Walkers Biscuits, UK

Last year, when I visited my London office, I got a chance to try a bunch of snacks from the office microkitchen (in addition to racking up a few more Michelin stars at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon of course).  Some snacks were more successful than others.  There were horrible ones, like the bars from Nakd.  Slightly better were oat and fruit bars from Braw or cereal bars from Alpen Light.

Once I grew tired of the bars, it was time to move on to biscuits, or, as I know them, cookies.  I'm not really a fan of cookies, and packaged cookies in particular, but, well, sometimes I can't resist just trying everything.  I saw Walkers products everywhere, not just only in our office, but they had them in the airline lounge and on my British Airways flight.  So I figured they must be legit.

It turns out, Walkers is actually originally a Scottish company.  They've been around since 1898, baking their famous shortbread.  Things have grown since then, and they now produce a slew of products and ship worldwide.  They care about the quality of their products, even as they have grown.  Everything is non-GMO, no artificial colors or preservatives, they use only milk and butter from free range grass fed cows, eggs from free range chickens, etc.

Since this style of product just isn't for me in general, you probably shouldn't trust my opinion much.  I found them all quite boring, sorry!

Shortbreads

The shortbreads are Walkers signature product, and the first item they ever produced.  They pride themselves on the fact that they are made with only 4 ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and salt.  They claim to make the largest selection of shortbreads in the world, available in a slew of sizes and varieties.

The basic shortbreads come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from "fingers" to triangles to rounds to animal shapes.  You can get them with chocolate chips.  Or packaged into a slew of fancy tins.  Or gluten-free of course.

Pure Butter Shortbread.

"Pure creamery butter shortbread baked in the Highland village of Aberlour in Speyside to an original family recipe, first perfected by Joseph Walker in 1898."

I tried the most basic shortbread of all, the classic pure butter shortbread.  I believe these were the fingers.

I had read their marketing about how they don't use preservatives, no artificial this or that, but, I was still shocked to see the ingredient list.  Most likely the shortest of any packaged product I've ever encountered: flour, butter, sugar, salt.  Literally.

Impressive.  That said, they were just shortbreads.

Decently crumbly, a bit buttery, but, just a plain shortbread.  Not something I'll ever get excited about.

Oatcakes

The oatcakes are a savory offering, known as "Scottish Biscuits for Cheese" in the US. Again, available in assorted shapes and sizes.

Highland Oatcakes

"A perfect accompaniment to soup, meat and fish dishes, cheese and preserves."  "The perfect accompaniment to any cheeseboard".

Whoops, I thought these were cookies!

Instead, they are dry, oat cakes.  Even with cheese, I really didn't care for them.  They tasted like sawdust!

Biscuits

Biscuits are what you know as cookies.  They make a few different varieties, but all hard style.

Oat 'n Honey.

"Delicious crunchy oat and honey biscuits."

These were very, very boring biscuits.  They tasted sorta like graham crackers, but were shaped like a cookie.  Since they looked like cookies, I expected more flavor from them.  My least favorite.

Stem Ginger.

"Walkers Stem Ginger Cookies are baked to perfection to a traditional recipe with generous pieces of whole Buderim stem ginger. The candied ginger bits in the cookies are a plus."

For packaged, hard-style cookies, these really weren't bad.  Yes, they were crispy and I don't tend to care for crispy cookies.  But they were just the right level of sweet, buttery, and I liked the very strong ginger flavor.

I certainly wouldn't ever purchase these, but I was pleasantly surprised.

[ No Photo ]

White Chocolate & Raspberry Biscuits. 

"Raspberries and white chocolate chips are packed into Walkers’ famous biscuit recipe."

I found these to be incredibly boring.  I thought raspberries and white chocolate would be tasty, but alas, not much going on here.  Just kinda dry, packaged cookies.  Never anything I'd like.

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Bar Snacks & Drinks at Prospect

Prospect is the restaurant and bar located across the street from my offices.  It is one of Emil's favorite places.  Let's just say, I've visited many times.

The following is a collection of reviews over assorted visits throughout 2014 - 2015.  I was going to combine into one master post with my previous posts, but that would get far too long, so I left separate.  I'll leave all of the general descriptions out, since, you've read it all before many times.

Let me know if you have thoughts on how to best format update reviews.  Add to the original? Keep separate?  What works for you, dear readers?

Previous posts:

• March 10, 2012: Cocktails, Foie Gras, and Dessert
• April 26, 2012: Assorted bar snacks, cocktails, and full dinner.
• June 03, 2012: Bar snacks and cocktails.

Drinks

Domino Effect. $11.50.

"Vodka, Autumn Spice Syrup, Habañero Shrub Lemon, Apple Cider".

This was really sweet an unbalanced.  Surprising, since they normally have really well designed cocktails.

So I moved on to the Manhattan Project: Silver Oat Whiskey, Dolin Blanc Rhum Agricole, Orange Bitters ($12).  It was much better than the Domino Effect, more balanced, but still pretty alcoholic tasting.  I did really liked the cherry in it.  Not quite my thing, but a good drink.

Prospector. $12.

"Scotch, Madeira, Benedictine, Prospect Bitters, Flamed Orange."

Best drink of the night.  A really nicely balanced, signature drink for a reason.

I’d certainly consider this one again.  Goes particularly well with spiced nuts (more on that below!).

Unknown.

I didn't get the name of this on, but it had rum and “autumn syrup”.

It was the best drink I ever had at Prospect.  I loved the spice from the syrup.  I had one made by one bartender that was really amazing, sooo much spicing.  And then I had another made by a different bartender with much less spicing.  It also tasted more alcoholic, not nearly as balanced.  Still good, but not as mind blowing.

If it makes a return to the menu next fall, I'd certainly try it again.

Garden Variety: $12.

"Gin, Grapefruit, Radish, Lemon, Creole Bitters, Cava"

This was ... ok.  Fairly refreshing.  Good bitterness from the grapefruit.  But, just not a lot going on.  I wouldn't get it again.

I also tried the "Discovery of the New World: Reposado Tequila, Manzanilla Sherry, Cara Cara Syrup," and it failed to impress.  A bit too bitter for me.  Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for cocktails?

Bar Snacks

Warm Nuts. $4. 

When you are at a bar, you need to munch on something, right?  We started with the most basic bar snack: nuts.

They were nicely spiced (with rosemary I think?).   Served warm is always a nice touch.  The mix was pecans, cashews, and peanuts, a decent selection.   I particularly liked the pecans.

