They must get it a lot. Silly, ignorant, wishful customers hoping for a taste of The famous Snickers, by Queen of Desserts Philippa Sibley, at all hours of the day. Well, I can confirm that they don't serve it at breakfast, even if the polite waitress humoured me by "asking the kitchen", and then feigned empathy when she told me the bad news.
Just as well, the breakfast was still as good as I remembered it, and they added Black Pudding as an optional side. Bonus! Perfectly cooked eggs in a pie with tender braised leeks adding sweetness to the salty ham and cheddar cheese. Add to that, a flaky, buttery pastry to die for, and you have a fantastic breakfast.
I added a slab of black pudding to make sure the resultant heart attack would be fatal. Fortunately, the translucent cubes in black pudding were indeed lard. Yum! The liberal use of cumin and spice created heavenly balance with the minerally tastes, but it might ward off cancer though. Can't win 'em all.
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| Egg, Ham and Leek Pie (AUD 9.50) with Black Pudding (AUD 5.50) |
We opted for the plain stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, sans egg. You would not believe how light these buttermilk pancakes were, almost souffle-like, even if it was a tad undercooked and mushy in the centre. The contrast of salty bacon and smoky sweet maple syrup resulted in another magnificent breakfast!
Beautiful flaky croissants, one with a moreish filling of fragrant almond paste.
II Fornaio
(03) 9534 2922
2 Acland St
St Kilda VIC 3182
www.ilfornaio.net.au/
Reviews:
- Il Fornaio, by Larissa Dubecki, The Age, September 7, 2010
NOT since the invention of the Peach Melba has there been such a kerfuffle about a dessert. ''The famous Snickers'', as the menu at Il Fornaio calls it, and for once I'm inclined not to retch over the food-related use of the adjective. ''Famous'' on a menu usually means the dish in question isn't famous at all - but the Snickers? The Snickers is famous. The Snickers is so famous it should have its own agent, a magazine deal and a coke habit.
The Snickers and its creator, Philippa Sibley, have moved around a fair bit but they took up a new permanent residence recently at this former bakery-cafe in St Kilda, where they've conspired to capitalise on Sibley's reputation (''dessert queen'', ''queen of pastries'', ''passionate pastry whiz'', as Google attests) by trading at night-time primarily as a dessert restaurant (during the day things are far more cafe-like).
- Not just desserts, by Larissa Dubecki, The Age, August 24, 2010
Philippa Sibley’s Snickers dessert needs little introduction. An instant hit when she first put it on the menu at Circa five years ago, her signature dish recently found a new lease of life at her new St Kilda digs, IlFornaio, and through being showcased on MasterChef.
‘‘Oh my god, straightaway it was a monster,’’ recalls Sibley of her take on the peanut and caramel chocolate bar first released by the Mars company in 1930. ‘‘We had a table of five come in and order eight of them, at $25 a pop [the IlFornaio version costs $19]. We sold 700 of them in one week.’’
More photos: Il Fornaio, St Kilda - flick/avlxyz
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