Crumble & Whisk Pâtisserie

Update Review, 2018 Tastings

Crumble & Whisk is a local cheesecake company that I've been tracking for some time. It wasn't until a catering event last year however that I finally got to try them, took one bite of the Pumpkin Spice with Bourbon flavor, and realized just how much I had been missing out on. That was some seriously good cheesecake (go read that review, and company history, first).

But, as I noted in my previous review, Crumble & Whisk does not operate a storefront, so, acquiring these delights is a bit harder.  They do sell at Farmer's Markets (in Oakland!), and used to sell on Good Eggs, but finally I discovered that they also sell on Munchery.  Munchery is was a meal delivery service that offers meals designed to be reheated by you at home (aka, they aren't delivered hot).  I've watched Munchery grow, pivot, and change, as I was one of their original customers in San Francisco, their first city.  Since then, they've added cooking kits for those who like to do some meal prep and kid's meals, and they've partnered with local juice companies and coffee makers to offer interesting beverage options.  And ... they've added some amazing desserts from local merchants as well.  The other food is all made by their chef team, but they've chosen to outsource desserts, which has worked remarkably well.  They offer incredible mini Pies from Pietisserie (which I've reviewed before), puddings from Petit Pot (review coming soon), and, swoon, cheesecake from Crumble & Whisk.  You can read all my Munchery reviews using the label on my blog, but, they have shut down since I wrote this, so, alas.

I Love New York Cheesecake: Finally!

Anyway, back to Crumble & Whisk.  Munchery clearly only carries a limited number of these cheesecakes, and they seem to *always* been sold out, particularly on weekends when I want to order.  They also only offer one flavor at a time.

I watched Munchery menus daily for ages, and finally, finally managed to catch them.  (Protip: Order as soon as you see them on the menu, even if you don't end up ordering anything else.  Yes, this cheesecake is worth the delivery fee alone.  I'm not joking. )

The first time I finally managed to successfully order, the flavor was the most simple of all: I Love New York, a classic New York style cheesecake.  While not nearly as exciting as any of the exotic collection (which aren't available on Munchery), or even the strawberry or lemon versions which do appear from time to time on Munchery, it seemed like the perfect way to judge a basic cheesecake.

Munchery Packaging.

The packaging is different from anything else I've had from Munchery, perhaps provided by Crumble & Whisk directly?  The clear plastic domes make it easy to see the beauty of a cheesecake inside, but I did find the hight of the dome a bit strange ... why did I need such a big thing?  It also had a Munchery label stuck on, but unlike other Munchery items, it did not have ingredients nor nutritional information.  Which, given what I know about cheesecake, is probably a good thing.

I Love New York Cheesecake. $5.95.

"This is classic New York-style cheesecake with just a hint of tangy lemon and a smooth, creamy texture." - Munchery

"My version of the classic features madagascar bourbon vanilla and velvet sour cream and lemon juice." - Crumble & Whisk

This was cheesecake perfection.  Honestly.

It was light and fluffy, yet incredibly creamy and rich, all at once.  The flavor was deceptively simple, yes, a plain cheesecake, but, it didn't taste just like sweet cream cheese.  It had subtleness from the sour cream, the vanilla, and the lemon juice.  I couldn't pick any ingredient out, and if you were to ask me what was in it, I couldn't tell you.  They complimented each other in a way that just created an absolutely balanced flavor.

I Love New York: Cross Section.

And then the crust.  It did not seem like a classic graham cracker crust (always kinda a throwaway crust in my mind).  Instead, it was more compressed, more sugary, almost like a sugar cookie or shortbread?  It too was delightful, and I appreciated the thickness of that layer.

This was stunning, simple, and stunning.  Seriously, cheesecake perfection, and it needed nothing else.  No topping, no drizzle of sauce, no whipped cream.  Just a spoon, a moment of silence, and complete happiness.

You can purchase these in different sizes from Crumble & Whisk as well: 3" ($8), 7" ($35), or 9" ($45).  The Munchery price of $5.95 was fantastic for an individual cheesecake that was perhaps just a little bigger than you knew you *should* eat on your own, but there is no way I was about to share even a single bite of this one.

Beet & Berries (3"). $8.

"Roasted organic baby beets infused with blueberries and hint of lemon, swirled in, topped with blueberry red wine reduction compote."

Crumble & Whisk also sells their cheesecakes at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, and one day they had two of their more interesting sounding flavors on display: one was green (!) and had matcha and avocado in it, and the other with this, an innocent looking blueberry topped creation.  I love matcha but since I'm allergic to avocado I couldn't try that one, so I got the Beet & Berries, which actually sounded more interesting anyway.

I love blueberries, and I wasn't afraid of a little beet in my dessert, so this sounded like a winner.  It was ... fine.  Same creamy cheesecake, same buttery amazing crust, and lots of flavor from the blueberry elements, but I didn't taste the beet.  I wanted it to taste more special.  This was fine, but, well, not special.

Original Review, March 2016

Artisan cheesecake.

Those were the only words I needed to see.   I like cheesecake.  I like fancy cheesecake.  So when I learned about Crumble & Whisk Pâtisserie, an artisan cheesecake maker, I couldn't wait to try the goods.

Crumble & Whisk was started in 2013, I believe mostly as just a catering business.  For a while the cheesecakes were sold on Good Eggs, which is where I saw them.  I think I recall seeing them at the farmer's market once or twice as well.  But, for the most part, the business is catering.