Not particularly amazing, but, good for what they were, and if I just wanted something to munch at the bar, I'd get them again.

Kabocha Squash Hummus / Olive Oil Crackers. $7.

Someone I was with ordered the hummus and crackers.  

I don't like hummus, but still tried a bite, since I love kabocha squash and hoped that would dominate the flavor.  It didn't.  Still hummus, so not for me, but the garnish of seasonally appropriate pomegranate seeds was a nice touch.

The olive oil crackers on the side were quite tasty though, I just wanted something different to dip them into.

Fries with Aioli. $6.

Whenever I visit Prospect, I'm always jealous of the fries.  They always look amazing, and so many groups seem to order them.  So I finally tried them, after many years of visiting and just drooling from a distance.

Look at these things!  Serious fries.  Thick cut.  Delivered piping hot and fresh.  Very soft and mashed potato-y inside, but crispy outside.

But ... I didn't love them.  I think it was the aioli that killed it for me.  I usually love aioli, and this was just ... mayo, really.  It had no real flavor.  It didn't add anything to the fries.  I found myself wanting ketchup (which never happens!).

On another visit, I tried the fries again when they had a special: salt and vinegar fries!  They were again thick cut, served warm.  The salt and vinegar flavor was quite successful.  But ... the aioli flavorless and not good.

Maybe I'll try them again, but sadly, this is one dish that looks much better than it has tasted.

Caesar’d Deviled Eggs with Garlic Bread Crumbs. $7.

Ok, now we are getting somewhere!  Deviled eggs!

I'm very particular about my deviled eggs.  I love deviled eggs.  When I was in college, I made them, in the dining hall, all the time.  The salad bar had whole hard boiled eggs, the sandwich bar had mayo, mustard, relish, etc, and I could always find other fun things to mix in.  So whenever I wasn't into what the dining hall was serving, I had a fallback that I adored.  Sure, my friends thought I was crazy, cracking the eggs, pulling out the yolk, mixing up my magic mix of filling, and stuffing it back in, but I didn't care.  They always made me so happy.

Anyway, I like trying interesting spins on deviled eggs, and Prospect always has some kind of deviled egg.

On this visit it was a play on a ceasar salad.  The filling was creamy, and perfectly salty, but the "caesar" nature of it wasn't too strong.  The garnish of lettuce to mimic the salad was cute though.

Fine, but I prefer my deviled eggs to be spicy, or just have something a bit more going on.

Spring Garlic Deviled Eggs: Bacon, Pickled Serrano. $7.

I tried several other variations on the deviled eggs at Prospect, and they just never really met my particular style.  I didn't order these, or even want them, but Emil did, and demanded that I try one.  He loves Prospect, and is always sad that I never find the food quite as good as he does.
The filling in these was green, which you can't really tell from this photo.  Unfortunately, I didn't taste any spring garlic.  The filling was creamy, but, just not interesting to me.  The egg was cooked fine.  The pickled serrano did give a nice pop of heat, and who doesn't love a tiny bit of bacon, but, they were just deviled eggs.  Not flavorful enough.

Duck Liver Mousse: Dates, Pickled Shallots, Brioche Soldiers.  $9

I've had mixed success with the duck liver mousse at Prospect over the years.  But, after a conversation involving foie gras, it seemed fitting to at least order the mousse (this visit was clearly during the foie gras ban).

The mousse itself was decent, creamy, not too liver-y, with a sprinkle of salt on top.  A bit more salt, perhaps on the plate for us at add on as desired, would have been appreciated, but otherwise, the mousse was fine.

The brioche soldiers sounded like a nice vessel for the mousse ... except they weren't warm.  They had been toasted at some point, but had lost their heat long before reaching us.

I love shallots and pickled things, so I liked the pickled shallots, but they didn't quite go with the mousse.  They would have been better mixed into the deviled eggs!

The only other component on the plate was two dates, cut in half.  They provided some necessary sweetness, but there were only two, and, dates don't really spread. This dish was seriously lacking some sort of fruit compote.

Overall, one of the less successful versions of this dish, but again, the mousse itself was fine, it was just everything served with it that didn't add up.

Spiced Foie Gras Torchon: Orange Marmalade, Sparkling Gelée, Chocolate Brioche. $15.

Ah, foie gras.  This review was clearly written once the ban had been taken back.

This was a decent offering.

Two types of toast, one regular brioche, one chocolate, both thick and nicely toasted.  Served warm this time.  A good foundation for the foie.

The torchon was good, quite creamy, with good strong foie flavor.

The "sparkling gelée" didn't have much flavor, but was a fun component.  The marmalade was similar, good enough, nice to have fruit and sweetness, but, not remarkable.

Overall, solid, well executed, but not particularly memorable.

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Gantry Bar and Lounge, Sydney

Last week, you read about how I visited the recently opened Gantry Restaurant in Sydney.  We had a great meal featuring fresh seafood and interesting cocktails.  I added Gantry to my list of places that I'd gladly return to, expecting that to mean on a next visit to Sydney, since I still had many other places I wanted to visit on this trip.

But, a few nights later, we had a VERY large group (at least 15, I think 20?) that wanted food, and, more importantly, drinks.  I racked my brain.  Where on earth could we seat 20 people, with no reservation, that would have decent food and drinks?

Then I remembered the lounge and bar area leading to The Gantry Restaurant.  I knew it used the same kitchen as the restaurant, but served more casual bar food.  And we found the cocktail menu really intriguing when we went for dinner, so I knew the drinkers would be happy.  And, it didn't seem that crowded when we were there before, so I hoped that possibly we'd be able to walk in with our swarm of people and be accommodated.

The Bar ... before we showed up!

We sent Emil ahead of the large group to scope it out and prepare the staff for our arrival, which he happily did.  When we arrived, it was just as we hoped: the entire bar was open, as were many of the adjacent casual seating areas.  Emil had a drink in hand, and vouched for its deliciousness.  Things looked good.

However, the staff were clearly not pleased with our huge group.  They were really were not happy that we wanted food in addition to drinks.  I wouldn't say that they were impolite exactly, but, they certainly didn't make us feel welcome.

The quality from the bartenders varied widely.  One bartender put a lot of care and attention into his drinks, such precision, and came out with great creations.  The other seemed to care less that we were there, and was quite sloppy.

After everyone ordered their drinks at the bar, we moved off into the casual seating space so as not to take over the entire bar.

Casual Seating.

