Pure Protein Bars

Pure Protein makes protein powders, bottled protein drinks, and protein bars, aimed at athletes. Certainly not the sort of products I seek out, as I usually find protein sources like this to be pretty awful tasting, and I'm not an elite athlete, so I have no need to eat things like this.

But ... I was at an expo, and they were giving out bars.  I'll try anything.  Spoiler: I wish I hadn't.  To be fair, I only tried one bar, and they make a slew of different varieties, some of which sound tempting, like S'mores, Peanut Butter Caramel, Chocolate Peanut Caramel, Chocolate Salted Caramel, or Dark Chocolate Coconut.  They also make canned shakes, in flavors that don't sound awful: chocolate, banana cream, strawberry creme, vanilla cream, and cookies 'n creme.  But ... I'm not about to go try any more of these products.

Strawberry Pure Protein Bar with Greek Yogurt Style Coating.

"These unique and delicious bars feature Greek Yogurt style coating and real pieces of strawberry for a truly amazing taste!"

For bars, Pure Protein makes three different product lines: the originals (made from a protein blend of whey and soy protein isolate), fruit & nut bars (these actually have real dried fruit and nuts in them), and Greek yogurt (coated in Greek yogurt).

I was given a Greek yogurt bar, certainly not what I would have picked, but, again, hey, I'll try anything.

Like most of their bars, the base is a "protein blend", made from whey protein.  Of course, there is soy protein isolate and soy crisps in there too.  These ingredients never turn out tasty, but, I tried it.

It was exactly the sort of bar that gives protein bars a bad reputation.  It tasted horrible.  The texture was horrible.  Shutter.

Yes, inside were little tiny bits that did taste like strawberry, but they couldn't mask all the protein stuff.  The "Greek Yogurt Style Coating", featuring maltitol and palm kernel oil, didn't really taste like anything, and certainly didn't add anything to the bar.  I appreciate that htey didn't even try to call it "Greek Yogurt", and opted for "Greek Yogurt Style" instead.

This was nasty.  I can't imagine a scenario under which I'd want to eat this.  There have to be better ways to get 20 grams of protein, if you really need it.

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Milkshakes ... from Pinkberry?

You know me and birthday freebies, I can't resist!  Particularly when they are for awesome things like frozen yogurt at Pinkberry.  I really like Pinkberry, and you can read all about past Pinkberry froyo creations, such as my first ever visit when they opened in SF, my return visit a few weeks later,  my 2013 and 2014 Pinkberry birthday outings, and other visits.

So when my birthday rolled around this year, I picked the first hot day, and eagerly set off to Pinkberry, excited to see my 6 flavor choices.  And then ... I saw them.  Hmm.  Not exciting.  As always, they had classic tart and chocolate hazelnut, both pretty boring.  Next came two fruity flavors: blood orange and pear.  I tried the blood orange and it was crazy sweet, and not in a good way.  Pear was a seasonal offering, creamy, decent enough, but not really for me.  Next, dairy-free peach passion.  This had a decent flavor, but was just sorbet (sorry those who are dairy-free, but I'm all about the cream).  The final flavor was another seasonal one, pumpkin.  It too was decently creamy, but I didn't care for the spicing.

I was a bit dejected.  I didn't like any of the flavors.  The birthday freebee is only good for the month, and I was gone for most of August, so I had no more time.  I had to use it, or lose it.  And I couldn't lose my freebie!

Then, the helpful staff member who was taking my order chimed in, "you can also get a smoothie or shake if you want?  Anything that is the same price as a small with toppings ..."

I had no idea that Pinkberry even had these on the menu.  At one point they experimented with offering greek yogurt, but that didn't last long.  All anyone gets there is froyo with toppings.  But since I wasn't loving the froyo flavors, maybe a shake wasn't a bad idea?

I eyed the shakes and smoothies menu.  Smoothies are made with greek yogurt and fruit, all healthy sounding, and none of the exclusively fruity flavors jumped out at me.  The shakes however are made with froyo.  They have only three flavors: strawberry pomegranate, chocolate banana, and chocolate peanut butter.  Chocolate peanut butter you say?  Well, hmm.  Chocolate and peanut butter are always a great match in my book ...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake. $5.25.

"The perfect twist on a classic milkshake, made with the goodness of yogurt."

