The Blacksmith - Belgrave

The Blacksmith

1698-1700 Burwood Highway, Belgrave.

Baked Good: Apple scroll with shaved almonds

Should you stay, or should you go?: Go. Make a day of it and go.

1. Presentation - 4

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)

On the main drag settled amongst the numerous cafes and stores filled with treasures you can only find in Belgrave lies The Blacksmith Café. The café is one of those old school café's that in the 80s would have been where the locals met with a cigarette and a coffee for hours on end. It has that relaxed décor you can only find in a small little town far from the clinical white walls and stainless steel you find in café's around Melbourne's inner suburbia.  The numerous freshly baked bread on the racks with paper bags ready for you to pick. The endless choices of tarts, scrolls, slices and cakes. That's on top of the display cabinets of quiche, arancini balls, sandwiches and rolls. But all that wouldn't matter if it weren't for the constant friendly smiles of the staff that makes this café well worth a visit.

One of my favourite things to eat is an apple scroll topped with some sort of nut. So much so that as a leaving gift from my last job, I received an apple and walnut scroll as a parting gift. So when I found this sitting on a tray amongst the numerous pastries I was possible a little excited to have the opportunity to add this to the blog. Okay you've caught me out, I'm just excited to eat it blog or not. At first I just assumed it was an iced scroll with almond shavings on top. When the lovely server took my order and informed me it was an apple scroll, she giggled at how excited I was.

Now I like to make it fair when I review a baked item so as not to be too generous just because I like it. But there is one thing I like in particular with Apple Scrolls and that's then they are moist. And The Blacksmith hasn't let me down.

While it's hard to narrow down when this delight started gracing the lips of the people, it is known the cinnamon scroll or bun originated in Sweden in the middle ages according to ifoodtv. But when they started adding apple and making it as amazing as it is today is one for someone with a whole lot more time to investigate. 

The scroll was huge, more than I could handle, but I gave it a red hot go anyway. Covered in a thick sweet icing and coasted with shavings of almonds. Inside it was moist and thick with apple chunks all the way through. The pastry wasn't crunchy or stale which sometimes is the downside of this particular treat. But it wasn't so soft that it fell apart in your hand. It was a perfect blend between sweet icing and tasty apple and pastry. The crunch of the roasted almond slivers gave the soft and moist scroll a wonderful contrast as you bite down.

Overall this is an absolute gem of a find and well worth a little trip out of the city. There are heaps of walks and hikes and things to do up in the Dandenong area, so make it a day trip and have lunch or morning/afternoon tea at BlackSMiths Café. With friendly staff and a comfy relaxed atmosphere it's a perfect place to bring a book or the newspaper with you or a friend to have a good old chin wag with. The food speaks for itself and trust me when I say, it's possibly one of the best apple scrolls I've put in my mouth.

4 out of 5.