The other seating areas were in pods of a few chairs around little cocktail tables, with assorted types of seating.  We broke up into several groups and were intending to order food for each set of people, based on what those individuals wanted.  However, they required that we do a single food order, so I just ordered for the group.

The service wasn't very good, probably due to our group size.

As the food came out of the kitchen, it got randomly distributed amongst our groups.  Even if we had 3 orders of the same dish, they just brought them all to one table ,and then brought nothing to the next table.  We had to distribute the dishes ourselves.

They also only brought out perhaps 3 sets of cutlery for our group of 17.  We asked for more cutlery, and they eventually brought a couple more, but not enough for everyone.  We were provided no share plates.   When we asked for share plates, again, just a few were brought.

Again, they did accommodate us, but, were clearly annoyed.  Our large group of jeans and t-shirt clad engineers was not the right demographic for their swanky hotel bar, and I don't really recommend you follow my lead here.  A small group of well dressed folks would fit in much better.

The food was fine, but not nearly as good as the meal we had in the full restaurant.  It was better than standard bar food, but it was also quite pricey compared to regular bar food.  I wouldn't return to teh bar and lounge for food, but perhaps if I just wanted a drink I'd swing by, as the cocktails were all interesting and tasty.

Drinks

The drinks were certainly the highlight of the evening.  All were unique and decently made (if you got the right bartender).

El Gantry. $19.

"Altos Blanco tequila swizzled with blueberry and native herbs."

I started with El Gantry.  Like the cocktail I had in the restaurant, it had a ton of crushed ice, but unlike the one at the restaurant, it was nicely balanced from the start.  I didn't really pick up much blueberry nor tequila though, and wanted to taste at least one of those elements more, hence the reason I picked the drink.

The garnish of some sort of fresh native herb was interesting, and added a strong whiff of herbs with every sip, not what I'm accustomed to while consuming a cocktail.

Overall, I enjoyed it, but was ready to move on.

So I moved on to a drink that Emil ordered, and quickly discarded.  Why?  It was sweet, and if you recall, Emil simply doesn't do sweet.  I'm amused that he even ordered it.  I don't understand.  It was The Grape Escape, described as "Hennessy VS and fresh grape juice shaken with orgeat and rhubarb bitters."  I guess he thought the Hennessy and bitters would counteract the grape juice?

I thought it was pretty good, although obviously quite sweet. The best part was the whole grapes submerged inside that soaked up all the booze, and were quite fun to eat at the end.  It was a drink that just kept on giving!

Throughout the night, everyone ordered a slew of cocktails, all interesting sounding and looking, and they all seemed to enjoy them.  On the cocktail front, we achieved success.

Port. ??

To end the night, I needed dessert, obviously.  The Gantry does serve desserts from the restaurant in the lounge, but that seemed too complicated with our group, so I opted for "liquid" dessert instead.

I opted for the port.  It was fine, but, just port.

Bar Snacks

As I mentioned, the bar and lounge menu is entirely different from the restaurant menu, which makes sense, given the space.  You can't eat beautifully composed plated seafood entrees while sitting in a low chair with only a side cocktail table, so the menu is adapted to the space.

The bar menu is broken up into two sections, dubbed "bar snacks" and "substantials", but all are designed to be share plates enjoyed at the bar or in the lounge.

To start, we ordered several of each and every bar snack.

 Beetroot Homefries / Dill Aioli. $9.

We started with the beetroot homefries that we had a the restaurant a few days earlier.  I skipped them this time around since I didn't really care for them at the restaurant, but everyone else gobbled them up, again a crowd pleaser.

We also got the chicken wings with tamarind glaze ($16), which, given my dislike of chicken, I obviously skipped (and missed a photo of entirely, amidst all the drama of food randomly showing up at tables, whoops!).  These went unfinished, which I'll use as an indication that they weren't great.

We also had the parmesan fries with Gantry's signature seasoning ($9), served in a huge pot.  I really thought I got a photo of this dish, but, alas, I didn't.  As I said, it was chaos, and it was quite hard to capture even the shots I did.

The fries were super thin, really crispy, nicely seasoned.  They weren't served with any dipping sauce, but since basically every other dish we ordered came with a pot of aioli, I was easily able to find some to dip them in.  They were good, but not particularly notable.

Szechuan Salt & Pepper Squid / Tartare Sauce.  $16.

Next was a serving of the s&p squid, always a fun bar classic, and the one I was most looking forward to.  The squid was decently crispy on the outside, not chewy nor rubbery, not too oily.  I appreciated the lemon wedge on the side, but with a huge group, we weren't really able to share the lemon.  Did I want other people's dirty hands on the lemon that was touching my food?  And were we supposed to pass it around?

Of course I liked the tartare sauce, but it seemed identical to the dill aioli with the beetroot homefries.

My favorite of the bar snacks.

Cumberland Sausage Rolls / Housemade Smoked Ketchup. $16.

The final "bar snack" were mini sausage rolls.  The pastry on the outside had a lovely gloss to it, but, wasn't really interesting, not very flaky or buttery.  Inside was very moist sausage, decent enough.

The housemade smoked ketchup was my favorite element, super flavorful and tasty.  I used it with the fries as well, it even trumped the aioli, which, as someone who loves aioli, you realize is quite the testament.

Prices were high though, $16 for three mini sausage rolls?

Substantials

Next we moved on to the "substantials" portion of the menu, larger dishes, but not really entree style.

Australian Cheeses / Muscatels / Quince / Local Honeycomb / Crackers. $28.

First up was a cheese platter.  It had a few pieces of fruit, including not very ripe strawberries and figs that one diner dubbed the only thing she didn't like that night.  I tried one and agreed, it was strangely bitter.  Dried apricots and a smear of some kind of jam were the final accompaniments.

But where was the cheese?  Most of the cheeses were hidden under the crackers, a strange plating.  All of the cheeses were pretty unremarkable.  Not a single cheese stood out, but that was common in Sydney.  No wonder they all just eat "Tasty Cheese" in Australia.  I don't think cheese culture has really caught on.  The crackers were just thin crispy crackers.

We also got the meat platter: "Selection of Cured Meats / Housemade Pickles / Warm Housemade Foccacia", also $28.  Again, no standouts, although the meats were all thinly sliced and tasty enough.

Tiger Flathead / Murray's Brewing Beer Batter / Chips / Tartare. $26.

Since Gantry excels in seafood, for the more main-dish like items we skipped the meats, and moved right on to seafood.

First up was the fish and chips, a dish I eyed in the restaurant all night long, as it passed by to other diners on that visit..