I felt bad as soon as I ordered it, and saw how much work my server had to do, compared to a standard froyo order.  A swirl of froyo, pack on a few toppings, done.  But a shake?  That took effort.  But she did volunteer the fact that I could get one, right?  Maybe it was nice to do something different?

My server immediately told me that she'd be back in a few minutes, and retreated to the back of the area.  She pulled out a gallon of milk and a tub of peanut butter.  She pulled out a blender.  And she got to work.

My shake was made with the chocolate hazelnut froyo, which she dispensed right from the froyo machine into the blender, plus milk (I think whole milk? I wasn't given a choice of milks, and I can't imagine they really have options), and a very generous amount of Peter Pan creamy peanut butter.  I'm pretty sure that is all that went into it.  

Anyway.  The consistency was really great.  Super thick, almost too thick to drink with a straw at first, but it melted quickly, so this wasn't actually a problem.  I also grabbed a spoon to enjoy a little that way as well.  The consistency was basically that of froyo, just slightly watered (er, milked?) down.  It reminded me of a Frosty from Wendy's, although I haven't had one of those in years.

The flavor was very, very rich.  It was too rich for me at first.  I love peanut butter, but I think she went overboard on how much she added.  As the shake melted it got a little less intense, plus, it grew on me as I became used to the richness.  But it would have certainly been better with slightly different ratios.  I had about half left when I got back to my office, and I quickly cut it with some soy milk, which worked wonders.

So overall, this was actually pretty good.  Clearly a different experience than getting a froyo loaded with toppings, but if you are in the mood for a shake, it turns out, Pinkberry can do a decent job.  I'm not sure why the shake menu is so limited though, as they do have plenty of ingredients with which they could make some awesome shakes.  I wonder if you could customize one?

I also really wanted whipped cream on top.  And I kinda wanted chocolate chips mixed in for some texture, like you can get in Starbucks frappucinos (another freebie I got for my birthday ... stay tuned!)

The regular $5.25 price seemed a big high, but it was a very large shake.  This is the same price as a small with toppings, and compared to that, a shake is a much greater value - it has far more froyo in it than a comparable small dish, and the server spends much more time mixing it up (and then cleaning the blender out).  I'd get it again in similar circumstances, but I wouldn't necessarily seek it out.

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Monster Munch

On Fridays, I mostly review snack foods.  That is because I love munching on things.  I'm an avid snacker.

One of my favorite parts of travel is that I get to try snacks from around the world.  On a recent adventure, I discovered Monster Munch.  New to me, but it has been around in the UK since 1977, manufactured by Smiths, whose products I have reviewed before.

Monster Munch is baked corn snacks, in fun flavors, with, uh, monsters as the selling point.  I think it is aimed at kids?  Each flavor has its own monster to represent it.  Over the years, the flavors have included ridiculous things like "beef burger", "spaghetti sauce", or "vanilla ice cream".

I only tried one variety on this trip, but I'll certainly seek them out next time I'm in the UK!

Pickled Onion.

These are basically puffy, baked corn snacks, in fun monster shapes.  They have a nice crunch, really light, with satisfying air pockets.  The texture was just right.

The flavor was crazy though, dubbed "pickled onion".  It was slightly onion-y, yes.  And tangy.  I didn't really taste "pickles".  But, I liked it.  I think.  Such a strange flavor.

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Cupcakes from Cupcake Cove

You may recall that several years ago, I reviewed a tiny little bakery in the Financial District called Cupcake Cove ... for their cookies.  Yup, cupcake is in their name, and I only had their cookies.  I just don't seek out cupcakes often, as I'm rarely impressed (as you probably know from reading my cupcake reviews).

But recently, a co-worker brought in a box of assorted cupcakes from Cupcake Cove.  While I may not seek them out, I'll obviously try any that are brought to me!

Sadly, for a namesake item, they were not very remarkable.

Assorted Cupcakes.  $3 each, $30 / dozen.

The box contained an assortment, but I had to guess at flavors, referencing the Cupcake Cove website as I went.  I didn't get a photo until several had been snagged (including by myself, whoops), so there are a few missing, but I think our box contained one of every flavor offered that day.

The cupcakes weren't the most exciting flavors.  All had either vanilla or chocolate as the base cake (except for the carrot cake), and frosting varieties were vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut.  There were no interesting fillings nor toppings, no embellishments.

I started with a dark brown cake with light brown frosting, not pictured here, since, uh, I already took it.  I think this was the "Peanut Butter Frosting / Chocolate Cake" option.

