Zumbo Excites In South Yarra
Adriano Zumbo has an immense reputation through his Sydney operation and celebrity chef status. Sometimes such a status doesn't translate to the shop front but in Zumbo's case it does. The display cabinet at the Zumbo store in South Yarra is something of a wonderland and work of art. You name it, Zumbo excels at it - texture, taste, imagination, in taking the craft of patisserie to another level. It's amusing that on Masterchef Zumbo is portrayed at times as an evil character who frustrates aspiring chefs with his complex technique and sheers number of processes and elements of each creation. There's nothing evil here at Zumbo in South Yarra. Cheery staff guide you to informed purchases. They told The World Loves Melbourne to think about what you like" and they will take it from there.
Mirrored panels and pink neon brings a modern and vibrant vibe to complement the ground breaking patisserie offerings.
Sakuteiki Cake is an artistic masterpiece with its asymmetrical design. We felt it was such a unique offering on the Melbourne artisan bakery scene. A black tower consists of a mandarin jelly, lime dacquoise, yuzu ganache, sakura mousse, green tea sponge and a green tea biscuit crunch. Many of the items at Zumbo have a mousse component, including this one (why you can't have these items in your car for hours in summer). The mousse and the crunch were a great contrast with green tea nuances.
Pollock Nights stand out in gleaming black and white, and who would have thought there would be coconut and passionfruit delicacy under the dark exterior. The alluring Secret Carrots Business is a variation of carrot cake with Zumbo bringing in mousse and cheescake along with carrot components. The Aero cake is a study in texture.
The World Loves Melbourne left with a Lemon Meringue Tart with Italian meringue, lemon gel, lemon curd and a crunchy biscuity base, as well as the ever popular Passionfruit tart and the aforementioned Sakuteiki cake. The orange box was spectacular in itself.
We enjoyed our selection with the Passionfruit tart a favourite just for the superb passionfruit hit and contrast with the crunch of the base. But all items were top notch.
Zumbo is a must visit for all those who enjoy the finer things in life, not just those with a sweet tooth. The World Loves Melbourne is keen to try the savoury items (sold out when we visited). Highly recommended.
