Sunday, February 11, 2018

Proserpina Bakehouse, Sassafras by Bureaucrat

Up in the mountains, way up high, a new bakery has opened, in leafy Sassafras.  The space that was formerly a nursery has transformed into a series of small shops (local artwork, jewellery and the like) that are housed in shipping containers, and right in the middle of it is the deliciously enticing Proserpina Bakehouse.

Proserpina, Sassafras, pissaladiere
Pissaladiere with onions, white anchovies, olives and parsley

While I'm told through local gossip that the established eateries in Sassafras were not too pleased with the arrival of the newcomer (too much competition, they feared), I and the locals are ecstatic about Proserpina Bakehouse.  Think: real yeasty flavoursome bread; pastries; sourdough; vegan bread; gorgeous fresh salads; pies; pizza slices; cakes; hand-squeezed juices... In other words, heaven!  

Proserpina, Sassafras, pastries, cakes
There's a lot of choices on offer and everything is made fresh. Gorgeous handmade, proper yumminess. And these gorgeous deliciousness do sell out, as I had found out the first time I had come to Proserpina Bakehouse in the late afternoon.

Proserpina, Sassafras
There's plenty of seating both inside and outside.  There's a lovely sheltered outdoor nook with cushions; and inside, it's airy and light, with the sun streaming through the windows. I especially love the cathedral ceiling and the plants and flowers dotted around the place.

Proserpina, Sassafras
 There's also a well-stocked section that's filled with gourmet goodies and cooking paraphernalia.

Proserpina, Sassafras, vegetarian pizza
I needed a light lunch before my massage and so I opted for one of the pizza slices.  There were about four flavours on the day and surprisingly, I went for the vegetarian one (eschewing the salami one... crazy, I know!).  But the lack of salami didn't detract from the veggie pizza.  This was served warm and, my god, I loved the chewy, flavoursome pizza base... there was a nice thin crispness from the olive oil.  Gorgeous!  It was studded with a goodly amount of firm but pleasantly squashy zucchini, potato and semi-dried tomatoes.  Yummy!

Proserpina, Sassafras, chai latte
I also ordered a chai latte.  This was disappointing on two fronts.  First, I didn't like the blend of chai they had used - it was rather heavy on the tea leaves and light on with the spices, which made the latte rather bitter.

Second, it turns out that Proserpina do not have takeaway cups. According to a comment from a reader, which I'm assuming was left by the owners of Proserpina (see below), they do not provide take away cups because of the impact they have on land fill and the planet.  Customers are able to bring their own cup if they want a take away coffee.

Proserpina, Sassafras

Proserpina, Sassafras

Verdict

We loved it
We loved it.
Cheap eats
Cheap eats.

Overall

Notwithstanding the latte, I do love the food.  Next time (and there will be a next time!), I'll be trying out a few of the sweet treats on offer.  My advice is to go early so you have the pick of all the yumminess before they are sold out.

Find it at

Proserpina Bakehouse
361 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road
Sassafras VIC 3787
Phone: (03) 9755 3332

Proserpina Bakehouse Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

1 comment:

  1. thanks for the positive words and a pleasure to have you there. We don't do take away cups because of the impact they are having on land fill and the planet - not sure about the local gossip bit. The wonderful pearls of wisdom. "We haven't inherited this planet from our ancestors, we have borrowed it from our children," If we don't act on the impact of waste that we are making, then who is going to take responsibility. We do do take away coffee's, just bring your own cup (keep cup), a responsibility we decided to take when we opened our doors.

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