The cake itself was moist, gummy, and not very interesting.  The frosting was rock solid, and had no real flavor to it.  I'm guessing it was the peanut butter, since it was lighter colored than what I'm guessing was chocolate, but it didn't taste like peanut butter in any meaningful way.

I moved on to the unique one, the "Cream Cheese Frosting / Carrot Cake".

It was much better, a decent carrot cake base, loaded with nuts and bits of carrots.  The cream cheese frosting was fluffy, generously applied, and had a nice cream cheese flavor, so that part was quite was good.  But, at the end of the day, it was just a standard cupcake.  

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Muracci's Japanese Cuisine

Muracci's is a super casual Japanese restaurant in the Financial district.  Open only during the week, for lunch and early evening only, so not somewhere I've had many opportunities to visit.  They have a very small seating area, basically just a couple stools up against the front window, but nearly everyone takes the food to go.

The space is kinda funny, a long narrow hallway basically, where everyone lines up, leading to the register deep inside the space.  The line always spills out onto the sidewalk at lunchtime.  Once you order, and get your food, then you have to squeeze back through everyone.  I'm not sure how they could do better though, the space just isn't very big.

The menu is mostly Japanese-style curries with rice, although they also have noodle soups, a small sushi menu, and some side dishes.  I'm not one for curries, so I opted for sushi and sides, none of which were very good, but, the curry really is what they are known for.  Oh, they also have packaged mochi, which I did enjoy, but somehow didn't get a photo of.  I'm losing my edge.

Potato Salad.  $3.75.

This is certainly the most unusual potato salad I've ever had.  Perhaps this is normal for Japanese potato salad?  It had ... broccoli and corn.  Uh, what?

The potato itself was also strange, it was .. almost mushy?  Like chunky mashed potatoes, not distinct pieces of potato.  I can't say this was a bad thing exactly, just, very different.

However, there wasn't much flavor.  It was certainly not overdressed, which is probably my most common complaint with potato salad, but I still am not sure there even was a dressing in this.  It really might have just been potato, corn, and broccoli.

I'm glad I experienced this as a totally different form of potato salad, but I wouldn't get it again.  $3.75 price was fine for a container of potato salad.

Inari.  $3.95.

Muracci's has a small sushi menu, consisting of 3 types of rolls (cucumber, avocado, or California) and inari.  All are prepared in advance, ready to grab-n-go.  I was really craving sushi, and while I didn't expect Muracci's to have anything all that high quality, inari is usually a pretty safe bet.

It was ... fine. The inari skin was slightly sweetened, it was well wrapped.  But, I didn't care for the rice inside and each piece was very generously stuffed.  It was white rice, but tasted somewhat like brown rice.  I think possibly due to the sesame seeds that were also in there?  The rice was slightly sticky, but didn't seem seasoned, besides the sesame seeds.

The portion of 5 huge inari was great for $3.95, but I'd prefer an option to get fewer, although I wouldn't get this again anyway.

California Roll. $3.75.

Well, this was not very good.

The rice was mushy.  The nori wrapper was completely soggy, actually hard to chew through since it was so soggy.  The sushi clearly was constructed much earlier in the morning, although the cucumber was crunchy and the avocado not too brown.  The crab was crab stick, fishy tasting.

Wasabi, ginger, and a soy sauce packet were included in the box.  Oh, and a fake sprig of grass.

I don't think this was even worth the $3.75 price.

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Bourke Street Bakery, Sydney

Several years ago, I lived in Sydney for 3 months, in Surry Hills.  I loved the location for many reasons, but one compelling reason was the fact that the apartment I found to rent was located on Bourke Street, just down the street from Bourke Street Bakery, now quite the Sydney institution.

I probably discovered Bourke Street Bakery on my first visit to Sydney, years ago now.  Sydney locals, knowing my love of baked goods, recommended it to me for one of their most unique treats, the ginger brûlée tart, and to Ojan for the sausage rolls.

I was totally overwhelmed the first time I visited that original Surry Hills location.  The lines were crazy long.  It was hard to see what amazing treats they had to offer through the crowds.  It was frantic when you finally made it to the counter to order.  There were perhaps 2 tables outside, but no other seating.  But ... it quickly became a favorite for Ojan and I.  We'd swing by to pick up treats to bring on our weekend excursions, or to grab a chocolate milk, our amazing discovery.  I know it sounds crazy to go to a bakery and get the chocolate milk, but it is seriously the best I've ever had.