Cheesecakes are available in several sizes, generally round (individual 3", full size 7", or large 9"), but they also are available as 2" squares for catering only.

Crumble & Whisk breaks the cheesecake menu up into 3 categories: "classic", "exotic", and "holiday".  The classics include:

• "I love New York", Madagascar bourbon vanilla and sour cream
• "Strawberry Fields", strawberries swirled inside and on top
• "Puckered Up!", lemon curd and candied citrus
• "Triple Chocolate Threat", with a chocolate crust and chocolate ganache

The exotic lineup does get a bit more interesting, including:

• "The Dirty South", with sweet potatoes, brown sugar, and bourbon
• "Beet & Berry", with yes, beets and blueberries,
• "Madagascar Vanilla-Bourbon", with mmm, bourbon glaze
• "Banana Spice", caramelized banana and caramel
• "Spicy Mexican Chocolate" with cayenne and chili powder
• "Vegan Delight", made with tofu instead of cream cheese

It was the holiday menu that sounded the best though:

• "Pecan Crumble", with pecans, maple, and streusel topping.  (OMG, I love all of those things!)
• "Winter White Chocolate", with cranberry and orange
• "Apple Spice", with apples and brandy
• "Pumpkin Spice with Bourbon", pumpkin, bourbon, and caramel drizzle

By now, you may have noticed how many have bourbon.  I did, and I approve.

I always planned to order Crumble & Whisk cheesecakes the next time I made a Good Eggs order, but, alas, they were removed from Good Eggs before I ever did.  A few weeks later, I attended an event, and it had amazing cheesecake.  I eventually tracked down the caterer to learn where the cheesecake came from.  The answer?  Crumble & Whisk!  I was so glad I finally got to try the cheesecake I had been eying, but also so sad that I never took advantage of it when it was on Good Eggs.

Anyway, wonderful cheesecake, and I'd really, really love to try some of the other varieties.

Pumpkin Spice with Bourbon. Catering size.  $3.50.

"Organic fresh roasted pumpkin, with spiced pepita (pumpkin seeds) with bourbon caramel drizzle."

My encounter with Crumble & Whisk was at a catering event, so I had a 2" square piece, rather than a signature round item.

I took one bite and I was sold.  Wow, this was great cheesecake.

The texture was perfect, creamy, but well set.  There was clearly plenty of pumpkin puree in it, as it tasted almost like a regular pumpkin pie, just one that was a bit richer than usual.  So, so creamy.  It was also nicely spiced with cinnamon, ginger, all spice, nutmeg, and clove, standard "pumpkin spice" seasonings, but very balanced, none overwhelming.  I am always disappointed when "pumpkin spice" means an overdose of nutmeg or cinnamon.

So the cheesecake itself was great, but so was the bourbon caramel drizzle over the top.  It wasn't necessary, the cheesecake stood up fine on its own, but I'll never turn down a little extra sweet drizzle.

Oh, and the crust.  Sugary, buttery, crumbly, delicious.  A nice thick layer.

Put it all together, and you get a fantastic bite.  I wanted more than a 2" square!

Red Dog Restaurant

Update Review, May 2019

One Sunday morning I was walking home, and I was *really* craving a biscuit.  No idea why, but all I wanted was a biscuit.  And, I happened to remember that people like the one from Red Dog, and I was literally walking right by.  I immediately veered off course, and ordered a biscuit, stat.  To go.

It was ready fast, packaged nicely.

Buttermilk-Chive Biscuit / Honey Butter. $4.50.

I found the biscuit to be ... good, but not satisfying.   If that makes any sense.

The biscuit was served warm, +1 point.

It had a decent buttermilk tang, decent flavor from the chives, and wasn't greasy.  All good.  +1 point.

The texture wasn't amazing though, not a flaky buttermilk biscuit, not a scone-style either, more like ... a more decadent bread roll?  This is where I found it ... boring.

The honey butter on the side however was fantastic.  Whipped, perfectly soft so it would melt in, sweet.  I really enjoyed the honey butter.  +1 point.

But all together, I was left underwhelmed.  The biscuit was fine, the honey butter was good, but it didn't really all come together that well.  I think the biscuit would be better smothered in gravy?  (and, they do serve fried chicken & biscuits with gravy on the brunch menu, but when you get a biscuit a la carte, it doesn't have a gravy option).

So, overall fine, but not something I'd go back for.

Update Review, May 2017

I'll admit it, I totally forgot about Red Dog, even though I was excited when I heard it was opening several years ago.  I was familiar with the chef from her role at Il Cane Rosso, and I was really happy she was opening her own restaurant.  I went once to get takeout brunch , and then ... uh , I forgot about it.  Which is sad, given that it only a block from my house.

I think the restaurant is suffering from people forgetting about it, and is trying to get back in touch with the neighborhood, so they invited my apartment building for a party.  They reserved an entire private area for us, on a Saturday night, from 6:30pm-8:30pm.  They brought us tons of food, and unlimited drinks, free of charge.  I appreciated it, for sure, but, I couldn't help but wonder why they were doing this for us.

Red Dog is open every day for lunch and dinner, plus brunch on weekends.  They have Happy Hours every day of the week from 3pm-7pm.  My visit was a Saturday night, and the restaurant had only a handful of tables occupied in the main room during that entire time.  Maybe lunch is busy during the week with all the businesses nearby?  Maybe they do a good weekend brunch?  Otherwise, I really don't understand how they can still be open all these hours?

