I'm a foodie, NOT a shopper!…read more After walking around Sydney's CBD, we visited the famous Queen Victoria Building, a late 19th-century Romanesque Revival marketplace that is now a shopping mall filled with high-end boutiques and eateries. We crossed George Street to The Strand, where we were in search of the world-famous patisserie, Black Star Pastry. Although I don't use IG or FB, I heard about Black Star Pastry's Strawberry Watermelon Cake while reading an old New York Times article about this Australian patisserie, which declared this signature cake and most-requested cake as "The World's Most Instagrammed Cake." So, I made Black Star Pastry a destination during our pre-cruise stay in Sydney. We followed the directions posted on The Strand's directory to Black Star Pastry and ogled the artistically and attractively decorated cakes while zeroing in on the Strawberry Watermelon cake slices lined up next to the Raspberry Lychee and Mango Yuzu cake slices. Honestly, all of the cake slices looked lusciously delicious, but our taste buds were craving a refreshing slice of Strawberry Watermelon. We selected the cake slice, and the amicable countergirl neatly packaged it and asked if we needed eating utensils. Of course, we needed and wanted eating utensils as we dreamed about digging into the cake at their dining counter right away. My husband rushed me to finish taking photos, and he jabbed his fork into the tender yet juicy cake. Before I knew it, he unassembled the cake slice to reveal a fresh-cut slice of juicy, ripe, and sweet watermelon, light rose-scented cream, tender cake, and was topped with fragrant rose petals and fresh strawberries. He claimed it would be easier to eat because the cake slice was about 3" high and looked like it would've toppled when pierced from top to bottom. Yeah, it was HIS "thing" about eating this cake, I decided to take a bit of the top layer, then a small slice of the watermelon bottom layer together. It truly was refreshing, light, and not overly sugary. The lightness and flavors of this cake seemed like it might have been low-cal, but even if it wasn't, who cares when you're on vacation?!

Came here to try the most instagrammed cake, the watermelon cake. I thought it was good. It wasn't…read moreoverly sweet and not dry. I would recommend to try a small slice. Lines aren't too bad and it goe by quick!

HOLE IN THE WALL! If you love cheesecake, this is a must visit! They have other pastries/desserts…read morebut the cheesecake is what I think they're known for. Simple, moist, smooth with the right hint of lemon/lime. It was perfection!

Our friends in Sydney bought us take away from Lorraine's because they think this is the best…read morebakery in Sydney! We had the mascarpone cake which was a pleasant sensation of texture and flavours. Mascarpone layers interlaced with coconut crisps (not quite crispy anymore since we had ours takeaway) and the strawberry slices came together to deliver a great combination. The cheesecake totally blew me away! Bear in mind that I had this takeaway at least 2 days after it was bought. Even then, the cheesecake slice was still beautifully moist and smooth. With just a hint of lemon/lime, the cheesecake delivered a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess! Cookies from Lorraine's were really good too! So so so glad our friends bought us these takeaway as I will definitely be looking it up next time I'm back in Sydney!!! Two thumbs up!!!

Very friendly staff at this hole in the wall pastry shop. Queues out the door validated by the…read morecrisp delicious almond croissant and the moist succulent blueberry friands. Great coffee. Will be back.

Stumbled upon this shop one evening and was excited with the 15 or so flavors still available…read more Unfortunately, the cupcakes are rather small for $3 AUD each. Think in between the size of a mini cupcake and a standard muffin tin sized one you'd bake at home. On top of that, the flavor in the cake and frosting left something to be desired. We tried 3 different flavors, and the cake was dry and low on flavor in all of them. The vanilla cake base was the same for the sundae, lemon, and strawberry cupcakes. Guess that makes it easier for the bakery to prep.

This bakery has more pastries than you will ever try. There are treats of all shapes and sizes and…read moreflavors. We tried the sticky Christmas cake bar. It was full of flavor and honey. There are many Greek treats and coffees, too. Coolers hold beautiful cakes. One cooler holds water bottles and sodas. Check it out. The selection is overwhelming.