Anyway, fast forward to now.  Bourke Street Bakery has expanded and flourished.  They have 8(!) locations in the greater Sydney area.  On this visit, we decided to seek out a different location, the one in Pott's Point (another area I stayed in during a previous Sydney trip).  I was curious to see what the larger location would be like.  We invited another friend along, who had just landed in Sydney a few hours prior.

I am glad we visited, and was glad to see that some items still lived up to my memories!

The Space

Street Level Entrance.

We recognized the signature Bourke Street Bakery logo instantly, but the classic sign that you had reached Bourke Street Bakery was absent: the crazy line!  Here, there was no line down the sidewalk.  It looked ... calm.

Outdoor Seating.

And unlike the Surry Hills location with only a couple tiny tables outside and no indoor seating, the Pott's Point location has seating options.

A few small tables are located on the sidewalk.  It was a bit chilly though, so we headed inside, where numerous other seating options were available.  This is a major distinguishing factor of this location.  Seating!  OMG.

Small Tables Inside.

Along one wall is small tables for two.  The bench seating wasn't very comfortable, since the back was too low to sit against.  The stools didn't look very comfortable.

Large Back Seating Area.

The main seating area is in the back, with side tables along the wall, arranged for groups of two or four.

Communal Table + Kitchen.

In the center of the back room is a long communal table with more of the little stools.

Overall, the interior wasn't great, not very comfortable, and I'm just not sure what ambiance they are going for.  Still, it was nice to actually have a place to sit, unlike the Surry Hills location.

A kitchen is also located back in that area, semi-open, but I didn't see any cooking going on.

Bread menu, breakfast menu, pie and sausage roll menu.

The first thing you see when you walk in is the fresh baked sourdough breads.

The bread menu, a breakfast menu, and the pie and sausage roll menus are displayed above the breads.

The sausage rolls at Bourke Street are known to be among the best in Sydney.  They are available in many varieties, including pork and fennel, lamb, harissa and almond, chicken pumpkin tarragon, or even vegetarian.  One of our friends got a sausage roll on this visit, and said it was quite good.  Ojan used to get them regularly.

Another Australian thing is of course meat pies, available here as classic beef, beef brisket with red wine and mushrooms, chicken, or the daily special of beef bacon pie with cheesy mash on top.  I remember getting one years ago, but I don't recall anything more about it (I was probably just trying to eat something with protein before diving into my pastries).  Our friend got the brisket pie this time, and again, said it was quite good.  He was happy with his savory choices.

The breakfast menu included quiches of the day, some savory croissants (ham and cheese, tomato and cheese), and basic toasts and croissants.

All of these items will all be heated up for you, and delivered to your table when warm.

Daily Menu and Drink Menu.

Along the wall behind the main counter is a chalkboard menu with the daily offerings for sandwiches and pizzas, since those change daily.

Beside that was the hot drink menu, all standard coffee bar offerings.

Breakfast Specials.

The other Bourke Street Bakery locations are just bakeries.  They feature all the items listed above, plus tons of baked goods, but no real entrees.  The Pott's Point location is unique in that it has more extensive food offerings, with clipboards listing out a full breakfast menu.

I was very tempted by many of the items.  Bircher muesli I adore, and it comes topped with roasted almonds and poached seasonal fruit.  Or the porridge with honey and banana.  These may sound boring, but they really do these dishes well in Sydney, totally different from what you get in the US with a bowl of simple oatmeal.  And of course, it was hard to resist the brioche french toast with mint, strawberries, and maple syrup cream.

But, we already had a huge breakfast feast at our hotel buffet earlier that morning, so, just a light meal was in order.  Plus, it was nearly 2pm, not exactly the time of day that I'd like breakfast.

Meat pies, cheese turnovers, quiche.

So, getting into the baked goods, the real reason to visit a bakery, right?  Right in the entrance, past the breads, is the expansive front counter, with all the baked goods laid out on display.

First was some savories, meat pie specials and quiches.

Croissants and danishes.

Next up were croissants (plain, chocolate, or almond praline), danishes (rhubarb), and pain au raisin.  They looked flaky and delicious.  I really wanted to try the almond praline croissant!

Cakes, cookies, donuts.

