A little hole in the wall organic bakery on Fitzroy's Gertrude Street, Fatto A Mano is chock a…read moreblock full of slices, pizzas, breads, rolls, cakes and pastries. This place is so small that it is not immediately obvious that it sells anything at all, that is until you catch sight of row upon row of its yummy looking baked goods or catch a glimpse of the queue of devotees that invariably snake out Fatto A Mano's distinctive red door and onto the street. Me? I was in the market for pastries. Lots of pastries when I stumbled in yesterday for a browse. The owner was a little brusque - but then in a space this small she probably feels as if people are literally and metaphorically standing on her toes - but the selection is wonderful. I opted for one each of the raspberry and blueberry Danishes which were nice - not exceptional - and, it must be said, a little stingily topped with custard and berries. My one qualm is what looked to me like burnt Danish undersides, but was apparently caramelised sugar. Either way the Danes tasted a little ashen.

Positioned near the corner of Gertrude and Smith Streets, Fatto A Mano is a small organic bakehouse…read morethat boasts a wide variety of breads, as well as pizza's sold by the slice, cakes, pastries, and soups. With a queue that often spills out the door, the ordering process has a rather regimented vibe to it (a la Seinfeld's 'Soup Nazi'), and you can almost hear the eyeballs roll (from both patrons and staff) when someone doesn't know their exact order by the time they arrive at the counter. Thus, my query of "which is better - the roast pumpkin pizza or the spinach pie?" is met with the deadpan response: "well do you like pumpkin or spinach?" I suppose I had that coming. In terms of the breads on offer, Fatto A Mano is most popular for its sourdoughs, which are free from ascorbic acid - apparently quite a selling point for the more discerning foodie than I. At $6 a loaf (around 2/3 the size of your standard Woolworths white), it would want to impress, and fortunately, Fatto A Mano does just that - reminding you what bread is meant to be. The bread is moist, hearty and full flavoured and the various pastries on offer (both sweet and savoury) are dangerously decadent. Make sure to try the Blueberry Danish and the Bread & Butter Pudding when available (though most things on offer are so rich that one of anything should satisfy). Fatto A Mano is open Mondays-Saturdays (and closed for the entire month of January).

I don't have much to say about this. This will be shorter than my usual reviews…read more I had no idea scrolls could be this good. Just melt in your mouth amazingness. Get there. Get there now.

I'm not usually a fan of scrolls but we were walking past here and the whole set up looked too cute…read morenot to give it a try. I had the cruffin (cross between a crossaint and a muffin) with custard and salted caramel and it absolutely blew me away. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted.

Amazing! Got there at 9.50am not busy!…read more Every thing is as expected. Believe the Hype. The Tea Towels are way expensive!

The BEST pastries ever!!!! So light and flaky and decadent. Can watch them making them all day…read more Many different varieties to choose from. They are are so yummy, hard to pick a favorite. They sell coffee as well but it's the pastries that they are known for!!!!

Baker D has been a favourite carb heaven for many years, but I love it especially more at Easter…read morewhen they bring out their hot cross buns. Dense, fruit-packed with some decent spice, these are always a crowd pleaser with the grown-ups at Easter time. While you may need to take out a second mortgage (you'll need $20 to buy a half dozen) they're well worth the investment as they'll last for several days on the bench in their bag waiting for someone to say "is it time for a cup of tea and a hot crossie?"

I'm am proud to say that this is my local bakery. Friendly staff, wonderful bread and pastries. So…read morefar I've tried their sourdough, caneles, pain au chocolat - and the best, ever Christmas fruit mince pies. Can't have enough of those mince pies.

Gontran is a little gem in this jam packed neighbourhood of food…read more The pastries are divine. Almond croissant is flaky and they're not stingy on the almonds. The lemon curd was superb with a nice balance of tang. The berry tart and cannoli were probably the only let downs but the pear tart was awesome. Arguably it could be just a matter of taste bud preference.

Stopped by for brekky while strolling through Fitzroy. Really cute cafe with great pastries and…read morecoffee! I got the chorizo egg danish (heated up) and it was amazing--perfectly flaky-- and a cappucino. The seating area is very open and spacious! Definitely worth stopping by. Other people mentioned problem with customer service, but it was great for us. We ordered, sat down and they brought our pastries and coffee out shortly.

