Dream Cuisine

Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

Regular readers of Yummy Lummy know of my deep seated love of vanilla slice. Last year I took a driving holiday to Geelong and back and much of that trip focussed on my favourite pastry.This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

Last week twenty Canberra Food Bloggers took a trip to Fyshwick (better known for Australia’s pornography industry, brothels and sex shops) to visit Owen at Dream Cuisine and enjoy his pastries. At the time Owen mentioned that his vanilla slice isn’t a constant feature because they are a little labour intensive and he needs a full complement of staff if he’s going to make them available. He did hint though he may have some ready for this week.

While I was at work yesterday (Friday) I thought I’d give Dream Cuisine a call to see if I should plan a Saturday breakfast in Fyshwick. Owen answered the telephone and said he would get his chefs to prepare some for Saturday. I was stoked.

So this morning I head out to try Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice. Would it be good? Would it compare with my favourites? Who knows, either way, I knew that the Myrtleford Butter Owen uses and his amazing custard would make me happy. I was pretty confident I’d like Owen’s version because he mentioned caramelised pastry. In my mind that would at least put it into the Gumnut Patisserie league.

So when I arrived there they were in the display case. Four slices of happiness with “Dream” written in icing sugar on the top piece of pastry.

I asked for a flat white coffee and a single slice.

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice

When I checked in using the swarm app I become Mayor of Dream Cuisine 

 

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice, coffee and Bundaberg raw sugar

 

I always like to see Bundaberg sugar at a cafe or restaurant. In my mind it’s the best sugar in Australia and helps me think of my maternal grandparents.

So what did I think of Owen’s Dream Cuisine vanilla slice? As I mentioned on Instagram, it was sensationally dreamy. This is a show piece vanilla slice. There’s no way a Victorian could call this a snot block and if a Victorian did call it a snot block and I was Owen I’d be insulted. Does it meet my expectations for a good vanilla slice? Yes and no. Yes, this is delicious. The caramelised pastry was crisp and sweet and full bodied in flavour. The custard was delicate. It was sweet but not too sweet and it had the right amount of vanilla. All together it was fabulous. But no it’s not my perfect vanilla slice because this is a fancy pastry that tastes really good. For me, my perfect vanilla slice has all this flavour but it also has the right texture and consistency. I want that caramelised pastry to be firm but not soggy and not crisp. I want to be able to bite through it without it fracturing, it needs to break apart. A fork needs to be able to do the same thing. In my perfect vanilla slice the custard won’t squeeze out when pressure is applied to the top and bottom pastry layers either by my teeth or a fork.

I’d highly recommend Dream Cuisine’s vanilla slice to pastry lovers. If you live in Canberra, there’s no excuse, you need to visit Dream Cuisine. It’s not only in Fyshwick. If you’re visiting Canberra, put some time in your diary to make a visit, stay for a coffee and enjoy a treat. The service is great. It’s friendly and you’re served with a smile. They also have good quality containers for takeaway too.

Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra

I bought my afternoon tea while I was there.

 

This is a photograph of Dream Cuisine Vanilla Slice, lavendar macaron and salted caramel macaron

The lavender and salted caramel macarons are to die for.

Fellow Canberra Food Blogger Tales of a Confectionist also reviewed the vanilla slice

Review Dream Cuisine Patisserie and Cafe

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Elias (CBRfoodie) and Fran (TheFoodMarshall) as Elias opens the morning
Elias (CBRfoodie) and Fran (TheFoodMarshall) as Elias opens the morning

Even before we knew how successful Eat Drink Blog 6 (2015) would be, Elias Hallaj (CBR Foodie) had spoken with Owen Saddler (owner of Dream Cuisine in Fyshwick) at the Hamlet on the Friday night of the conference and suggested a Canberra Food Blogger get together.

Elias did a stirling job of getting a group of 20 Canberra Food Bloggers together at 8.30 on a Saturday morning. A Saturday morning in November which was only 12.4 °C on a typical late spring morning in Canberra 

Owen gave us a run down on his take on pastry and running a successful patisserie. It was pretty obvious how this engineer cum artisan master of layering buttery layers of pastry loves his job. Passionate doesn’t describe his approach to his craft adequately. Owen explained how he is not a cook nor a chef but more of an experimenter. He also encourages his cooks/chefs to experiment allowing them to make mistakes because, who knows? it could just be the next big thing!

