hot cross buns, hot cross buns

I know its months past Easter but I still want to post up pictures of my favourite hot cross buns from Easter.

I've been living with my current housemates for about one and a half years now. During that time, my male housemate frequently mentions that he gets a free batch of hot cross buns from the Silo Bakery every year as his parents know the owners. For those not familiar with Canberra, the Silo Bakery is quite well known in town for its bread and pastries. Its situated among the popular cafe scene of Kingston.

I'm a bit skeptical of 'popular' eateries. Is it popular because it has a 'unique' brand but the food is actually the same as everything else offered in the area? Is it popular just because its sophisticated for Canberra but in the grand scheme of things (aka v.s. other cities) its actually bland? Is the eatery trying too hard to be cool that it becomes contrived?

I woke up on the Thursday before the Easter weekend and it was a major struggle to get out of bed. I was pleasantly surprised by a package waiting on the kitchen bench - free hot cross buns! They looked kinda rustic.

The hot cross buns were actually really good. There weren't too many sultanas and there was a good balance of spices. The top of the bun was glossed with a nice marinade. And the buns were satisfying - none of the 'just spiced fruit bread' bullshit.

That day, I also tried Woolie's 'sticky date and caramel' hot cross buns for the first time. I was intrigued by the concept but the buns were pretty ugh - bland fruit buns with overpowering hits of tough caramel. 

I remember I ate 2 hot cross buns that day, not doing any exercise and feeling bloated and guilty. I'm probably too hard on myself - I guess I don't eat fruit buns all year round.

hello canberra & biscotti

In the first few days of moving to Canberra I caught up with Bec at the Silo Bakery in Kingston (Canberra). While I was glad to see a familiar face J, I was keen to visit this renowned bakery, which people have claimed to be ‘one of the best’ in Canberra. The bakery is in the Kingston shops area, near a bar frequented by APS people – The Kennedy Room. There was a well-to-do vibe in the bakery and this was matched by the lovely staff.

Anyway, the FOOD – they had a limited menu for afternoon tea (in comparison to my Sydney standards). I had a freshly squeezed juice (passion fruit, pineapple and something or rather) which I thought was a bit overpriced ($7-10ish). I also got a bag of biscotti which had fennel, walnut and raisin in it (also around $7-10, overpriced again). The biscotti was unique as it had fennel in it and the combination was pretty unique too, but it wasn’t amazing and I probably wouldn’t buy it again. After all, biscotti isn’t hard to make.
On a non-food note: I am enjoying Canberra (shock-horror to my Sydney friends!). Compared to some of the larger cities in the world, I am happy (enough) with the size of Canberra – I like not being overwhelmed with the crazy amount of things to do. Most importantly, the people are lovely.

However, I DO miss Sydney (people) – I miss my friends and the quirky, weird and philosophical conversations that we have. I miss the galleries, art and festivals. And I miss the eclectic range of eateries, restaurants, cafes and my mum’s cooking!