Bourke Street Bakery and if you are wondering what to try, TART it up!

Love,

Cookie

Ginger Brulee Tart

I finally sunk my teeth into the fist one- Ginger Brulee and it was divine. It had the crunch of the caramelized sugar and then as you delve deeper you find the gingery custard filling. The ginger flavour is subtle, I would've preferred it to be a little more pronounced, apart from that it was very very tasty. The pistachios on top added to the crunch factor and the green looked beautiful against the burnt sugar backdrop, making it very photo worthy.

Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Tart

This was a little bit of a disappointment for me. I am a chocolate lover and a raspberry lover so this was to be my favourite of the lot - sadly it was my least favourite. The choc-raspberry mouse really needed a more deep dark chocolaty taste and more berries. It just did not live up to my expectations. Pastry was as good as in the other tarts but the filling lacked that deep dark chocolate oomph.

Passionfruit Meringue Tart

I am so glad I picked this one. This was my favourite and hubby loved it too. It had a strong passion fruit flavour which was delightful with the soft fluffy meringue and melt in the mouth pastry. Eating the meringue was like eating a cloud, it was so light. Absolutely delicious.

Rhubarb and Almond Tart

This was the most photogenic tart of the lot in my opinion and it tasted even better than it looked. Short flaky pastry, sweet almond filling and tart rhubarb what a lovely combination. I loved it. It was hard to control myself and leave the other half for Karan. Sometimes I think I am a really good wife ;)

Each tart cost around $4.5-$5.5, I spent about $19 in total. Bourke Street Bakery lived up to it's reputation and I am looking forward to sampling more goodies from there. Bourke Street Bakery - definitely recommended!