Long term readers will know that I have been long obsessed with the Strawberry Watermelon cake at Black Star Pastry since sampling it at the noodle night markets several years ago. Finding myself near Rosebery, I took it as a sign that I ought to go there to check out the stand alone cafes for once.
Arriving just passed lunchtime the cafe was packed. Staff were extremely busy and it was quite chaotic, taking me a long time before I could discern the line.
There were two sides to the display cabinet, one had pastries and more wholesome cakes as well as some flans. The other side contained their specialised cakes which I adore.
Other than the signature cake there were quite a few other options I hadn’t tried before. It took me quite a while to decide what I wanted from all these options.
Despite the large number of people waiting to be served, we managed to get a table reasonably easily.
Drinks wise, I ordered a houjicha, whilst my companion had not chocolate. I found the strength of my tea to be quite pleasing, with its warm toasty flavours. My companion said her hot chocolate was rich and velvety. My Houjicha was deliciously toasty and caramelised, a nice change from my usual sharp green tea.
For our lunch, my companion settled on a quiche and a custard flan. She said the pastry on her quiche was quite flakey and the fillings were traditional in a comforting sense. The flan had a similar base with a sweet custard filling which was slightly toasted on the top.
Being unable to decide between cakes, I settled for my usual strawberry watermelon cake and also a slice of black sesame yuzu.
The strawberry watermelon was just as I remembered, sweet, fresh and super crunchy. I loved the fragrance of rose water that was sprinkled on top combined with the fresh juicy strawberries. This contrasted well with the almond base cake.
Wanting to try something new, I also ordered a serve of yuzu and black sesame cake. The black sesame cake was a little more dense than chiffon but the sesame gave it quite a coarse texture. This was alleviated by the cream and the citrusy taste of yuzu jelly on top. I really enjoyed the complicated flavours and how they came together in the cake.
Unable to comprehend having a main meal without savoury food, I also had a croissant on the side. I asked for it to be toasted and was pleased to see it didn’t come out flattened, although the wait was a little long. The pastry was delightfully flakey and well layered throughout. It was lightly salted and had a rich buttery texture which I also loved.
Taste: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 9/10
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