Food & Drinks.

The dinner menu is broken into 4 categories: "getting started", "vegetables", "house-made pasta", and "entrees".

At our event, we were served items from the first 3 categories, plus off-menu pizza and Happy Hour specials.  It was a nice spread, and everything was fairly good.  Well prepared, well seasoned, but mostly a bit uninteresting.  There was one standout dish however, that I would return for.

Live Band.

On Friday and Saturday nights, they feature a live jazz band starting at 7pm.  Again, I thought this was really nice, but, couldn't help but wonder about it.  How can they pay a band when there are only a handful of occupied tables?  It did make for a lovely atmosphere though.

Grayhound / Vodka / Grapefruit.

Our hosts had selected a sparkling, a white, and a red wine, a handful of beers, and a single cocktail for us to pick from.  I started with the cocktail, a grayhound.

It was good, simple, but well made, and nicely balanced.  I was impressed that it wasn't too tart, but the vodka also wasn't too strong.

I moved on to the red wine selection (grenache) and wasn't such a fan, and wished I had just stuck with the cocktail.  I'd love to try some of their signature cocktails next.

House-cut Kennebec Fries / Curry Ketchup / Spicy Aioli. $5.

The fries came from the "getting started" section of the menu.  It is the only dish we had from the "getting started" section, which I was a bit disappointed by, as I really wanted to try their most famous dish, the deviled ham scotch egg, and the signature house-made rustic beer bread with honey butter.  Alas, I'll need to return to order them myself sometime.

The fries were fine, crispy enough, skin on, but, not particularly interesting.

I did not try the curry ketchup, but the spicy aioli was good, it did indeed have a bit of a kick to it.

Overall, fine, but not remarkable fries.  My second to last pick of the night, and I wouldn't get them again.

Crispy Brussels Sprouts & Romenesco / taggiasca olives /  lemon / remoulade. $7.

Next we had crispy veggies, from the vegetables section of the menu.  This menu section featured items I'd consider first courses like soup and salads, plus dishes that seemed more like sides like sauteed swiss chard and grilled asparagus, and this, which really seemed like an appetizer.  It was the only veggie dish we received.

This dish was awesome.  Dish of the night, hands down.  I loved it, and was thrilled that they kept bringing us fresh orders.  I certainly uh, ate my vegetables this night.

But this was not a healthy veggie dish, obviously.  The veggies were fried, very fried.  They clearly soaked up a ton of oil.  But, that is what made them delicious.  I really enjoyed both the brussels (particularly the crispy leaves) and the romanesco (softer, more juicy).   I didn't particularly want the olives, but they were fine.

I loved the remoulade.  It was fantastic.  Seriously, really, really excellent remoulade.  I liked the bits in it, I appreciated the slightly spicy flavor, and it was just a wonderful compliment to the veggies, although, actually, the veggies were tasty enough that they didn't need it.

Was this a perfect dish?  Nah.  The veggies weren't actually that crispy, and they did have too much oil.  But I really liked it, regardless.  I'd get it again.

Chilaquiles Dip / refried beans / juanito’s salsa / poached egg / house-made chips. $6.

Chilaquiles is featured on the Happy Hour menu, with a larger version with multiple eggs is also on the brunch menu.

The housemade chips were ok, a bit oily, but they had a good flavor to them.

The dip itself was, well, beans, which I'm not particularly fond of.  I did like that it was mostly smooth but still had bits of beans for texture, and it was well spiced, a fairly complex flavor.  The poached egg seemed strange for a Happy Hour / appetizer item, although I think it would be fine for brunch.

I felt this dish didn't quite hit the mark and seemed a bit confused / trying to hard, but I know my opinion is tainted in that I don't like beans or eggs much.  My least favorite dish.

Off-Menu Flatbread.

Pizzas, er flatbreads, aren't on the regular menu anywhere, but, we had many of these brought out throughout the night.

It came topped with roasted cherry tomatoes, some kind of meat, melty cheese, and arugula on top.

It was decent pizza, crispy crust, flavorful toppings, and I really liked the fresh perfectly melty cheese.  It might have been crescenza, like showed up in the pasta dish?  I even liked the arugula on top for added freshness.

My second favorite dish, although I wouldn't necessarily get it again.

Rosemary Pappardelle / pork & cabbage sugo / piquillo peppers / crescenza cheese. $19.

The "house-made pasta" section contains only two items, a vegetarian farro spaghetti, and this pappardelle.  We had only this one.

It was pretty good.  The pasta seemed like fresh pasta, large sheets of egg noodles, decently cooked.  I love crescenza, so the big glob of cheese was most welcome, although it didn't really melt into the dish very well.  The pork was soft and tender.

Overall, this was fine, although it didn't have much flavor nor complexity to it.  Still, I appreciated fresh pasta and I did like the cheese.  My third pick, middle of the road, I wouldn't get it again.

Original Review, October 2014

Last week I reviewed Il Cane Rosso, the fast casual restaurant of chef Lauren Kiino, located on the Embarcadero, in the Ferry Building.  That establishment was originally part of the Daniel Patterson group, although I think chef Kiino was the head chef there from day one.  But this past year, she opened her own restaurant from scratch, down the street in the other direction from my house: Red Dog.  The astute reader may notice the naming: Cane Rosso/Red Dog.