Next up were slices of cake (Pear & Raspberry Butter Cake, Flourless Chocolate), cookies (oatmeal, chocolate and sour cherry), and Belgian chocolate stuffed donuts.

I almost got a donut.  How do you not?

Muffins and tarts.

Continuing on, we were reaching the really good stuff.  You know how much I love my baked goods.

Three types of muffins were available: mixed berry, chocolate raspberry, and pear rhubarb.  The muffins change with the seasons.  I remember getting many muffins during previous trips to Sydney.  We'd often get them to take the beach or on walks.  I always loved them, and was very tempted to get one this time too.

For tarts, there was chocolate or almond rhubarb.  I know we got the chocolate tart once before, years ago.

Cake, pies, tarts, savories.

And continuing ...  now the REALLY good stuff!

In the back were slices of pizza and savory filled croissants.  The savory croissants are actually just the plain croissants, sliced open and filled with cheese and other fillings, then warmed up when served (rather than baked in, a slightly different approach than normal).  I very strongly advocated to get one for our savory offering, since it would be an excuse to try the croissants, but, Ojan wasn't interested and we were splitting.

In front were slices of carrot walnut cake and ricotta cake, and a slew of tarts: white chocolate passionfruit meringue, lemon curd, and the aforementioned ginger brûlée.  I loved the looks of the meringue!

Case of cold drinks.

The other side of the entrance area has a cold drink case, self serve.  All orders are taken from a register behind the main counter.

You wouldn't expect a bakery to make excellent cold drinks, but Bourke Street Bakery does.  Like the amazing chocolate milk.  OMG.

They also offer iced coffee and iced chai plus lemonade and pear & vanilla iced tea.

Savory

Chorizo, Mushroom & Chilli "Pizza". $7.50.

We wanted one savory item, and Ojan decided that given the heavy food we'd been eating throughout the trip, a meat pie or sausage roll were not in order.  And he vetoed my savory croissant pick.  Thus, we got a pizza.  I didn't really care what type, so I let him select, and he went for the chorizo.

It wasn't really what I think of as pizza, as, well, it had crust on two sides.  But it was also not a calzone, as the fillings weren't baked in, and the dough didn't wrap around.  This form factor was actually pretty nice, basically a pizza sandwich, portable and easy to just pick up and eat.  The crust was thin and light, nicely crispy.

Inside the "pizza".

Inside was melted cheese, chunks of slightly spicy chorizo, bits of mushrooms, and chilies.

It was heated up, but, not sufficiently.  It was only lukewarm, and certainly needed to be much hotter.  I wish we'd asked for it to be heated more once we realized how barely heated it was.

Overall, it just wasn't very good, but I thought it was interesting, and a nice easy option, a decent value for $7.50.

Drinks 

To go along with the savories, we also opted for some cold drinks.

One of our friends ordered the iced tea and said it was quite good, refreshing.

Ojan opted for a lemonade ($3.50).  I tried a sip and thought it was way too tart, but Ojan really liked it.  When I said it was too tart, his comeback was "That's what makes it good!  It actually tastes like lemon.  If I wanted to drink sugar water, I'd just drink some simple syrup".  Well, good enough point I guess, and I'm glad he liked it.

After our savory food, it was time to move on to desserts, the real reason we (or at least, I) were there.  We started with drinks.

Hot Chocolate. $4.

Ojan opted for the hot chocolate that he fondly remembered (I always loved the cold chocolate milk, while he preferred the hot chocolate).  To be honest, this hot chocolate was pretty much the reason Ojan was there.

And ... he absolutely loved it.  Over and over he said how much he liked it, and how it actually lived up to his memory.  His accolades were so great that our friend dining with us eventually got up to order one himself, and he also enjoyed his.

I wasn't very into it, but I don't generally want hot chocolate.  It was dark, rich, and chocolately, with a beautiful foam layer on top, sprinkled with additional cocoa powder.  $4 price was good for a real hot chocolate.

Decaf Long Black. $4.

I opted for just a simple long black, since I love something bitter alongside my sweets.

It was good, particularly for decaf.  Sooo strong.  Very dark brew.  No sweetener nor milk was needed here, and it did indeed pair perfectly.

Iced Chocolate. $4.

