Rustica Sourdough Bakery, Fitzroy by Big Fil

Sometimes when your primary choice for the day isn’t open you have to wing it.  That’s how we ended up at Rustica Sourdough Bakery, somewhere we’d never heard of but which looked good when we walked past it while wandering along Brunswick Street.

Part bakery and part cafe, Rustica Sourdough was definitely somewhere worth stumbling across.  Sweet treats to the right, sandwiches and salads to the left and breads at the back, It’s big, its light and when we visited it wasn’t too crowded.  The menu isn’t overwhelming in length or choice and unsurprisingly is focused on dishes which highlight their sough dough bread.





This included crushed avocado on sour dough, eggs on sour dough or Snooze’s choice the Rustica Breakfast Board. This comprises housemade granola with organic yoghurt,  poached fruits, a poached egg on sough dough, crushed avocado and fruit juice.  No complaints about the bread which was very good as expected, but what surprised me was the absolutely delicious crunchy, nutty and light spiced granola.  Also I liked the way that the avocado hadn't been matched with feta, something I find results in a heavier dish than I prefer.

My choice though was the lamb burger, herb infused lamb on a brioche burger with pickled cucumber, gruyere, roasted garlic aoli and rocket.  The lamb was nicely pink in the middle, and the cucumber cut through any possible over sweetness from using a brioche bun with a burger (something I find happens all too often).  Not a traditional old school burger like I generally prefer but still meaty goodness on a bun.

Our visit would of course not be complete without a breakfast dessert and these did look pretty good.  Best of all though was seeing they had cronuts, which I heard had appeared in Melbourne and had yet to try.  Imagine a donut, but rather than the normal batter it is made using laminated pastry, like a croissant (hence the ‘cro-nut’).  The strawberry cronut was crispy, crunchy, light but a little oily.  Nice flavours and a great texture and something I’ll be looking out for in the future.

Overall

It’s not just a bakery where you pick up your bread but somewhere you can sit and have a light meal.  The service was very friendly and the only thing which disappointed me a little is the normal range of delicious sounding pies weren’t available, as apparently demand drops during the warmer time of year.  I guess that means a return visit is called for when the weather cools down a bit.

Verdict

Food – 8.5
Service – 8

Ambience – 8

Price – 7

Address

402 Brunswick Street
Fitzroy

Telephone (03) 9417 7775