Portofino Pasticceria e Caffé, Port Melbourne

 

It towers - like the apartment block above the shop - and is intimidating to look at, but the striped Vanilla Slice from Portofino has all the right elements. This is a substantial concoction to appease the ravenous sweet tooth. Individually, the three layers are potently rich, but eaten as one mouthful the combination strikes the right balance. The pastry, a thin delicately layered Puff, is a suitably architectural frame for the custard. Pale, rich and smooth, it has a melt in the mouth urbanity. The icing is thick but soft enough to cut through cleanly with a fork. Too tall to eat with the hands, the necessary cake fork came through cleanly, without bringing down the house like a ton of bricks. Eat a bit and run around the block. Repeat until finished.

¦ Icing ♥♥♥½¦ Pastry ♥♥♥½ ¦ Custard ♥♥♥½ ¦ Degree of difficulty ♥♥♥♥¦ 14.5/20

Portofino Pasticceria  63 Bay Street, Port Melbourne, Vic. Australia. Ph +613 9681 8699

~ by custardcrazy on December 14, 2007.