Like the s&p squid, it was served with a lemon wedge and the same tartare sauce on the side.

The fish was fine, moist inside.  The batter was thick and tasty.  The pieces were a bit too oily however.

The chips were not the same as the thin parmesan fries we had earlier, instead, they were thick cut wedges, I think they may have also been lightly battered in the same way as the beetroot homefries.

The final dish we got was also the most pricy, at $39: "Bucket of King Prawns / Marie Rose Sauce / Housemade Focaccia".

The bread was grilled, and basically just all butter.  I liked the strong smoky level of the grill, but wow, this was literally just butter.

I didn't have the prawns after several people said they weren't good, and, indeed, the expensive bucket of prawns went unfinished.  People chose to order additional food instead of finishing them, they were that bad.  I believe they were just cooked and then served chilled on ice, nothing special.

But, the sauce that came with them ... now THAT was special.  Marie Rose sauce is basically cocktail sauce mixed with mayo.  Yup, more mayo based sauce.  This was the winner of the sauces, creamy and spicy and flavorful.  Once I discovered this sauce, I dunked absolutely everything else into it.  Including leftover crackers.  Just so I could eat more sauce.  But, overall, since no one liked the prawns, obviously not a winning dish.

So yeah, basically, my night was spent dunking fried potatoes and seafood of various types into pots of aioli.  I can't say this was was a healthy evening, but, it was bar food after all, and, when in Rome, right?

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Snag Stand, Sydney

Update Review, May 2015 Visit

If you didn't read my original Snag Stand post, I suggest you start there, and then return to this update, since I'm skipping the background on Snag Stand this time around.  See "Original Review, February 2015 visit" below.

Our recent trip to Sydney started with a very long travel day to Sydney aboard Air New Zealand, from SFO to Auckland, and then Auckland to Sydney.  We checked into our hotel, took quick showers at the gym since our room wasn't ready, and headed to the office.  Many, many hours later it was finally 5pm, and we were ready to crash.  But somehow still at the office.  The subject of dinner came up.  I was so exhausted that I honestly didn't care about food (yes, this CAN happen to me!).  I wasn't hungry.  I literally had 4 breakfasts that "day" (as you read about on flight #1, then more at the Air New Zealand lounge, then another on flight #2, and finally at the Westin hotel executive lounge while we waited).  And then I had lunch at the office, plus we swung by Messina for gelato in the afternoon.  Oh, and then we had a company-wide TGIF party with snacks at 4pm.  I had no idea what time it was, what meal I should be eating, or if I even needed more food.  I just wanted to get to the hotel to unpack and unwind.

But ... I was with a big group of co-workers who did want dinner, and hey, we were in Sydney after all, how could I waste one precious night there?  But I needed something simple and easy.  Ojan suggested Snag Stand, since we'd been before, and that seemed like a great idea to me.  Super casual, everyone could get what they wanted since there are lots of options in the food court, and I could probably even sneak in a Chat Thai dessert too.

So, to the mall we headed.  I was basically sleepwalking at this point, but the memory of the amazing fries from Snag Stand kept me going.

Chicago Dog. $8.90.

"Grilled frankfurter topped with mustard, relish, onions, tomato, pickle spear, sport peppers & celery salt on a poppy seed roll."

One co-worker ordered the Chicago Dog.  I was sad it didn't have any bright green relish, but otherwise, it looked fairly legit.  He seemed happy enough.

Spicy Cheese Kransky. $9.90.

"Freshly grilled with semi sun-dried tomatoes, sriracha mayo, and cheddar cheese on a toasted brioche roll."

Ojan and I were both entirely indecisive.  But one coworker (who wasn't with us on this visit), told us over and over again to get the Spicy Cheese Kransky, so, we did.  I was too tired to think straight, otherwise I probably would have realized that this wasn't going to be something I would like.

When I picked up the dog, I immediately realized my failure.  Remember how we didn't like the "Australian Fare" sausage that Ojan ordered last time?  In part because it just had a bunch of unmelted cheese on top?  Um, yeah.  Same thing here, tons of white cheddar cheese, just sitting there on top.  I really don't see the appeal!  Why dearest Australians, do you want unmelted cheese on your dogs?  I was picturing something slathered in a cheese sauce, more like a Philly cheesesteak.

I also don't ever really care for sun-dried tomatoes.  Not that I dislike them, but, they just are not a flavor I am crazy about.

And Kransky?  I didn't even really know what that was, but, it is polish sausage.  It was nicely grilled, a decent char on the outside, juicy and moist.  But certainly not my style of sausage.

The toasted brioche bun I did love, fluffy, light, and toasted to order.

I didn't care for this at all, but, I think I just totally ordered the wrong thing.  It was one of the priciest selections at $9.90.

Snack Size Chips. $2.90.

The sausage didn't matter anyway.  I was there for the chips (yes, fries to you Americans).  I loved them so much last time.  I didn't expect them to live up to my memory exactly, but I figured they would still be good.

They weren't.  They clearly weren't as fresh.  Served lukewarm at best.  The exterior wasn't as crispy as I recalled, the inside not as soft and fluffy.  They weren't bad exactly, but just basic thick fries, barely warm.  Sadness.

Last time, we ordered the larger size and I devoured them.  This time, we didn't even finish our small "snack" size serving, even though Ojan and I are the only ones at the table who ordered fries.  No one else wanted more than one either.

Herb Aioli. $1.

 Of course, half the magic of the fries last time was the dipping sauces.  I knew I didn't want the bbq or the gravy.   Ojan doesn't like truffle, so the truffle aioli was out.  I don't tend to love chipotle, so the chipotle mayo was out.  That left the sriracha mayo, which I had last time and did enjoy, and the herb aioli.  I decided to go for the herb aioli, just to try something new.

It was ... basic, creamy aioli, with herbs.  Not much more to say about it.  Just pretty basic, good enough, but the sriracha mayo was definitely a more flavorful and interesting choice.  I wouldn't go for herb aioli again.

Original Review, February 2015 visit

Snag Stand is a "haute dog" shop located in the Westfield Mall in Sydney.  And yes, I went there.  And no, it wasn't because they serve amazing dessert (like the other hot dog place we visited, Chanoma Cafe, that I most certainly went to just for the matcha ice cream).

Partially the reason was simple: laziness.  We were staying close by the Westfield, and the food court made for a very easy meal, which we took advantage of many times, including going to Din Tai Fung for dumplings, Chatime for bubble tea, Bécasse Bakery for cronuts, and Chat Thai for lots of desserts.