Red Dog in many ways feels like a slightly more grown up version of Il Cane Rosso.  It is a full service restaurant, unlike Il Cane Rosso, but it is still comfortable and casual.  The focus on local, seasonal ingredients, and Californian cuisine is there, but this time, in an environment where the cuisine can be more refined.  They are open for lunch and dinner daily, and brunch on weekends (when they first opened, they were open for breakfast during the week too, which is when I visited).

Service very friendly.  I was there to get french toast to go, and when the waitress saw that I had a coffee in hand, she offered to fill my cup up for me.  I said no the first time, but when she came to check on me while I was waiting a few minutes later, she offered again.  I had already paid my bill, but I hesitantly said sure.  She really seemed to want to give me more coffee, chirping about how she  brews it fresh all morning long.  The coffee was actually great - deep, dark, rich.   I imagine it is the same coffee they use at Fearless, their coffee shop next door (review coming next week!)

Dining Area.

The space is beautiful, in a casual way.  Bright, light-filled, open, airy, with gorgeous wood tones throughout.  I can't even count how many different colors and styles of wood I saw; the table tops were made from blond, narrow planks, the chairs from a darker wood, and floors were made of wide, dark planks.   It was stunning, in a modern rustic way.

Bar Area.

The wood tones are carried through to the bar area, with the same lighter colored wood is used for the bar,  and darker tones used for the stools.

Small Griddled French Toast: l emon fromage blanc, pluot compote. $7.

After a short wait, and some excellent coffee, I was presented with my to go bag.

The packaging was nicely done - utensils included, plentiful high-quality napkins provided, all in a nice paper bag with handles.  I imagine given the location in an office park, with such nice seating areas around outside, that take out is fairly common.

I was a bit surprised when I opened the box.  I did not see any slices of bread, which is uh, what I think of as french toast.

Instead, it was more like bread pudding.  A very thick slice, moist inside, slightly eggy.  Moderate spicing, I detected at least a little cinnamon.  What I loved was the griddled aspect - it provided a smokiness, almost burnt, but not quite.  The griddle also gave a lovely crust.  Something I always care about with bread puddings is having a crispy exterior and a moist, custardy interior, and they nailed that in a unique way with this preparation.

On top was a good sized scoop of lemon fromage blanc.  At first I was a bit disappointed by it, as it was tangy, and not very sweetened.  In my mind, when I'm getting french toast, I somewhat expect it to be a sugar bomb, all drenched in maple syrup or sweet fruit sauces, topped with sweetened whipped cream.  But once I re-adjusted my expectations, I quickly fell in love with it.  The texture was a bit more like ricotta than a smooth cream, but the tang was remarkable, and really made it feel like I wasn't eating dessert for breakfast.  Not that I have a problem with dessert for breakfast, but it makes it more of an acceptable "everyday" dish.

On the side was fruit compote, made from pluots.  It provided some of the sweetness that I was looking for, but it was not overly sweet.  There was a generous amount of this provided as well.  The pluot compote and fromage blanc made for a lovely combination, almost reminding me of a yogurt and fruit parfait.

Overall, this is not at all what I was expecting from the name french toast, but I really did enjoy it.  I'd get it again, but would rather explore more of the menu first.

The $7 price was remarkably reasonable for a very well thought out dish.  This was the small size, it is also available as two "slices" for $12.

Qantas Business & First Lounges, Melbourne

During my recent trip to Sydney, I flew on Qantas for the first time in a few years.  I flew direct SFO-SYD on the way there because I was able to snag the coveted single seat on the direct flight, but on the return journey, I opted to connect through Melbourne because it meant I could try out the new Dreamliner, and fly at what seemed like better flight times.

My journey started in the Sydney domestic airport where I checked out the Qantas Business Lounge and Qantas Club (review coming soon), then grabbed some mediocre sushi from Wok On Air, and had INCREDIBLE onion rings at Bar Roma.  And I had a small meal on the flight from SYD to MEL.

I didn't expect to eat much in Melbourne, as I had more than a full meal already, and my next flight would have a meal as well, but then my seat mate on the SYD-MEL flight offered to let me into the First Class lounge as his guest.  So ... I obviously took him up on that, and also cruised through the Qantas Business lounge and the Plaza Premium lounge, just for research purposes.

Business Lounge

The business lounge was a fairly standard lounge, quite large, and not very crowded at all, at 10pm when I visited.  It was calm and quiet.

I did not spend much time checking out the seating nor amenities, but they seemed to have extensive types of seating, showers, etc.

I nibbled a few things from the buffet, just to try them, and I was actually fairly impressed.  If I had wanted a meal, I think I would have been satisfied.

Jars of goodies!

I entered the lounge to find ... jars of snacks!  Yes!  A different lineup than the First Class Lounge where they had spiced mixed nuts and AMAZING buttered popcorn, here we had rice crackers (simple, bland, meh), wasabi peas, and gummies.

I was happy to see the gummies, as I adore gummy candy, although the Plaza Premium Lounge gummy candy offering was a bit better with mixed gummies, rather than just one type.  

I liked the wasabi peas; sometimes I find the wasabi flavor too strong, or the peas too ... pea-like, but these were the kind I do like, and I'd happily munch on those alongside a drink if I was staying.

So, points for the snacks.

Self-Serve Soft Drinks, White Wine.

Drinks were self-serve, canned soft drinks, white wine, and beer, chilled glasses included.

Spirits, Red Wine.

The spirits and red wine were located adjacent to the fridge, a decent line up, with plenty of mixers too.