As I said earlier, the iced chocolate was my fondest memory of Bourke Street.  While I don't go for the hot chocolate, this iced chocolate, aka, chocolate milk, was always amazing.  I got one to go, and looked forward to drinking it the next morning after my workout.  Chocolate milk is one of my favorite recovery drinks!  Who needs protein shakes?

It was everything I wanted it to be.  The top layer was basically chocolate cream.  Yes, really.  They use full cream milk obviously, but I think they must put something more in there.  The top, the lid, the sides of the bottle, are filled with a thick cream, like a pudding, chocolate flavored.  This is my favorite part, and I always grab a little spoon and eat it like pudding.  Sooo good.  Yes, you can just shake the bottle and mix it in but ... I love it this way, savoring the cream.

The milk itself is rich, chocolately, and well just delicious.  You do want to shake it at some point since tons of chocolate sauce settles on the bottom.

I adore this milk, and will gladly pay $4 for it anytime.  My protip: if you ever visit Bourke Street Bakery, get one of these to go at least.  You'll thank yourself, and me, when you find it in your fridge later.

Sweets

Oatmeal Cookie. $3.50.

Ojan also got something for the road: a cookie.  It was a thin, crispy cookie, although quite large in diameter.  I'm not a cookie fan, but I obviously tried a bite.

It was very oaty, but, uh, not in a healthy tasting way.  It was very buttery, and sugary, almost caramelized.  Ojan thought that this might be the rare cookie that I actually liked, since it was so decadent.  He was right, except that I'd want to crumble it up, and use it on ice cream, pudding, or some other dish, as a component.  Just a cookie is never interesting enough for me.

The $3.50 price was fine for a large cookie, perhaps a bit high?

Ginger Brûlée Tart. $5.

I selected the ginger brûlée tart, one of their signature items.

It is an interesting creation, basically a ginger infused crème brûlée, topped with a few pistachios, but baked into a tart shell.

Like the "pizza", the theme here seems to be easy portability, which certainly makes sense given that their other locations have no where to sit.  Being able to eat all the treats with your hands is a big plus.

Inside the tart.

I cut it open to show you the glory better.

The custard was fairly standard custard, nice enough.  The ginger infusion is interesting, but honestly, I'd prefer it without.  Not that I don't like ginger, but, I dunno, I just don't love it in crème brûlée .  The top is a standard brûléed top, slightly crisp, great thickness, nice bitterness.  It is not brûléed to order obviously, so you miss out on the nice temperature contrast you get with fresh crème brûlée though.

The tart shell was crispy and hard to cut, but, you aren't really meant to cut it anyway.  It wasn't particularly good nor bad.

Overall, that is how I felt about the whole thing.  It wasn't good nor bad.  It was fine, I liked it well enough, but I have no desire to get another.  I used to love these though.

The $5 price was fine, although it is a small item.

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Brunch Takeaway from Pinbone, Sydney

On my trip to Sydney in February, there was one place that stood out in my mind as my top restaurant choice: Pinbone.  You read about my fantastic dinner there  It was so good that I returned for brunch the next day, which I deemed one of the best brunches of my life.

On my recent trip in May, I wanted to return to Pinbone again, and, I wanted to go for both brunch and dinner ... at least once each!  But, brunch is only available on Sundays, and although I was in town for two Sundays, I had plans with one couple on the second Sunday who didn't want to go to Pinbone (crazy folks), and the first Sunday was Mother's Day, which would bound to be crazy.  Since Pinbone doesn't take reservations for brunch, the waits might be extreme.  And we had huge dinner plans that night, so an epic brunch wasn't really in order.  I made my booking for dinner (which was excellent, as expected), and started scheming about how to solve my brunch dilemma.

Undeterred, I figured out a solution.  Sure, I couldn't do a full on decadent dining event at Pinbone for brunch, but I could still swing by to pick up a few of the items I eyed on my previous trip.  Remember how I said if I lived in Sydney I'd totally stop by Pinbone just to grab a muffin, donut, or dessert for takeaway on a Sunday?  This was my chance!

I proposed my plan to Ojan, saying we could get a salad or something light for a savory dish, plus a few treats, and go sit in nearby Centennial park to eat.  In my head, we'd have a cute little picnic and it would be sunny and warm. Sydney didn't quite co-operate, and it turned out to be a bit cold, windy, and totally cloudy.  Doh.  It was also my third day in Sydney, and somehow my jetlag hit way harder than the previous days.  I was exhausted, but absolutely could not sleep the night before.  I didn't feel well, and was pretty grumpy.  Ojan warned me that my mood was so foul, I wasn't going to like anything.