Our visit to Snag Stand was also inspired by how easy the food court makes it for everyone to get different things from different vendors, and then just meet to sit in the communal dining together.  But, I'm obviously still an opinionated food snob, and just convenience will never get me to visit somewhere.  The food has to be good!

I researched everywhere in the food court in advance, and I was intrigued by Snag Stand.  Snag Stand has several locations throughout Australia, just this one in Sydney.  They are a hot dog shop obviously, but they take pride in the quality of the products.  They list the names of the butchers they work with, boast the fact that the dogs are all made in small batches, they use natural casings, and don't gunk everything up with artificial additives.

The menu revolves around the dogs, dubbed "haute dogs", each named creations.  They use all different bases (wagyu sausage, chorizo, German bratwurst, or frankfurters), several types of bun (poppy seed, rustic, or brioche), plus tons of crazy toppings (garlic mashed potatoes, coleslaw, goat cheese, sundried tomatoes), veggies (baby rocket, sautéed onions, pickles, sports peppers, sauerkraut, rosemary mushrooms), and are finished with sauces (smokey bbq, truffle aioli, herb aioli, sweet relish, beetroot relish, sraracha mayo, herbed gravy).  The menu does not imply that you can create your own, or even omit an ingredient in a pre-defined creation, although it may be possible?

All dogs can be made vegetarian, and gluten-free rolls are also available.  Snag Stand also offers a few types of burgers (beef or chicken), plus only two sides: fries and onion rings.  If you are looking for something besides a burger, hotdog, or fries, then, go elsewhere, which is easy, since it is a food court after all.  But if you want the best fries ever, look no further!

Snag Stand Ordering Counter.

The shop is a classic food court setup, order at a register, get a number and wait, eventually out comes a plastic tray with your food on it.

Regular Size Chips. $3.90. Smokey BBQ, Sriaracha Mayo. $1 each.

"100% Tasmanian russet potatoes cooked in cholesterol free oil and seasoned with natural sea salt".

I read a lot of rave reviews about the chips (fries), which is the only reason I wanted to try them.  We ate a lot of fried food in our time in Australia, and a lot of potato products, including really disappointing fries the day before at Watson Bay Beach Club, and fried prawn toasts the day before that at Ms. G's, after which Ojan and I both declared we weren't eating more fried food for a while.  But if the chips were THAT good, maybe we needed to try them?

Best. Decision. Ever. The chips had a super crispy exterior, yet were soft and fluffy inside.  Yes, they were oily, but not in a gross way.  They really were some of the best fries I've ever had.  The thickness was particularly notable, not quite as thick as a wedge or a steak fry, but much thicker than standard fries.  They did something magic with these fries, and I'm not sure what it was exactly.  Also, they were piping hot.  Even as I tried to slow down and stop devouring them, they stayed perfectly hot.

There were six dipping sauces to choose from: house gravy, smokey bbq, fresh herb aoli, truffle aioli, chipotle mayo, or sriaracha mayo, all used on the dogs too.  I had Ojan pick the sauces, and he went for the bbq and sriaracha mayo.  I probably would have picked either of the aiolis, but any creamy mayo generally works for me (also, why did they have both aioli and mayo?  Were they really different bases?)

The bbq I didn't like, it was just too sweet for me, and I didn't really taste the promised smokiness.

The sriaracha mayo however was great, just enough heat to it to be interesting, and it definitely jazzed up the fries.

I told Ojan to just order the smaller snack size, and he got the larger one, and uh, I'm glad he did.  Let's just say I had no problem polishing these off, no matter how much I'd sworn off more fried food.  Fried potato dipped in mayo can be a thing of glory, and Snag Stand does it right.

The other choices for sides are onion rings and chili cheese fries.  I'm now tempted to try the onion rings!

[ No Photo ]

"Australia Fare". $8.90.

Of course, Snag Stand is known for their "haute dogs", not the fries, right?  They were unfortunately sold out of many of the dogs that day, for reasons I don't really understand.  It was only lunchtime when we were there.  I didn't go for a dog and opted for other food from another stand, but, Ojan was there for a hotdog!

Feeling inspired by our location, he went for the "Australia Fare", described as "grilled wagyu sausage on a toasted brioche roll with sautéed onions, cheddar cheese, & smokey BBQ sauce."

Once he received it, he realized it wasn't really what he wanted at all, and he was just feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, and picked it without really reading the description.  I unfortunately did not get a photo, as I was a bit too busy devouring the fries.  This should give you some idea of how good those fries were, as I rarely get distracted enough to forget to get a photo!

While I agree that this was certainly not the dog I would have ever picked, I think there is hope for Snag Stand.  The flavor of the wagyu beef was really good, although it reminded me more of a hamburger, just a hotdog shaped one.  The onions were generously applied and nicely cooked.  But since I really disliked the bbq sauce, the fact that the whole thing was smothered in the sauce really ruined it for me.  The cheddar cheese was just shredded cheese, totally unmelted, which I didn't care for at all.  The bun didn't seem all that "brioche-y" to me, but, it was soft and slightly sweet, and I thought was pretty nice.

Overall, there was quality here, even if neither of us liked this particular dog.  It was also huge, and ridiculously messy, but they wisely include silverware with it.  The price might be a bit high for "just a hotdog", but, it really was a complete meal.

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Nakd bars, UK

A few months ago, I took a trip to London.  During my time there, I of course ate my share of snack foods, including assorted bars.  Some were pretty mediocre (Eat Natural, Alpen Light), some were ok (Braw), and others were actually really delicious (Seed Stacked).  And then there were these bars, by nākd, that fell into another category altogether: awful!

So what are nakd bars?  They are "yummy natural ingredients such as fruits and nuts 'smooshed' together for you into a handy bar."  Basically, healthy bars, with no added sugars, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan.

They make two varieties of bars, basic bars and protein crunch bars.  I tried one of each type, but didn't care for either.

Eat Nakd Bars

The basic bars are known simply as "Eat Nakd Bars", available in 10 flavors, including some tempting sounding varieties like pecan pie, rhubarb & custard, and cocoa mint.

Caffe Mocha.

"Do you love the taste of smooth rich coffee mixed with a delicious chocolaty flavour? This gorgeous coffee flavoured snack is different to other cereal bars out there – it’s made from all natural ingredients and tastes like nothing you’ve tried before. Imagine the wonderfully rich aroma of freshly made cappuccino infused with chocolatey mocha, and you’ll get some idea of what Nakd Caffé Mocha is like. Why not try one yourself?"