In another area was also a barista station, unstaffed when I was there likely due to the late hour.  I believe this is also where they would normally serve the "dish of the day", but that had ended earlier since it was so late.

All Day Dining Menu.

The food lineup was a buffet, with clear signage with the full menu, including all dish details, allergens, etc.

Market salads: tomato and cucumber, rocket salad / Cheddar cheese & accompaniments.

The majority of the menu is composed "Market Salads".  I didn't try either of these first two.

I did try some of the cheddar cheese, and, it really was great cheese.  Really sharp, flavorful cheddar.  I liked the assorted spreads with it as well.  Another cheese and accompaniments station was located on the other side of the lounge as well.

Market Salads: asian slaw, barley salad, potato salad.

"Potato salad with bacon, shallot, spinach, spring onion, watercress, walnut, Dijon mustard dressing."

From the market salad lineup, I tried the potato salad, hot on the heels of being disappointed by the potato salad in the Plaza Premium Lounge.

It wasn't really a classic potato salad though, it had a lot going on in terms of extra things (like, um, all the greenery!), it wasn't creamy, and, the promise of bacon didn't really come through.

If I wanted something else, I would have tried the Asian slaw, since I do love slaw, but I was stuffed, and grumpy that it said "crispy noodles" and I didn't see any.

Toasted Sandwiches: Ham/Salami, Roasted Vegetable.

Two types of pre-made sandwiches were available, listed as "Toasted Sandwiches" on the menu, which confused me, until I saw the panini press nearby.

Toasted to order, a smart design (fresh and crisp!) ... for those who realize it of course.

Gluten Free Station.

I was impressed that there was a separate gluten-free station as well, with bread, crackers, desserts, and its own dedicated panini press.

Vegetable Dal, Steamed Crice, Beef Pie.

The menu for this section said "Beef Pie with Puff Pastry", but, alas, the "beef pie" was really just the pie filling.  I love this sort of thing, but, puff pastry is essential.  I wondered if someone either forgot to add it, or if it was supposed to be on the side and they ran out?

That said, I still tried it, I'm honestly not sure why, and, well, I really liked it.  I was shocked at how flavorful it was.  Really good depth of flavor, nicely seasoned, thick, rich, gravy.  Really kinda delicious, and I was stuffed, it certainly wasn't hunger influencing me here.  Some of the beef was great too, really tender.  I was loving this dish actually, until I got a mouth full of fat.  A big piece of beef that was just fat.  Ooph.  Still, shockingly good for a buffet dish.

There was also a soup of the day on the side.

"Selection of Cakes."

I had a plated dessert over in the First Class Lounge restaurant.  I nibbled on desserts in other venues.  I still planned to get dessert on my flight.  Yet ... I tried a piece of the dessert from here too.

I skipped the chocolate tart, because I was avoiding caffeine, but, it did look decent, a thick, rich ganache.

So I went for ... the raspberry frangipane cake.  Yeah, I know, not even something I normally like.  But it was actually quite decent, really moist cake, flavorful fruit, and tasty frangipane filling.

The First Class Lounge brownies though were the highlight of the dessert line up ...

First Lounge

I was not flying First class.  I don't have status to have lounge access.  I did not expect to get into the Qantas First Class lounge, and thus, did not do any research on it at all.  But I know how amazing the Sydney First Class lounge is, and the Los Angeles one, although not nearly as remarkable, is still quite good, so when my seat mate on my SYD-MEL flight offered to bring me in as his guest ... I certainly did not say no!

The First class lounge in Melbourne is certainly much smaller than in Sydney or Los Angeles, but has all the same features, including complimentary spa treatments, nice showers, business meeting rooms, and full service dining.  It was not crowded, the furniture modern and classy, and really, a tranquil environment. The whole feel of the place was peaceful.

Since I wasn't planing this visit,  I had already munched on food in the Qantas Club and Qantas Domestic Business lounges in Sydney, devoured onion rings at Bar Roma (incredible onion rings, zomg), gotten takeout sushi from Wok on Air (meh!), and eaten part of my meal on the Sydney to Melbourne flight, so, I wasn't not needing a full meal at this point.  Of course though, I got a small dish, cocktail, wine, dessert, and ... a massage.  

I was thrilled that they had massage appointments available perfectly timed with my flight, right before I needed to go board.  I did a back massage, and, even though only 20 minutes, it was a full massage, really well done, and I didn't leave too oily.

I had a lovely time in the lounge, so, thank you seatmate!

Dining Room

Dining Room.

The dining room is a full service sit down restaurant, like the other First Class Qantas lounges I've been in (Sydney, Los Angeles), with small tables and a bar.

Tables are elegantly set, the views are decent of the runway, and it is a pretty tranquil space.

All Day Dining Menu: Spring 2018.

"In the Melbourne First Lounge we develop seasonal menus and work with great producers that understand the Qantas and Rockpool philosophies. Schulz Butchers in the Barossa Valley, South Australia have been producing small goods using traditional methods since 1939. A staple on our menu since the beginning, Schulz smokehouse bacon is undoubtedly one of the best in the country. Naturally cured and smoked, it has rustic red gum, juniper berry and bay leaf flavours."

The all day dining food menu is broken into 5 distinct, but unlabelled categories (seemingly, starters, sandwiches, mains, sides, desserts).