We still went ahead with the plan, and arrived at Pinbone right around noon.  As expected there was a wait on the sidewalk.  We entered and peeked at the treats behind the counter display.  How on earth were we supposed to pick just a few items?  Everything looked fantastic, from the muffins (orange & white chocolate or pear & ricotta), to the donuts (stuffed with chocolate, baked cheesecake & blueberry, or malted custard & rhubarb), to the assorted cakes and tarts (carrot cake, chocolate, macadamia & whiskey tarts, and of course, banoffee!).

Many moments, (ok, minutes), of indecision later we settled on one salad (to have some vegetables to justify our indulgences), one donut (because, really, how could we not?), and a mini banoffee pie (because, well, duh, banoffee).  I really wanted a muffin too as they looked so amazing, and the sound of the chocolate/macadamia/whiskey tart was almost too much to resist, but ... we did it.

Our food was packaged up within just a few minutes, and handed over in a plastic bag, complete with silverware for our picnic.

As before, the staff were very friendly and accommodating, and multiple staff members applauded our use of takeout as a great idea for the day.  Still being able to have the food but avoiding the craze of Mother's Day?  Genius!

Sadly, I didn't love anything we got.  It was all good, but not as nearly magical as my first visit.  That said ... I was tired, exhausted, and very, very grumpy.  Ojan really loved the donut, and has since compared every donut he has encountered to it.  Next time I'm in Sydney, I'd obviously still like to go back for brunch, but even if I can't squeeze in a full brunch, I'd certainly go get some treats togo again.

Bacon, maple, pumpkin tart. $12. 

We unpacked our bag to find a bonus goodie on top, wrapped up in foil.  Berri, the front of house manager, had snuck a little something extra into our bag!  A warm slice of their signature savory tart, an item from the regular brunch menu.

Pinbone has a number of signature dishes, and on the brunch menu, the creamed corn and fregola that we enjoyed last time is one of them, but this tart is the other.  A savory tart, with a base of puff pastry, a thin layer of pumpkin mash, and topped with bacon, plenty of bacon.  I'd seen plenty of great reviews of this, and really, there was nothing not to love here, so I gladly dug into our bonus treat.

The puff pastry base was very moist, not flaky and crispy as I'd expect.  It was heavy and buttery, not light and airy.  I think I would have liked something drier and crisper more, so you could actually pick it up.  That would also add a little crunch in the base?  It is also possible that when served in the restaurant the puff pastry was crispier, and it got a bit softer here since we took it to go.

The pumpkin layer was just a mash, but it was really creamy, and expertly seasoned.

The bacon slices were overlapping, so the edges that were exposed on top were crispy, but the pieces tucked under others were soft.  I really only like crispy bacon, so I liked the edges, but not the rest, as it was fairly fatty and just flabby to me.  But, this is just me; if you like bacon that isn't crispy, the tart certainly delivered.  There was sooooo much bacon.  Ojan really liked the maple flavor in the bacon.

Overall this was good, and Ojan devoured the maple bacon, but it wasn't really my sort of dish.  I did appreciate the seasoning in the pumpkin, and the fact that I got to try it though.  Thank you Berri!

Roasted carrot & beetroot salad with ricotta & baby spinach. $16.

Next we went for a salad, because I felt like we needed something savory, and we have a habit of literally eating no vegetables when we are in Australia.  We couldn't just order sweets and baked goods, right?

Salad choices were a cabbage/pecorino/walnut/pear salad, or this one with spinach, roasted carrots, beets, and ricotta.  This was a no brainer.  On our previous dinner at Pinbone I really enjoyed the roasted, caramelized carrots from one of the vegetarian dishes, so the roasted carrots immediately called out to me.  Plus ricotta?  Sold!

The salad was ok, but not remarkable.  The spinach greens were fresh and crisp.  The carrots were baby carrots, nicely roasted, still with bits of the greens attached.  Beets were lightly cooked, and chunks of both purple and yellow beets added pops of color.  Globs of creamy ricotta finished the dish.

I can't actually fault anything with the salad, but I just didn't really care for it.  There was no complexity to it, no wow factor.  The dressing seemed a bit too acidic, too tangy.  Then again ... when do I ever really like a salad?  I only ordered this attempting to be responsible.  I think my mom would have loved it though, I know she really likes beets, spinach, and ricotta.  Since it was Mother's Day, let's say I had it in her honor?

