La Banette , Glebe

For those of you that live in the NSW Northern Beaches, specifically Avalon, you would know this French patisserie and boulangerie :)

They have just opened up their second shop in Glebe late June. I went here a few weeks ago to get some cakes for a friend's birthday (scroll down to see what I got that time) and there wasn't much cakes out yet as it was very early in the morning - 7.30 AM :P

So today, I drag a few of my friends along because I just have to show them this place.

La Banette's main goodies counter

Isn't this place just so pretty ?!? Love how they have the freshly baked pastries and rolls in baskets. The walls, benches and cabinets are made from antique looking woods, I wouldn't be surprised if they turn out to be real antiques :) 

Tarte Success

The "Success" has to be the most striking cake they have in the cake cabinet - my brother's birthday is coming up, might just buy one instead of making one ( I'm one lazy sister :P).

After contemplating what to get, I end up with a few goodies for afternoon tea and perhaps for breakfast the next day.

Creme Caramel Tart

I know I HAVE to get it when I saw it in the display ! Wobbly creme caramel sitting on top of orange blossom frangipani tart - genius !!

The creme caramel was really good, not too rich yet still creamy. The frangipani tart itself is a buttery blend of almond meal with a hint of orange blossom encased in a crumbly tart shell.

Perfect to be eaten along with a cup of tea :)

Coffee Eclair

Didn't try this as it was my cousin's , but it does look delicious ! 

Tray of Mini Pastries $9.50

At La Banette, you can get trays of miniature versions of their pastries and cakes as well. Since we already got some sweets, so we just get the mini pastries tray instead. Let's see what we got here today....2 plain croissants, 1 almond croissant, 1 chocolate brioche, 1 pain au chocolat, 2 danish pastries   - cherry & apricot - all for $9.50 !!

I think it's a great idea, portion controlled (well..unless you ate the whole tray then it's not so controlled) and perfect for people who just can't decide what they want *raise hands*.

The pastries are as good as their cakes & tarts too, flaky and buttery - YUM ! 

Now these babies need some coffee to go with them....

As mentioned earlier, went here a few weeks back to get some cakes for a friend's birthday. 

It was very early so there wasn't much cakes available yet, but everyone enjoyed the two cakes I got very much !

Pretty Packagings

When the lady who was serving me (she's the owner) went to grab some strings to tie up the boxes, I thought she was just separating a few strands from the bunch of strings hanging on the back wall.

But nooo....she actually grabbed a handful of strings and tied the box together - wow !

Definitely loving their presentations :)

Because they have just opened this Glebe shop, they haven't got the chance to make a proper label for it yet, hence the sticker is still showing the Avalon's address.

White Chocolate Mousse Gateaux

I forgot the actual name of this cake, the cake consists of a chewy brownie based, a layer of raspberries and then white chocolate mousse.
Despite it's appearance, the cake was not overly sweet as I thought it would be. The brownie was slightly bitter so it does cut back the sweetness of the white chocolate.

Lemon Meringue Gateaux

This lemon meringue gateaux was very good ! Encased by the crisp and fluffy meringue casing were layers of lemon sponge sandwiched with lemon curd and a thin layer of crisp pastry as the base.

The proportions of the meringue to the rest of the cakes were just right , unlike the standard lemon meringue gateaux where there is a mountain of meringue and not enough lemon base .

Plain Croissants

As I was about to leave the store, the lady passed me a bag filled with not 1, but 2 !  fresh out of the oven croissants , "For breakfast :)" she said.

I was grinning like a Chesire Cat :D  

Nothing beats a warm buttery croissant in the morning....bliss.....

Visit La Banette early in the morning and you will be greeted with the wafting aroma of freshly baked  pastries. The bakery is located at the back of the store and you can take a peek of the actions from the store. 

There are more cakes and tarts to choose from if you go a bit later in the day, the pastries of course will still be there.

I'm so glad they decided to open up a shop in Glebe, otherwise I would have never had the chance to try their delicious and pretty cakes & pastries.