• Seasonal soup
• Zucchini and squash salad with soft poached egg, kale, white beans and lemon
• Roasted and pickled spring carrots with radish, watercress and horseradish
• Five spice duck with snake beans, daikon, black vinegar and chives
• Salt and pepper squid with green chilli dipping sauce and aioli

• Gua bao with slow roast pork belly, chilli paste and pickles
• Club sandwich with chicken, slow roasted tomato, bacon and aioli
• Grass fed beef cheeseburger

• Spice roasted butternut pumpkin with broccolini, curry leaves and coconut
• Udon noodle soup with roast pork, soft cooked egg, sesame and garlic
• Cone Bay barramundi with fennel purée, crisp polenta, green olive and toasted almond salsa
• Stir fried cumin lamb with smashed cucumber and jasmine rice
• Beef brisket with smoky bonito butter, roast onion and chips

• Bowl of chips
• Mixed leaves with Neil’s vinaigrette
• Wild rocket and parmesan salad
• Steamed seasonal greens with Colonna lemon oil

• Seasonal fruit plate
• Chocolate croissant slice with salted pretzel praline and banana ice cream
• Rice pudding with coconut sorbet, pineapple and pomelo salad
• Signature pavlova
• Ice cream selection:
• Chocolate
• French vanilla
• Raspberry 
• Lemon curd
• Honey and walnut
• Salted butter caramel

Many of these are signature dishes carried at all Qantas First Class lounges (e.g. the salt and pepper squid, the burger, most of the sides, the pavlova), and I've had them in either Sydney or Los Angeles before.  The rest are are seasonal offerings, which Qantas switches out every quarter.  This was the Spring lineup.

Pre-flight Mini Meal.

Since I wasn't actually hungry, but wanted to try things, I narrowed in on just one small savory dish, one dessert, and a cocktail (and later, a glass of wine).

Wattleseed Whiskey Sour.

"Wattleseed whiskey, citrus, bitters."

I started with a cocktail from the featured menu.  It took a while to arrive, after my savory food.

It looked pretty, nicely garnished.  But I didn't like it.  It was really sweet.  I didn't taste whiskey, I didn't taste bitters.

After a few sips, I gave up, I really wasn't in the mood for a tropical cocktail, and ordered wine.

Brokenwood Shiraz 2017 McLaren Vale SA.

The wine was better, but still not remarkable.  Very light. A fine, drinkable red wine, but not complex in any way.

Gua bao with slow roast pork belly, chili paste and pickles.

For my savory selection, I opted for just a small plate, the bao.  I had almost gone to a bao place in Sydney and regretted not making it there, and I love pork belly, spice, and pickles, so, this sounded great.  And, like just the right size, since it was a single bao.

The couple next to me also loved the bao, ordering seconds and thirds of them.  My second choice was the salt and pepper calamari, the signature dish, but since I've had that many times before, I was trying to be unique.

The bao arrived very quickly, just a few minutes after I ordered.  It was not what I expected, at all.

First, the bun. This was not a bao bun.  It was a soft, strangely pale, dinner roll, warm and a bit gummy/soggy.  Uh, what?  I disliked the bun.

Bao: Inside

.

Inside was also not as I expected.  I thought I'd have a lovely piece of juicy pork belly, fatty, crispy skin.  Instead, it was basically just slow cooked pork.  Some bits too chewy to really get through.  I did not like the pork at all.

The chile paste was on both sides of the bun, slightly spicy, but also rather sweet.  I wanted something creamy as well.

And finally, the pickles.  Only two small batons of cucumber.  They were really good, but, only two.  

The bao was rounded out by red onion, thinly sliced, but tons of it, just raw, harsh. It overwhelmed.

I did not like this bao.  Not only what it not the chinese style bun I was expecting, and didn't have tasty juicy pork belly I hoped for, the flavors were just all overwhelmed by the onion.

I almost ordered the calamari to have something else savory, but, really, I wasn't hungry at that point, and I didn't see the point, even if it was good.

Rice pudding with coconut sorbet, pineapple and pomelo salad.

So I moved on to dessert.  I was tempted by pavlova actually, because I know they do it quite well in the lounge, but, I couldn't look past the rice pudding.  I love puddings, even though I wasn't interested in coconut sorbet (eh, sorbet, why sorbet when you can ice cream or gelato?) nor the fruit "salad", since I don't particularly care for pineapple nor pomelo.  I hoped those would just be little garnishes on a big bowl of creamy, sweet, delicious rice pudding.

What I got ... was a bowl with some rice pudding, a scoop of sorbet, and a ton of pineapple.  Not quite what I anticipated.  It was ... ok.

The rice pudding itself was lackluster, rather tart.  It had a little bit of some thin sweet sauce, perhaps a caramel, on top, but otherwise, it just wasn't great.  It was topped with lots of large toasted coconut shavings, which gave a texture I did not care for, very dry.  So, the rice pudding ... eh.  Fine, but not particularly good.

The fruit "salad" was thinly sliced pineapple, *TONS* of it, and exactly two little bites of pomelo.  The pomelo was refreshing and flavorful, but looked rather awful, mangled, and, why so little of it?  The pineapple on the other hand was not very ripe, not juicy, and there was way, way, way too much of it.  There did seem to be a light botanical syrup of sorts on top that I liked.

And then, the sorbet.  A throwaway item for me normally, but, I liked it!  The coconut flavor was intense, it was creamy and rich and certainly more like gelato than sorbet, and it had nice texture with bits of coconut.

