The South Melbourne Bakery — Restaurant in Melbourne

I visited The South Melbourne Bakery today. I was a regular here when they first opened 18months ago as I worked locally, but then started to work from home.

It would be a pity not to let you all know about this special bakery and the great items there. They are still open during these COVID-19 times, seven days a week from 7am - 4pm [specially adjusted hours]. It is quite a homely, almost rustic looking bakery that normally has seating inside and out. [Currently sticking to the restriction guidelines.]

The baker, or should I say Chef, Chris, a seasoned Chef of over 30+years has bought a European touch to South Melbourne. There is also the lovely Bell working there, plus other staff. They are very accommodating and offer suggestions of what to eat and you can tell the food here is made with love.

With their selections of savoury and sweet items there is something for everyones pallet and dietary needs. Items are baked daily so you know that you are getting fresh food of a high standard. Their baguettes and almond croissants are definite client favourites Bell told me today.

For the keen baguette eater, note that their fillings change regularly as they use locally sourced produce currently in season. Reason enough to be a repeat visitor I say! I got to try their Chicken Baguette today - what a treat [thanks]- herb and beetroot sourdough croutons on top of arugula / rocket salad, freshly cut chicken, covered in a smokey BBQ like aioli. Crunchy to bite in to with a soft texture inside. Makes for a hearty lunch. Yum!

What I ordered - *Pearl Barley Bread Loaf - a cross between a rye and a sourdough texture, soft interior with a crunchy exterior. $9 TIP 1: Great with Nuttelex and apricot jam. TIP 2: freezes well and has a long shelf life

*Carrot Cake - perfectly sized for a snack with a coffee. Incredibly moist with a delicate texture and filled with loads of carrots. The carrot quill on top of the icing is a nice artistic finishing touch. $3.50

*The Escargot - crunchy, buttery and cinnamony in taste. w Filled with a generous amount of sultanas amongst the well defined, aerated layers. $6

I cannot tell you which was my favourite, though there is a lean towards the bread, as I am a repeat customer - but the carrot cake, well, it is simply quite special. You can decide! Drop in and check them out - you won't be...

Honestly really disappointed with the almond croissant, had heard great things but I had it warm and it just tasted strongly like meat. I'm guessing it was heated in the same oven as everything else, which would be totally fine if the flavour wasn't ruined. Sadly the whole croissant just didn't taste nice (to me, a vegetarian), even after letting it settle a few minutes the meaty flavour didn't 'go away', so sadly for me it ruined the croissant. Inside was gooey and croissant had a good texture, so I'm sure that fresh or cold it would have been fine, but I really didn't enjoy it as it came sadly. Staff and environment were lovely though so I'm sure this was just unlucky. Hate to leave a bad review but I just had to share the...

The customer service was not good on my visit on Fri 11th March in the afternoon. I had to ask for the price of a choc-chip cookie several times, even after bagging, because the woman serving me was ignoring me. Look, a cookie isn't supposed to be very hard to please, but at the price of $3 that choc-chip cookie was mediocre at best and not worth the money. Unfortunately, the same women either forgot or didn't bother to inform me about a SURCHARGE and I ended up paying 5 cents extra! The food looked delicious and I would like to come back again to try your other food, but please... work on your service...