Phillippa's Bakery - Brighton

Phillippa's Bakery - Brighton
608 Hampton Street, Brighton

Baked Good: Dundee Cake
Should you stay or should you go?: Wake me up before you Go Go.

1. Presentation - 3
2. First bite - 4
3 Texture - 4
4. Flavour - 4
5. How'd it make me feel after - 4
(1 - Not so much. 5 - This is fricking awesome)

There is something homely about a fruit cake. It's simple, yet it if it's made without a little TLC, it could be horrible. It's the sweetness of the fruit, the simple sponge. Like you are eating something healthy yet it's far from. This was the first cake my Mum taught me to make. The first cake I ever bought from Woolworths. Simple in every way, but perfect in every other way.

On the busy Hampton Street in Brighton you'll find Phillippa's just as busy inside. Blokes getting a pie, kids getting something sweet with their Nan, or Mum's picking up the bread for the day. The bakery is full of everything you can think of that can be baked: bead, cakes, pastries, rolls, pies and pasties and just about anything else you could think to bake.

While there is nowhere to sit the cafe its a great option to grab something and drive down to the beach and enjoy it.

I enjoyed a slice of a Dundee Cake which has nothing to do with the Crocodile Hunter as it turns out. The Dundee cake in fact is from Dundee in Scotland. Walkers (famous for their shortbread) shares the history of the Dundee cake which was first commercially available in the 1800s though it dates back some 350 years earlier. Made for Mary Queen of Scotts in the 16th Century, as she wasn't a fan of the cherries in the traditional fruit cake. And so the we find the almond covered raisin sponge cake I enjoyed today.

The raisins were plump and juicy which gave the sponge the perfect moistness. The generous slice of the Dundee Cake was sweet but not too sweet. It was hard not to rush into the second bite as it was deliciously tasty
with every bite.

Overall the bakery was welcoming as were the staff. The range of product on offer was maybe overwhelming but exciting to decide. Phillippa's has three permanent sites to visit around Melbourne. But I'd make it an event and get something from their Brighton store and head to the beach to enjoy it.

4 out of 5.