I really enjoyed the coconut sorbet as it softened and melted, particularly with a little pomelo, and a sip of red wine.  And I tried to like the rice pudding, letting sorbet melt into it to sweeten it and make it more rich, but, it just was mediocre rice pudding.

Snack Station

The self-serve food area is quite minimal, as the made to order dining is the flagship experience.  That said ... this was my favorite food in the lounge.

Spiced Nuts, Buttered Popcorn, Quiche.

One jar held spiced nuts.  They were ... fine.  Mixed nuts, not particularly interesting, and I wasn't really into the spicing.

The other though had popcorn, excellent popcorn.  I could easily have devoured that entire jar.  And I have high popcorn standards!  It was fresh, and it was oh-so-buttery.  Really, really good popcorn.

Brownies, Tea Cakes, Olives, Dried Fruit, Quiche, Tea Sandwiches.

The rest of the self serve area had a couple mini sandwiches, a quiche, two desserts, dried fruit, and olives.

The desserts were either brownies or a little tea cake.  I took both, to have on my flight later (I know, against the rules ...).

The little tea cake was a pleasant surprise.  It was moist, and the glazed raspberries on top were fruity and flavorful.  Really not a bad little tea cake.

The brownie was even better.  Rich, fudgy, chocoaltely, and studded with walnuts.  I really liked it ... alongside my coffee, for pre-breakfast.  #promove.

I think the brownie may have been the highlight of everything I had in a Qantas lounge on this trip, with the buttered popcorn a close second.

Din Tai Fung, Sydney

Update Reviews, 2018 - 2019

It has been a few years since I have reviewed the Din Tai Fun establishments in Sydney, although I've reviewed others since (like the sad noodles with sesame sauce in Bellevue, or the delightful wontons in spicy sauce in Costa Mesa).

I have now visited three Sydney locations, besides my original Westfield Mall review.  I generally think Din Tai Fung is well made items, but I don't get quite as excited as others.

World's Square Location, November 2018

When I was in Sydney, one night, post dinner, and post dessert, I still was not satisfied.  I really wanted an Asian dessert, but, since I already had one round of dessert, and I was alone, I couldn't quite go for most of the Asian dessert places, as, well, they come super sized, intended to be shared. And, it was cold out, so my usual go-to of soft serve ice cream was also out.  And ... I really wanted taro.  I wasn't exactly set up for success.

I decided to give Din Tai Fung's dessert lineup another try.  I did not like the golden taro bread when I tried it before from the Westfield mall location, nor did I like the taro mini bun when I tried it in Costa Mesa (although I did like the taro filling).  Luckily for me, besides taro ice cream (again, too cold), there was one more taro item on the dessert menu, so I gave it a try.

My order took a fairly long time to be ready, close to 20 minutes.  On the plus side, that meant it was freshly made, and handed over quickly.

It was ... a mixed success.

Taro Dumplings. $6.90.

The dumplings were hot, and smartly spaced in the take away container so they didn't stick together.

The wrappers were nicely done, not too thick, not too thin, not gummy, good chew, well formed.  Soft, doughy, not bad.

Inside was taro mash, slightly sweetened.  It was good, clearly real taro mash, and I loved the flavor of the taro.

So all good, well done components.  The thing is ... this really wasn't a dessert to me.  While sweet, it wasn't that sweet, and I really felt it needed ... something.  A dipping sauce perhaps?  I'm not sure what would go with taro, but some kind of sesame dipping sauce maybe?  Or some kind of cream component?  Coconut cream?  Or even just a hot sweet soup?

I had whipped cream with me in my bag (don't ask), so I dunked one in that, and it was certainly better, but still not quite right.

Unless I went armed with plenty of toppings, I wouldn't get these again, although, again, they were well made.

Central Park Location, March 2019

This is yet another story of a time when I already had dinner, wasn't satisfied, went to get dessert, loved my dessert, but ... still wanted something more.

And it happened at a time when I was walking through the new Central Park mall, with a nice new Din Tai Fung location.  I took the opportunity to try just one more Din Tai Fung item.

Seating.

The location is directly adjacent to the food court, mostly just roped off to be their specific seating, with full table service.

But you can also order take out easily, there is a takeout ordering and pickup area right at the front, and you can take your food three steps away to the communal seating.  If you don't feel like dealing with restaurant service, or are with a group that want things from multiple places, this is a very fast, very easy option.

It is what I choose to do, since I was just picking up one item.  I was given a buzzer, but didn't need it, as I saw my order come out, and just walked up to pick it up.

Classic Open Kitchen.

Like most (all?) Din Tai Fung locations, it features a kitchen you can see into, with the dumpling cooks in action.

I watched for the few minutes it took my dumpling to be made.

Black Truffle Pork Dumpling. $4.90.

Most of the dumplings at Din Tai Fung come with 6 per basket (occasionally, 4).  But this is the only dumpling sold individually.  Behold, the coveted, limited quality, only available at some locations, black truffle pork dumpling.

It ... was a dumpling.  A decent dumpling, well made wrapper, with just a touch of chew to it, otherwise quite pliable.  The pork filling was moist, reasonably well seasoned.

But of course this is about the truffle.  I'm happy to report that the black truffle really does come through in this dumpling.  Certainly the strongest flavor.  There were little bits of crunch, that I really hope were tiny bits of truffle, and not something else very odd inside.  The truffle flavor though really was legit.