If you are in Melbourne/Australia, you should definitely give Laurent a try!!…read moreThis is one of the best, and one of my favorites Bakery/Cafe I have been to. I tried their Hot Chocolate & dessert cake, called "Monte Carlo". It's a Chocolate mousse with cafe creme & chocolate biscuit covered with milk chocolate glaze. The glaze outside was shinny, smooth, and light, which is perfect for me. Texture, creamy, but not too sweet. Dessert was great, and Hot Chocolate too. Located in the city, 5 to 7 minutes away from Flinders Street railway station by train (Melbourne, Victoria). A cute, nice, fancy French bakery/cafe in the city, nothing can be better than spend a free day with your friends/love/family at Laurent. Services and staffs are great! I didn't have to wait for long, they take good order, and give you great recommendations, and ask for your opinions after. Customers will always feel welcomed, and happy when the staffs are always smiling. Overall, great place + dessert! Try it out, if you have a chance, definitely worth it. Love and miss this place.

During our two week stay in Melbourne we've seen a couple of these little French bakeries, one on…read moreToorak Rd and then this one on Little Collins in the CBD. Finally succumbed this afternoon. Pleasant surprise - they serve a pretty large latte in a bowl (like those I recall from trips to Paris) rather than the thimbles served all over the city! I also tore up a delicious lemon tart. Woohoo - good times!

Great little bakery! The service and coffee was great and the lemon tart was amazing!read more

I had written a previous review indicating that the carrot cake was horrible. I decided to try it…read moreagain just to see whether it was a one off. The carrot cake I had today was considerably better and I recommend it. It just depends on the particular day. Babka is a cafe I recommend for both desserts and breads.

Solid brunch place with some inventive breakfast items on a cool street. Ordered the babaganoush…read morebreakfast plate with two poached eggs on top of toast with grilled halloumi and a smear of babganoush on the bottom of the plate. It was tasty but the threw all of the items on the two pieces of toast piled on top of one another - like they were in too big a rush to notice or care and I had to reconstruct it myself. Would have liked a bit more of the eggplant spread given that it was featured in the menu listing up front and not barely enough to call it a condiment. Coffee looked pretty but was just okay. Nice place overall.

Great little place. Long line moves fast. Delicious inventive babaganoush poached egg brekkie…read more Also very generous portion of side smoked salmon. Great service and lively atmosphere. Definitely a worthwhile experience.

I recently had brunch at Rustica in Melbourne and it was truly a treat. The service was excellent…read moreand the space was beautiful and cheery! First off the espresso was spot-on--perfectly pulled! I tried the Spanner Crab Omelette, which was delicious, and the French Toast was also really good. The Lobster & Prawn Benedict was nice, but the real stars of the meal were the Truffle Toastie and the Maple Cruller. The toastie had that perfect balance of crispy and melty, and the cruller was so good I couldn't resist bringing some back to Los Angeles with me! If you're in Melbourne Rustica is definitely worth a visit.

Cronut. Go there…read more Devour Cronut. Lick your fingers, don't waste a crumb. Seriously so amazing. A croissant and a donut got together and made the most deliciously glorious baby.

French Quarter is an east meet west French style pattiserrie. When I visited I had come in for…read morecoffee but was tempted by the mini strawberry tart for $2. I gulped this down while waiting for my coffee. Perfect size for little mouth of course, I picked up another four on my way home for my kids lunch box treats. There is a petit four tray for $7.50 which contains 4 selection of their mini tarts and eclairs. Savoury wise, there was cheese and prosciutto brioche ( I would eat anything on a good brioche) and a veg savoury tart. Lovely and simple little shop, mainly good if you are looking for a cheap and delicious afternoon tea. It's nothing fancy or elaborate like the nearby Beatrix, but it's a good option as they are open till later (5pm) and the cakes are fresh and just perfect .

Coming to the French Quarter is like taking a quick trip to Paris, but without the traffic…read moreproblems... I stumbled on The French Quarter when waiting for my car service to finish. The car place mucked up programming the key, so I got to come back! Every cloud, silver lining and all that :-) Loooove the pastries here, very French, even the seats are French Cafe. And the 57 tram goes right to the door. The petit fours are excellent - they really don't last very long though... And the coffee is quite okay too. But the pastries are why you really need to come here ;-)