Apollo Bay Bakery - Apollo Bay

Apollo Bay Bakery
125 Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay VIC.

Baked Good: White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookie.
Should you stay, or should you go?: Kidnap your mates, pack the car and drive.

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

There is something about being on holiday and eating what you want without feeling guilty. Not that that's stopped me from eating baked goods before. But being on holiday let's you over indulge on the things that make you go mmm. So when I took to the Great Ocean Road with friends to check in on Apollo Bay, not only did I eat more than I should have I also

had to try something from the local bakery.

Across the blue ocean and over the grassy park sits a bakery famous for its scallop pie, the Apollo Bay Bakery. And with a name like that, you'd be silly to go anywhere else really. It's just along the main strip as you drive through, so even if you don't end up staying in Apollo Bay, you should most definitely make a stop.

The bakery is full of just about anything you can think of: bread and rolls, cakes, cookies, tarts and eclairs, pies, sausage rolls and fresh

filled rolls. If you can't find something in there to fill you up or calm the sweetest of teeth, they've probably already sold out. It's wall to wall with all things bakery. And on those walls is green, not just any green, it's the kind of green you'd find on Kermit the Frog which helps noticing the sign easier. There's plenty of chairs inside to enjoy your goods otherwise get it in a paper bag and head over the road to the park or the beach to enjoy.

I didn't leave a crumb of the White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookie I munched on as I walked down the street playing tourist. Cookies by Design note that the cookie its self goes back to the 7th Century AD in Persia, the macadamia is rather young in comparison. Local to Australia the Macadamia has been a part of Indigenous Australians diet for centuries, but not until 1820 was it discovered by the Europeans. Skip ahead to the 1930s and it's mass produced and shipped all around the world. And here's something you probably never put any thought into. White Chocolate isn't actually chocolate as it has no coca solids in it. It was first introduced by non other than Nestle in the 1930s and by the 1960s

The Milky Bar Kid brought it into just about everyone's home.

Everyone has a preference for a cookie they like, hard and crumbly, soft and gooey or ones that melt in your mouth. This cookie was hard, but not break your tooth hard, just enough to give you a good crunch as you bit into it. There were big chunks of macadamia nuts and white chocolate so you're more than likely going to get a bit of each in your mouth at any one time. It was sweet, you could taste the sugar with every bite you could even see the granules, the white

chocolate would have been enough.

Overall the cookie was delicious and well worth a trip to Apollo Bay. The bakery was full of just about everything so you'd easily be able to get a whole lunch there while you just chill out on the beach to eat it all. But remember don't swim 20 minutes after eating. The staff were awesome, friendly and happy to help you make your mind up as there's just so much to pick from. And like I said before, even if you aren't stopping in Apollo Bay do yourself a favour and stop for a cookie on your way through, it'll be worth it.

3 out of 5.

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.