I knew this bar was mostly made from dates, cashews, and raisins, and I knew that I don't actually tend to like bars made from these sorts of ingredients, but they drew me in with the promise of a mocha.

I should have known better.  A bar made from only dates (55% of the bar), cashews (26%), raisins (12%) and some cocoa, can't possibly taste like anything else.  I didn't like the texture, firm but crumbly.  I didn't like the taste, even though I do like dates and cashews.  I didn't taste any mocha at all.

I definitely didn't want another, and was not inspired to try another of their basic bars.

Protein Crunch Bars

The protein crunch bars add soya crunchies for additional protein.  Available in 4 flavors: banana, apple, strawberry, and cocoa.

However, they have only 5.5 grams of protein, which while higher than the regular bars at 3 grams, doesn't seem particularly notable, and not worth the taste of soy crispies, in my mind at least.

Strawberry Crunch.

"Our Nākd Strawberry Crunch bar is every bit as yummy as you would expect from smooshing real strawberries together with fruits, nuts and protein crunchies, resulting in a seriously satisfying texture and long lasting tingly sweetness. "

The aroma as I opened the package was distinctly strawberry.  This was a good sign.  It was also the last good sign.

It turns out, their marketing is correct.  It did taste just as yummy as I'd expect from having soy protein crunchies mushed in.  Which, spoiler, is NOT good.  The primary ingredient, 42% of the bar, is actually dates, which I also don't care for.  The oh-so-tasty soy protein crunchies make up another 17%.  Cashews and raisins each make up another 17%, and again, are ingredients I don't actually like very much.  Strawberries, the part I was looking forward to, are a mere 2%, with apple juice rounding it out.

The strawberry flavor was fine, but the texture was certainly that of a strange protein bar, and the taste of the soy protein, dates, and cashews was overwhelming.  Did not like at all, and it reminded me of Lara bars.

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Espresso Roma Cafe

Espresso Roma is my shocking new find for a San Francisco coffee shop, located in the Marina no less.  Nothing about this place matched my expectations: not the environment, not the coffee, not the food.  I was blown away on every single visit.

After my first visit, I immediately went home to research more about this amazing little coffee shop.  And to plan a return visit.

Espresso Roma started in Berkeley in 1980, but now has a handful of locations in the country.  They still have a location in Berkeley, but their other locations are more fascinating: in California, they have a shop each in La Jolla and Los Angeles, but then they also have shops in Eugene, Oregon and Boulder, Colorado.  Fantastic cities, but such a strange mix.  Their sole San Francisco outpost is the one I visited in the Marina.

They roast all their own coffee locally in Emeryville.  They roast small batches, and ship out fresh the day of roasting.  This explains the incredible coffee.  They also bake all of their own baked goods, also in Emeryville.  Which explains why they are so good too.  There is much more going on here than meets the eye.

So this totally generic looking coffee shops turns out to be a coffee roaster and a bakery too?  I have no idea why they don't advertise these facts anywhere.  I'm sure they'd sell more pastries if people knew they were baked fresh daily and not from Costco, and that they take such pride in their coffee freshness.

Espresso Roma is a total gem, and I've since returned many times.  I absolutely cannot wait to explore their full lineup of baked goods!

The Space

Espresso Roma is about as nondescript of a coffee shop as I've ever seen, exactly the type of establishment that you'd walk by 1000 times, and never even notice or stop in.  But once inside, it feels like a real neighborhood sort of place, and since they have free wifi, patrons spread out with laptops, all working away for hours on end.  It wasn't ever particularly busy during my numerous visits, although it also wasn't deserted either.

On my first visit, the folks next to me spent the time talking about learning Javascript in order to make their business website more dynamic.  Subsequent visits were no different, with techy buzzwords readily floating through the air.  While this is totally normal in SF obviously, I wasn't in SOMA, I was in the Marina.  No offense Marina-folks, but this does not match my stereotypes of you.  In fact, the entire place doesn't feel like it fits in in the Marina.  It just feels so non-trendy.  The menu boasts no claims of organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, etc anywhere.  There are no hipsters.  No yoga pants.

Just a down to earth neighborhood cafe, albeit one with amazing baked goods.

Outdoor Seating.

Outside are a few small tables, which look like they'd be perfect for people watching and fresh air, but were always in the shade when I visited.  I've yet to visit on a day hot enough to want to sit out on the sidewalk in the shade.

Indoor Seating.

The decor inside is simple, wooden tables and padded benches.  One interesting thing is the selection of greeting cards and magazines for sale, a bit of a strange offering, which I never saw anyone even glance at.  I wonder if they really sell many?

Front Counter.

The front area contains a cooler with beverages, a few bags of chips, and, of course, the interesting part to me was of course the huge array of baked goods in the case.  All standard offerings, and none looked remarkable.  When do random little cafes have good baked goods?  Spoiler: when they are Espresso Roma Cafe!

Menus, register.

The menu contains simple sandwiches and salads, a few breakfast dishes, standard coffee drinks.  Again, nothing remarkable, although I did note the large selection of tea, all loose leaf, in glass canisters behind the register.  Under the menu board was an equally large selection of flavor syrups, probably the largest collection I've ever seen.  Clearly, they care about offering variety, but still, this all looks pretty "normal" and unremarkable.

Service matched everything else I felt about the place on my first glance; I was barely acknowledged, and while not un-friendly, the person taking my order seemed to care less about my existence.  A second employee (or owner?), was always seated near the back door, talking away on a phone, not working the counter or register, even when it backed up.

Judging the cafe on looks alone, I had zero expectations that it was even worth trying.  It truly seemed like as mediocre of a place as I'd ever find, and the Yelp reviews agreed.  3.5 stars, no rave reviews.

But ... it was fantastic.  Good decaf coffee (such a rare find), and the baked good compete with my favorite bakeries.  I'm not joking.  By my third visit, I no longer wanted to just run in and grab something and be on my way, I wanted to sit and linger, as the ambiance won me over, and I felt entirely at home.

Drinks

As I mentioned, they roast their own coffee beans, and it shows.  The decaf coffee is among the best I've ever had in San Francisco.

Decaf Iced Americano.  $2.50.

This is, hands down, the strongest decaf I've ever tasted.  I took one sip, tasted the deep complexity, and wondered if I was accidentally given regular.  But, given that I did not get wired from it, I think it really was decaf.  Just really, really great decaf.  Probably the best I've ever had.  They say they roast in small batches, and serve it right after, and, well, it shows.  Since decaf is particularly finicky, I've often thought freshness matters more than for regular.