I visited this establishment on a food tour a few weeks ago and wished I could have stayed longer…read moreor tried other things. The cases were full of things I really wanted to try. That said, the tour provided us melamakarona, which I recall is a traditional Greek cookie. It was ok, not my style. Despite this, I could tell the treat was well prepared.

There is one in Westfield too. Sadly, they have changed pastry chef's - they used to have THE BEST…read morecakes and pastries in Sydney, now they are just like any bakery or cheap shop. They are still yum, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The cakes on display and the shopfront is so beautiful and delicate! A real gem and I'm so glad I…read morevisited. Apart from cakes, they sell cupcakes and snack-sized tarts. I tried a cupcake and the icing was too hard and sweet for my liking, and the cake itself was a little dense and dry. But if I ever need a big cake for a special occasion, I'll be sure to visit Soiree. The fondant is perfect, the cakes look incredibly classy and intricate. Love the designs.

This place is amazing. The crepe cake and Nutella crepe cake are to die for. They're like 1,000…read moretiny crepes with an amazing homemade French pastry Creme in between every layer. The homemade whipped cream on top is also good. Huge selection of hot teas, and you've GOT TO TRY the Marie Antoinette Hot Chocolate. Made with pure melted Belgian dark chocolate, Almond Milk, orange blossom water, whipped cream, and topped with this crazy pink stuff called Persian Fairy Floss. Will definitely come back at least twice next time I'm in Australia. They also make the absolute coolest looking custom cakes, wish they could send one to America for my birthday haha

Turning the corner on my way from the escalators, the shiny red Ghermez cupcakes stall was hard to…read moreturn down. I had tried their treats from the city branch (near Wynyard station) before, but I found them a bit dry and thought it might have been because they were the mini sized ones. At least, that is the rationalisation I used to justify buying a larger sized cupcake from this outlet. I'm a massive fan of red velvet cakes, and they do one here with coconut cream cheese frosting. It was pretty good - the base had a stronger cocoa flavour that I've had before which meant it wasn't sickly sweet, while the sugary icing dusted with dessicated coconut was a nice change from the standard recipe. There isn't anywhere to sit down though to have your afternoon tea - the seating nearby is reserved for customers of the Donut King across the way, the restriction emblazoned across each of the tables.

You wouldn't have thought that a cupcake shop could do much wrong. Rows of rainbow-whipped cakes…read moresprinkled with a variety of sparkles. In that respect, Hermez ticked all the boxes - a stunning variety of cupcakes, in a mind boggling array of flavours. It's just a shame that my mini Chocolate Mud Cupcake didn't taste as good as it looked. The dense sprinkling of chocolate strands gave the icing the texture of warm sand, and there was nothing gooey or decadent about the sponge. Not enough 'mud' for a mud cake. At $2.50, it was certainly one of the most expensive and disappointing mouthfuls I've ever had. Perhaps the other flavours are more delicious, but to be honest, I don't think I'll ever go back to Hermez because I don't want to risk another bad experience. Sydney has such a huge choice of bakeries and patisseries that there really isn't room for a mediocre mud cake amongst them.

There are actually two Flour and Stone one is a restaurant and the other is the Annexe where they…read moresell cakes and other sweets. They are separated by entry way to some business or residences. I went specifically to the Annexe and service was fairly quick even though there was a line. Apparently this spot is viral on social media and I can see why. I got a Lamington and it's quite larger. I'm not Australian but it tastes a bit different from the store bought lamingtons I've eaten before. If I ever go back to Sydney I would definitely go back to check out a different cake. The inside is decorated nicely and feels like a nice bakery. I saw people buy a variety of baked goods

Unique and delicious. Worthwhile to come in and try…read moresomething different from the norm at this little bakery. I want to try everything I can set my eyes on. My stomach on the other hand knows my limits. Friendly service in this boutique bakery. Put it on your list.