If you really want a dumpling, and want black truffle in it, this seems like a reasonable dumpling, but at $4.90 a piece, it certainly would get expensive to fill up on these.  I'm glad I tried it, but it wasn't remarkable enough to make me eager to have more.

Original Review, 

Westfield Mall Location, March 2015

"The World's Tastiest Dumplings".  That is Din Tai Fung's claim to fame, and quite the claim.  They serve a large variety of dumplings, although the xiao long bao are their signature item.

I somehow hadn't heard of Din Tai Fung until my recent visit to Sydney.  Din Tai Fung is a chain, started in Taiwan, with locations worldwide, including China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and the US, amongst others.  Two of their locations in Hong Kong even have received Michelin stars.

They have 3 locations in Sydney alone, one is a full service restaurant, and the other two are part of food courts, one at the Star casino, and the other at the Westfield mall.  I visited the Westfield mall location, which, while part of a food court, isn't your normal style establishment.  They still make all dumplings by hand, to order, although the menu is reduced.

The location was crazy, crazy busy.  The line was long, but that provided ample time to fill out the paper ordering form provided.  Once we reached the head of the line, we handed over the form, the cashier confirmed each item one by one as she keyed it in.  It didn't seem any more efficient than just ordering directly.

Unfortunately, we really didn't like anything we tried.  Some of the food was hot, some lukewarm.  I'm assuming the quality issues were due to the location we picked, rather than being a chain-wide issue, because, how else would they possibly have Michelin stars?  I'm open to trying another, non-food court, location sometime, but I won't go rushing back.

Open Kitchen.

Even in the food court setting, the  kitchen is open, so you can watch food being prepared.  After ordering, you are given a buzzer.  It took us less than 10 minutes to receive our order, which was longer that I expected for a food court, fast-casual establishment, but, they do make everything to order, so, that matters.

Setup.

The self-serve condiment station had plates, spoons, chopsticks, packets of ginger, soy sauce, chili sauce, and vinegar.

While Ojan waited with a buzzer for the food, I set up a table in the open food court, and set about mixing up my perfect dipping sauce.  I appreciated these components.

Lychee Mint Freeze.  $5.80.

Reviews I read recommended the Lychee Mint Freeze as a perfect drink to go along with the food.  Not something I'd ever normally order, but I went for it.

I really didn't like it.  It was just a sweet syrup, with some mint flavor, in an icy slush.  The slush was nice, but it was just far too sweet.  There was a prize lychee in the bottom that I enjoyed.

$5.80 was a high price for a drink.

Crab Meat and Roe with Pork Dumpling. $9.80.

We started with the item Din Tai Fung is most known for: Xiao Long Bao, available in many styles.

I had my eye on a special crab version, available only on the menu for the larger, full service restaurant in Haymarket, but not on the online menu for the Westfield location.  I didn't think we'd be able to order them, and would have to settle for classic xiao long bao.  I was thrilled to see them on the menu at the mall, because crab is one of my most favorite ingredients.

But ... these weren't very good.  First, they were lukewarm.  Second, they didn't actually have any soup inside.  What is a soup dumpling without the soup?  And third, I didn't taste any crab.  Sigh.  How could they go so wrong with a signature item?

Things were not looking good.  The price was also a bit high, although they are double (!!) the price at the Haymarket location, so I guess this was reasonable comparatively.

Steamed Vegetarian Jiao Ze.  $5.80.

We wanted more dumplings, and there were very few choices, so we selected the regular vegetarian ones.  We weren't sure what was going to be inside of them exactly, since the menu just said "vegetarian", but I do tend to love vegetarian dumplings, particularly snow pea or mushroom, so I was hopeful.

The dumplings were hot and fresh, the skins nice enough.  Much better than the lukewarm xiao long bao.  But, I hated the taste of the filling.  It was a mix of assorted veggies and tofu.  It was bitter and mushy and just not flavors I enjoyed at all.

The price seemed a bit high compared to other items, $5.80 for the four.

Vegetarian Bun. $2.80. Mini Sweet Bun (Black Sesame). $1.90.

The final savory item we picked was a bun.  Since the prices were low, I was skeptical of the pork option, so we went for veggie, the only other choice.

I really didn't like it.  The dough was just ... doughy.  It wasn't slightly sweet, it wasn't ... anything.  Just there.  The filling was the same as in the dumplings, and I again disliked it, although this time it was even worse, as it was in greater quantity.  The $2.80 price was fine for a large item, but I didn't even want to swallow a second bite of this.

Of course, I was also really excited for the desserts.  I wanted everything taro.  I love taro, and Sydney is filled with it.  I quickly picked the fried taro dessert for one of our options, and then decided to mix it up with a sweet bun, and pick something else for the filling.  My options were taro, red bean, and black sesame.  Black sesame sounded the most unique, so I went with it.

The bun seemed exactly the same as the vegetable bun, not sweet, which I really wanted for a dessert bun, and again not very good.  The black sesame filling was slightly sweet, and good enough, and it was probably the best item we got, but it still wasn't great.  $1.90 for a small bun was fine.

Golden Taro Bread, 2 pieces. $2.90.

As I said, I love taro.  I was thrilled to see a number of dessert choices featuring taro, including the "golden taro bread", which I wasn't entirely sure what it was going to be, but it sounded great.

Except, it wasn't great.  The dough was way too oily, and just tasted like oil.  The creamy taro inside was nice enough.  But ... meh.

$2.90 for the pair was reasonable, and they were hot and fresh, just, too oily.