Baked cheesecake & blueberry donut. $5.

Moving on to the good stuff, a donut!

The donuts were just too hard to resist.  Huge stuffed donuts rolled in sugar.  How do you not try one?

We took a long time deciding which flavor to get.  Both the malted custard & rhubarb and the baked cheesecake & blueberry sounded like winners.  A creamy rich component and a fruit component?  Um, yes?  In the end, I let Ojan pick, since I was dictating everything else, and, really, I would be happy with either.  He picked the cheesecake and blueberry.

The donut was a big puffy donut, almost more like a sweet roll, given how large and doughy it was.  It didn't taste too fried, which is the one downfall that some donuts can have.  No gross, old oil flavors here.  It was absolutely coated in sugar.  Both Ojan and I loved the sugar coating.  It made it even more of a guilty pleasure.

The cheesecake filling was creamy and a bit sweet, perhaps a bit cheesy, but I'm not sure I would have called it "cheesecake" necessarily.  Ojan did point out that it clearly wasn't just a sweet pastry cream, and had some cheesiness to it, which, was true.  The blueberry compote on top was sweet and  a nice balance, although I would have preferred raspberry or strawberry.  Not that I don't love blueberries, and in general, I'd pick blueberries over raspberries or strawberries, but I also totally adore classic sugar coated jelly donuts, and this reminded me of a jelly donut, so I wanted a more standard flavor to match the donut.

My final criticism is that I wished there was more filling, as the donut was just split down the center and partially filled, and many bites went without filling.  I mentioned that I was grumpy and ridiculously picky, right?

Ojan really liked it though, saying he really liked how it was somewhat of a cross between a donut and a roll.  And every donut he had after this over the next few months he has compared to this one.  So, it was a success, and I'd try another of their donuts for sure.

Mini banoffee pie. $8.

And finally ... the banoffee pie.

Pinbone sells full size banoffee pies, or, mini tart style pies, as we opted for.

Now, to pack up for a minute, let's talk about banoffee.  I discovered banoffee on my first visit to Sydney.  It is not a pie that we have in the US.  I'm not sure why.  We are clearly missing out.

The first banoffee pie I had was from Cafe Sopra, in Pott's Point.  Sopra is famous for their banoffee pie, and it became a staple of my diet while in Sydney.  On every single visit to town, I make a point of going at least once to get a decadent slice of banoffee pie.  Even once I had a vandetta against Cafe Sopra and I vowed never to return to the restaurant for a meal (long story), I still made an exception to swing in for just a piece of banoffee, or, more often, picked up a slice to takeaway.  I had a vandetta, yes, but ... banoffee.  So good.

Over the years I've tried to find banoffee other places, and have even asked a few pastry chefs to make it for me, but none have ever come close to the Sopra version.  As much as I am grumpy at that place, well, they make great banoffee.

So let's just say that I was quite excited to try Pinbone's version, since, well, I clearly love banoffee, and I was eager to find somewhere else that made a version I liked.  Plus, I've loved so many other items from Pinbone, I could only imagine what they might do with banoffee.

Sadly, I didn't love it.  The tart shell was a hard, basic tart shell.  It didn't have the buttery richness of the Sopra version.  I think it was just a regular tart shell, not made with digestive biscuits.  The crust was a bit too thick, making it too dominant of a component, and it was hard to cut into.

The next layer was the toffee, sweet, creamy, a generous amount, but ... it just wasn't anything special.  I think the Sopra version uses a layer of chocolate between the shell and the toffee too?

On top of that was fresh slices of ripe banana, good enough.

The cream on top was fantastic.  I don't think it was just whipped cream.  It almost seemed like a whipped mascarpone perhaps?  I loved the thickness and flavor to it.

Finally, a sprinkling of chocolate.  It wasn't just dusted with cocoa powder, but instead was coated in little chunks of really flavorful, high quality, chocolate.

Overall, this was a mixed bag.  I really, really enjoyed the cream and the chocolate, but, the tart shell and caramel weren't awesome.  Ojan said he preferred the Sopra version, and noted that this needed a more chocolate to it.  I'm glad I tried it, and I had no problem finishing all the cream, but, sadly, it wasn't my favorite banoffee.  I guess I'll have to continue to return to Sopra.

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