Abbotsford Convent Bakery, Abbotsford by Big Fil

It was a long weekend so when I suggested a few of us do brunch Chewy suggested a place just around the corner from him, the Abbottsford Convent Bakery.

It had stopped raining and the sun was out and I loved my first view of this place. It is quite large so there were still loads of empty seats at 10.30, including a few on the inside. On entering I also really liked the open kitchen, where we could see a group of people who were apparently doing a bread making class.


The menu was a lot more extensive than I'd expected with half a dozen or so specials on the blackboard. Chewy went for the potato and leek soup. The soup looked rich and the serving size was very generous.


Eric went for the squid ink tagliatelle pasta, with cherry tomatoes and prawns. The black pasta made an interesting contrast with the brightly coloured prawns and tomatoes. The pasta was nice, although maybe a minute short of being 'al dente'.


Having skipped breakfast I went for an early traditional Australian lunch, the steak sandwich with chips. The chips were good, generous in size, crispy on the outside but soft in the middle. The steak sandwich was well prepared but would have been improved by some nice, smoky bacon.


The highlight of the brunch was the cakes. The fruit bun was a bit average, but the chocolate éclair, vanilla slice and chocolate brownie were all good examples of their kind.


The brownie was strongly chocolately but well balanced by the walnut on top and within.


The cream in the slice was soft and delicious, almost like custard. Unfortunately this made it a bit hard to cut so I ended up breaking it into an upper and lower half.


The chocolate on the éclair was crisp and again the cream in it was good.


Overall
I was expecting this to be one of those bakeries that are nice to look at but the food a bit average. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food, and while others have complained about the service I found it friendly if a little chaotic. Certainly it’s a long way from the worst I have had around the city. After eating you can also walk it off by visiting the Collingwood Children’s Farm just down the road.

Verdict
Ambience - 8
Service - 6.5
Food - 7
Price - 6.5

Address
1 St Heliers Street
Abbotsford VIC 3067
Tel: 1300 447 697