Emerald Village Bakery & Cafe — Restaurant in Melbourne

Once upon a time, there was a sweet little bakery at the end of the street. On a special occasion, I would rug up the children and our puppy and pile into the car for a toasty drive through the Misty Mountains, Emerald. Once over the old train tracks and past the row of willows and birches, we could see the warm glow of our favourite bakery, Emerald Village Bakery. Once inside, my son would get excited about the home made pizzas glowing under golden lights and my daughter and I would be delighted at chosing our Orange Poppy seed cake to take home for an afternoon of High Tea accompanied by Rose petal tea and our teddies.

A few years passed as in the blink of an eye, and on Tuesday, we decided on an impromptu visit to our sweet little bakery once again. This time, it was a 3 hour drive, and sure enough, there it was. Upon entry I had to manouvre my way past a young lad arranging the shelves with produce so everything was at eye level, then I felt startled as suddenly there was a plethora of lasagnas, raviolis and other savoury treats stacked in cool fridges (cosco) style... after a decent peruse/search for their famous poppy seed cake, I found it ... not just 3 or 4 but in a pyramid of around 15.... (This should have been a warning to what I would find beneath the layers of glad wrap). It looked the same, so alas, I bought 2. ($28.60) The price didn't phase me because I knew the quality.... a fluffy cake filled the ripe juices of clementine oranges, poppy seeds, free-range eggs, and so incredibly moist that we would be licking our fingers after each thin slice

Once we got home, I popped on the kettle and, after a very long scenic drive, couldn't wait to unwrap my sticky, lush cake.

In short, the only thing that was the same was the Glad wrap.

Now I just feel angry and betrayed, and for me, that takes a lot of effort. I tried to rectify and repair this broken dream on a plate by making some orange syrup , melting it on the stove, adding sugar to dissolve, jabbing holes into it (which provided some satisfaction) perhaps I was focused on the sham of a shop owner.....

....needless to say, I deserve to be on the payroll ... even after all this, this dammed excuse for an oversized cupcake made from homebrand sheit quality packet mix that bareley even looked at an orange or knows what an orange is .... don't speak to me of moist and lush, I have been deceived.

the lowest star I was permitted to give here was 1, but let me tell you ,...

Overrated for the quality, price and service you receive. Food is a hit or miss, one thing may be yum, another not so nice. You can get something nicer at any other bakery and a lot lot cheaper. For the quality of food you receive the price is quite high- also some stuff not even price tagged. The staff are also quite rude. Myself and my partner went a couple weeks ago in the morning to grab some breaky. I myself don't eat pork and my partner doesn't eat fried eggs (like in an egg and bacon roll). I asked the young girl if there was anything without bacon or ham and she said no everything has bacon or ham in it. One of the other girls overheard and said we can make something fresh without bacon or ham in it. The girl who was originally serving us wasn't pleased with that and proceeded to say "If you really don't wanna eat bacon I guess I'm gonna have to do that aren't I?" My partner then asked if she'd be able to do a roll with no egg. He then got "really? there's not much there". I'm not sure if it's because it was early or she was having a bad morning, but if you don't wish to do the things you're employed to do, don't come! Also the staff seem to have a competition going on of who can roll their eyes the most at each customer- makes you feel unwelcomed. Ordering is also quite difficult and confusing as it's so crowded.

7 month update: nothing has changed. Staff members attitude hasn’t gotten better, if anything worse, especially the manager (I believe). Rude, blunt and not interested at all. Prices still too higher for the quality of food you’re receiving, some food unedible. And please be mindful, despite what they advertise, there is no indoor seating. Much better...

We visit Emerald Village Bakery at least three times a week, however, our last two visits were absolutely appalling. Last Sunday, we stopped by to buy takeaway coffees, and when we got home, I noticed that my coffee cup had literally been filled up halfway only. Whoever poured that milk knew exactly what they were doing when they put the lid on. Today, after waiting for 20 minutes in front of the coffee shop to get our four coffees, I asked the three baristas that were chatting and sipping on their coffees if our order had by any chance been missed. The bad attitude and the looks I got from one of them was absolutely ridiculous. He instructed the young lady to go check if I had in fact ordered and paid for our coffees, and when she returned, they very slowly started to make us our coffees. The same arrogant barista handed me our coffees with the most disgusting attitude, followed by “all yours”, whilst rolling his eyes. I understand it was a Sunday afternoon, and that they were absolutely swamped due to a market. However, if you are unhappy at your job, find something else to do. When you work in hospitality, I expect you to have nice manners and a smile on your face. Everyone has bad days, but you seem to be having a hard month, mate. Be better! Unfortunately, we will not...