If I were drinking it hot, I would have left it black, and savored the amazing flavor in this cup of coffee.  But, it was a hot day, and I'd ordered it iced to be refreshing.  For some reason, I always like my iced coffee a bit milky and sweet, so I added milk and sugar to it.

The drink condiment station is well stocked, with nutmeg, cinnamon, and cocoa to sprinkle on, in addition to standard sweeteners and an array of milk offerings.  They did have non-sugar sweetener by the condiment station, but it was a generic brand.  Splenda was also available, but only at the register, which I found a bit odd, why wasn't it with the others?

I was also impressed that for lattes and whatnot, you could choose from a large selection of milks, including both almond and soy.  As I noted above, the lineup of flavor syrups available is probably the most extensive I've ever seen anywhere.  They really do provide a slew of options.

On my second visit, I ordered another iced decaf Americano, because it was again a beautiful sunny day.  The Marina seems to win on weather.  Or maybe I just never bother venture that far on colder days.  Anyway, it was again very good.  And on my third visit, same result.  Insanely strong, very good decaf.  By my third visit, I even stopped adding milk, just appreciating the coffee for its deep flavor.

I'd love to return to try a hot beverage, because this decaf was shockingly good!

$2.50 is a reasonable price for a drink, particularly given the location.  On my second visit, I was charged only $2, which is the price for a non-iced.  I'm not complaining, but I thought it was interesting that they clearly add $0.50 to any iced drink on the menu, but charged me for non-iced.  On the third visit, it was back to $2.50.  I'm assuming he just keyed in the wrong thing on my second visit.

Baked Goods

The lineup of baked goods is incredible, the entire front case is filled with goodies.  Muffins (carrot, blueberry, lemon poppyseed, raisin bran), scones (currant, cranberry), apple turnovers, croissants in more flavors than I can count, cookies of all styles, biscotti.  None were labelled with variety or prices, so I had to obnoxiously ask what the flavors were on each visit.

The baked goods didn't look like ones from any of the big bakeries that supply most coffee shops in SF, so  I asked where they came from.  I was told that they were baked in-house.  Hmm.  They didn't look particularly special.  And what nondescript coffee shop makes great house made pastries?  Apparently this one.  They rival most bakeries I've been to in SF.

Cheese Puff.  $1.75.

On my first visit, I got something called a cheese puff.  I know that sounds like a savory product, but don't be fooled by the name, this was a dessert.

To start, I really have no idea why I picked this pastry.  I love paring a baked good with coffee in the morning, but it was afternoon when I visited, so my standard choice of muffin or scone didn't seem quite right, and I don't really like cookies.   So I picked the strange looking "cheese puff", which turned out to be puff pastry dough, filled in the center with sweetened cheese, dusted with powdered sugar.

It was fantastic.

First, the dough.  It was some of the best pastry I've ever encountered.  It was incredibly flaky, with visible layers like a croissant, but it was thick and crispy on the outside, like a pie crust.  I'm really not sure what technique they used here, but it was basically all the best parts of a croissant and a pie crust, all at once.  I adored how flaky it was, but how it was easy to break off in chunks like a pie crust, if that makes any sense.

The filling was sweetened cheese (ricotta?), accented by citrus notes (lemon?).  Because of the form of the puff, there was a very generous amount of the filling, far more than you get in a traditional danish.  I really liked how well this shape worked for maximizing the filling, generally one of the best parts.

The whole thing was dusted with powdered sugar which sweetened it up a bit.

I adored this creation.  So hard to classify what it was exactly, somewhat like the cross between a mini pie and a cheese danish.  I have no idea if they make puffs with other fillings, but I think fruit or nut fillings would be equally successful in this form.  I'd gladly get another, but I'd also like to try their other offerings.

The price of only $1.75 for a fresh baked pastry was incredible.  None of the baked goods had prices listed anywhere, so this was a pleasant surprise when I was rung up.

Update: I had to try this again, and did so several visits later, but I was far less enamored with it.  The dough wasn't nearly as flaky or crusty as I remembered, and almost seemed stale.  The filling didn't seem as generous, and the cheese seemed almost almond scented?  It wasn't bad, it just wasn't nearly as good as I recalled.  I finished it easily, but it wasn't really something I'd want again.

Croissants

The croissant lineup was as impressive as their flavor syrups: plain, chocolate, almond, raspberry, apple, ham and cheese, sweet cheese, and probably a few others.  I had no reason to believe that their croissants would be good, as they looked totally generic and good croissants are hard to find.  But, spoiler, I loved them!

Sweet Cheese Croissant.  $2.10.

On my second visit, I was hoping to get a scone, since I'd been on a serious scone kick, and I visited in the morning.  But the only type of scones they had were currant, which, just didn't seem exciting.  The muffins didn't really look great, so I didn't want one of them, which left me with croissants, not that the croissants looked like anything special themselves.  But, then again, I wasn't impressed by the looks of the cheese puff either and loved it, so, I decided to give a croissant a try.

Inspired by the delicious sweet cheese filling from the cheese puff, I went for the sweet cheese croissant.  I'm not actually sure I've ever had a cheese croissant before.  I've had cheese danishes, but not croissants.

Anyway.  The croissant dough was pretty good, and I enjoyed the flavor, clearly made with plenty of butter.  The dough was sweetened.  I liked the sweetness to the dough, making it more like a sweet bread than a standard croissant.  It wasn't particularly flaky or crispy, but it was fresh tasting and moist.

The filling was absolutely delicious, and I loved the additional moistness it added to the center.  Sweetened ricotta, just like the cheese puff.  I was seriously impressed by how much they stuffed inside.  No skimping here, and almost every bite I had contained a generous amount of the cheese filling.

It was also drizzled with icing, which was the component that almost made me not pick the croissant.  Not because I don't like icing, but because it looked hard, and was scraped off in some places.  It looked like it wouldn't be good and couldn't possibly be fresh.  But, keeping in theme with this review, although it didn't look good, it tasted great.  The dough was sweetened, the filling was sweetened, but somehow the extra icing didn't throw it over the top sweetness-wise, it just accented it perfectly.

I really liked everything about this, and although it was huge, I easily devoured it.  I'd get another, but first I wanted to try the entire lineup.  (After trying more croissants, I deem this one my favorite flavor, and is what I'll go back to when I get my next one).

