Central Baking Depot, Neutral Bay

 Central Baking Depot ("CBD") was recommended to me by a friend who had visited the Sydney city store and fallen in love. I visited the CBD website and saw that they had a branch in Neutral Bay. As it's closer to where I live and in a location where I figured there would be fewer people, I decided to pay a visit to that store instead.

The process of finding this branch had us positively flummoxed because the address stated 7/19-25 Grosvenor Street, which seemed consistent with all the other busy hipster-looking establishments. We walked up and down but just could not find it, and on Google Maps it was situated off of the street (more on Grosvenor Ln). We should have paid heed to Google Maps in the first place, as it was exactly where Maps said it would be!
 

Exterior

Coffee: Good, smooth on the palate. Moving on.

Flat white ($3.10)

The lamb sausage roll was lovely - I was afraid that it would taste too much like lamb (that sickening aroma/ flavour where meat hasn't been marinated well), but the mince was completely inoffensive.

Lamb sausage roll ($4.50)

The beef brisket pie with mushrooms and red wine was just as enjoyable. The pastry was really crunchy on the outside but quite moist inside, which I personally don't mind (at times I actually prefer it). However, those who detest soggy pastry should stay well away. The chunks of beef were tender and the red wine made it just that little bit more gourmet.

Beef brisket pie ($5.80)

To finish off, we shared a sweet danish - blackberry and apple with a light custard. It might have been nicer if it was toasted, though I suppose warm custard doesn't sound quite as appealing. Despite its small size, it was pretty dense and filling. I'm glad I was talked out of getting a 4th item.

Blackberry danish ($4.00)

Inside the danish

And no, $5+ pies are not exactly cheap (e.g. if you want to take half a dozen home for arvo tea), but for a sit down lunch where we shared 3 pastries between two (and which kept our stomachs full for 4 hours), $7 a head is not bad at all!

After the quick lunch, we headed off to Bradley's Head, which had gorgeous views of the harbour. Will definitely have repeat visits to Neutral Bay and its surrounds :)

C'est Bon, Rozelle

Despite meaning "It is good", C'est Bon is just alright. Sandwiched between two green grocers, it reminded me of a recent trip to Paris, where the vibrant colours of fresh produce sprang out invitingly.

 There is limited seating indoors, but their lower takeaway prices provide further incentive to box up the goodies. I sheepishly don't recall their pricing, but their small pastries and tarts are within the $3 to $6 range.

Their pear and almond tart is well-balanced. It isn't too sweet but is dense from the almond meal. The pastry is crisp and buttery - definitely recommend it!

Pear and almond tart

 I also tried their lime brulee. The brulee contained only a hint of lime, and it was so faint that I almost missed it. The pastry was nice but I was disappointed that the texture of the whole tart was soft. "Brulee" means burnt, and I expected some crunchy caramelised sugar at the top, but this was severely lacking.

Lime brulee

The green tea was alright - strong enough to combat all that sugar.

Green tea ($4.00)

So my verdict? I will probably give it another go and sample a few more things on my next visit, but I can't say for sure that it's a must to visit.