Owen Sadller explaining that he buys and uses 60 kg of Myrtleford Butter Factory butter every week.
Owen Saddler explaining that he buys and uses 60 kg of Myrtleford Butter Factory butter every week.

Owen also shared his love of chocolate and his distaste for the practice of using cheap chocolate in croissants and other layered pastry. Only the best will do.

While we were listening to Owen we were treated to a few varieties of his layered pastries. Each one was delicious. Each one was light. Each one had that buttery creamy yet crisp texture. One thing Owen didn’t say too much about was the custard his makes. The custard in some of the pastries was fantastic.

A share plate of delicious pastries
A share plate of delicious pastries
Dream Cuisine Fyshwick Canberra
Lisa (BakeBikeBlog)

The best part of these blogger get togethers is catching up with friends and meeting people who I only know through social media. I got to meet a whole new group of friends in real life for the first time. It was good to meet Bianca who helped me cut up our sharing plate so we could enjoy a little of each pastry. I also got to meet Lisa (BakeBikeBlog) and Kristy (Tales of a Confectionist) who I’ve known for ages but have never met.

Dream Cuisine Fyshwick Canberra
My first breakfast plate (yes there was a second breakfast plate too)

After we enjoyed some pastries we did a tour of the preparation and kitchen areas. Owen showed us his equipment, much of it is well loved and one piece came from East Germany (which time marks the age of some of the equipment).

We got to see the cold room and drooled over the trays of croissants. Owen also pointed out a large container of Queensland nut (Macadamia sp.) oil which he uses for cronuts.

In the kitchen area I was crestfallen when Owen said he finds Vanilla Slice labour intensive and they are only made when Dream Cuisine is fully staffed. My mood brightened when he said there may be some available next week and they’d be presented with a little twist 

Dream Cuisine Fyshwick Canberra
Owen with 2.5 kg of Myrtleford Butter Factory butter in his preparation area
Dream Cuisine Fyshwick Canberra
A tray of happiness in the kitchen area
We started with a lovely coffee
We started with a lovely coffee

As we left we were given a gift of goodies. Two layered pastries and two macarons. I also bought two sausage rolls.

Sausage rolls from Dream Cuisine. My lunch.
Sausage rolls from Dream Cuisine. My lunch.
Sweet treats from Dream Cuisine including layered pastry and macarons. My afternoon tea.
Sweet treats from Dream Cuisine including layered pastry and macarons. My afternoon tea.

After all that buttery goodness, I needed to walk around Lake Ginninderra. It was good to see a Pelican on the water.

Lake Ginninderra
A bird nest on Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
A black and white Lake Ginninderra seems to be a little more dramatic
Lake Ginninderra Pelican
Lake Ginninderra Pelican

I would highly recommend a visit to Dream Cuisine at Fyshwick and its other outlets.

Dream Cuisine Patisserie and Café 9/18 Whyalla Street, Fyshwick. Open Monday to Friday 7 am to 3 pm and Saturday 9 am to 2 pm.

Capital Region Farmers Market Saturday 8 to 11 am

Old Bus Depot Markets Sunday 10 am to 4 pm

Little Dream at The Hamlet, Bradden

Website http://www.dreamcuisine.net.au/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Dream-Cuisine-465771545192/

Twitter https://twitter.com/dream_cuisine

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dreamcuisinecanberra/

Again thank you Elias and Owen for making today happen.

Do you like pastry? I suppose that may be a stupid question 


Link love

CBR Foodie http://cbrfoodie.org/2015/11/14/review-dream-cuisine-patisserie-and-cafe/

Michele Fineeating https://fineeating.wordpress.com/2015/11/17/dream-cuisine-fyshwick-a-passion-for-pastry/

Rose and Joseph http://www.travelandbeyond.org/2015/11/18/dream-cuisine-patisserie/