Again, no prices were listed, so I was pleasantly surprised to see it ring up for only $2.10.  For a housemade, filled croissant, a huge one at that.  Really?  The prices are incredible.

Raspberry Croissant $2.10, Decaf Iced Americano $2.50.

On my next visit, I went for the raspberry croissant, since I was eying it before.

Once I received it, I realized that I'm pretty sure I've never had a raspberry croissant before either.  Raspberry danishes, sure, but not croissants.  And I realized I had no idea what I expected to be inside.

The croissant itself was just like the cheese one, flaky on the outside, moist on the inside, well layered, full of buttery flavor.  And just like the cheese croissant, it had icing drizzled all over the top, this time pink, and actually raspberry flavored.  It also was hard, which didn't turn out to be a bad thing, and I appreciated the crunch it added.

The filling was raspberry jelly, just like you'd find in a jelly donut.  I took two bites, and realized the genius of what I was eating - it was a mix between a jelly donut and a croissant!  Second to apple fritters, jelly donuts are my favorites.  The extra icing on top was similar to having sugar on the outside of jelly donut, something that always seems unnecessary due to the sweet filling, but, well, necessary too.  The end result was something better than the sum of its parts.  I'd pick this over a jelly donut any day.

The only downside is that, unlike the cheese croissant, and unlike the cheese puff, the amount of filling inside this croissant was a bit lacking.  I had many bites that were without any of the raspberry jam.  Sure, the croissant was very good on its own, but, it would have been much better if more generously stuffed.

The $2.10 price tag was again entirely reasonable.  I liked this quite a bit, but I did prefer the cheese one, mostly due to the quantity of the filling.  I'd be tempted to get this again just to see if this was a fluke, if it normally comes with more filling, or I'd gladly go back to either of the cheese creations.  Or ... maybe time to try the almond croissant?

Almond Croissant.  $2.10.

So, on my next visit, I went, prepared to finally move on to an almond croissant.  Except I didn't see one that looked almond.  When I asked what kinds were available, the guy mentioned almond.  So I ordered it, even though I didn't know which one I was selecting.

I didn't realize it was almond due to the fact that that I didn't see almonds; generally almond croissants are crusted in slivered almond, right?  This did have a few slivers of almond, but they were buried under powdered sugar.

That isn't to say that almond was under-used in this croissant.  The inside was absolutely loaded with ground and slivered almonds.  This was unlike any almond croissant I'd had before; usually they have  almond paste inside, this didn't have paste at all, it actually just had the almond.  The almond flavor wasn't as intense since it wasn't a concentrated paste.

There also wasn't just one layer of almond filling, rather, each layer of dough had almond filling between it.  Certainly the most filling I've seen in any croissant.

And, like the other filled croissants I have tried at Espresso Roma, it wasn't a standard, flaky croissant, but, I still liked it.  The outside was crusty, and the inside was more doughy.  Sooo much butter was clearly used, and I really liked the sweetness of the dough itself.

This was certainly the most unique almond croissant I've ever had, and I did easily finish it, but I won't go for this one again.  Back to the cheese or raspberry!  (Although, really, what I want is raspberry AND cheese, which I don't think they make ... ).

Apple Filled Croissant.  $2.10.

Another visit, another new croissant to try!  It was hard to not just get the raspberry or cheese croissants again, since they had a new flavor: apple, perfect for the fall weather.

It was a really interesting pastry, basically, an apple pie stuffed inside a croissant.  Cooked cubes of apple, soft but not mushy, well spiced.  Clearly actual chunks of apple and not just a goo like danishes so often have in the centers.  So far, so good, except .... I don't really like apple pie, or apple filling.  Which, I should have realized before I ordered it.  There was nothing wrong with the filling, and I thought it was fairly unique, but it really wasn't for me.  I scraped out the apple filling and enjoyed the croissant itself, because that was truly delicious.

Flaky, crusty top, crispy bottom, doughy layers inside.  Slightly sweet, perfectly buttery.  I love the mix of crispy exterior and moist interior.

Like all of their croissants, it was huge, yet I devoured it.  I can't get over how delicious their croissant dough is!  But, I obviously wouldn't pick this flavor again.

Muffins

I finally decided to try something other than a croissant.  Espresso Roma offers a slew of muffins including all the standard flavors of blueberry, lemon poppy, and bran with raisins.  And, low-fat blueberry.

Low-Fat Blueberry Muffin.  $2.

For some reason, I picked the low-fat blueberry.  Now, when do I ever go low-fat?  Never.  But ... I went to Espresso Roma directly after a barre class, and I was feeling ... healthy.  Ok, healthy is relative here.  I used it as inspiration to finally try a muffin.

Bad move.  Maybe their muffins just aren't as good as the croissants.  Maybe low-fat was the problem.  I don't know.  It wasn't good.

It was crazy dense.  A medium size muffin, but, it weighed a ridiculous amount.  So.  Dense.  A brick.  And not a flavorful one.  It just tasted too ... healthy.  The only good thing was the large blueberries inside.

I brought it to Ojan since he likes blueberry muffins, but, he took a single bite and didn't want any more either.  Clearly would not get again.

$2 was a ridiculously reasonable price for a muffin though.

Scones

I avoided trying a scone from Espresso Roma for a long time.  There were many reasons for this.  First, I'm just very particular about my scones.  I like them crispy on the outside, moist inside, with a great crumble to them, and a nice tang.  I usually want them warm.  And served with jam and clotted cream.  The Espresso Roma scones looked like they would satisfy literally none of my criteria.  And, on all of my visits, the only varieties available were cranberry or currant, flavors I would never pick.  I want nuts, I want glazes, I want fresh fruits inside.

It took a long time for me to try a scone.

Cranberry Scone. $2.25.

I decided to give one a go, just for research purposes.  For you my dear readers.

It didn't look like any scone I'd ever seen.  It was really cake-y.  It looked like a cross between a cake and a cookie.

And it pretty much was.  The base was slightly sweet, a bit tangy, not crumbly like I like my scones.  But, the flavor was good.  While I'd prefer anything other than dried cranberries, they weren't awful, and the bit of chew added was nice.

So, I did actually like it.  It wasn't what I think of as a scone, but it paired with my coffee just like a coffee cake would, which really was what I wanted anyway.  I'd get another, although I still wish they had more flavors.

At $2.25 it was the priciest item I ever got at Espresso Roma Cafe, and I'm not really sure why it is more expensive than the others, as it seems like the croissants should be far more labor intensive, but this price was still entirely reasonable.

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