Tis the season to eat sweets!

Christmas is fast approaching so I've put together a small collection of my favourite Christmas themed sweets and treats available in Melbourne, which are perfect as gifts for family and friends or if you just wanna treat yourself to something special this year. 

Burch & Purchese

647 Chapel Street, South Yarra 

(03) 9827 7060

www.burchandpurchese.com

The team at Burch and Purchese have certainly embraced the holiday season and have introduced a bunch of new products, including a new chocolate character called Frosty the white chocolate Snowman.

For something extra special you can pre-order their Yule Log - Champagne, peach, strawberry, pink grapefruit and white chocolate. Get in quick, they're selling fast!

In addition to new creations, Burch and Purchese's usual cakes now come with with some complimentary christmas bling. Even Pablo the penguin has gotten a christmas makeover.

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Alice Nivens Cafe

Shop 13, 228 Flinders Street Melbourne

www.alicenivenscafe.com

To keep things exciting, you can pop down to Alice Nivens where they're doing a new Christmas treat everyday! Pay Alice a visit and see what she's whipped up for you. It could be Santa hat cupcakes or Christmas red velvet cake!

Keep an eye on Alice's Instagram or Twitter to see what they've got in store for you next!

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T by Luxbite 

2/517 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 

www.tbyluxbite.com.au

The Luxbite team have also come out with a range of adorable Christmas tarts that are almost too cute to eat. They're on sale from the 9th of December.

The Christmas Tree - green tea mousse, chestnut, coffee, milk chocolate, 100's and 1000's, almond tart.
The Bauble - Almond frangipane, lime, coconut, yuzu mango, vanilla tart.
The Wreath - Raspberry jam, cherry, pistachio white chocolate, almond, vanilla tart.
The Gingerbread man - Cheesecake, ginger, burnt sugar, essence of christmas mousse, caramel, chocolate tart.

There's also two luxurious yule logs to choose from that are available for pre-order now.

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Cobb Lane Bakery

13 Anderson Street, Yarraville 

(03) 9687 1538

www.cobblane.com.au

For those living in the west who are after something a bit more traditional, Cobb Lane has some gorgeous little mince pies ready to go. Take some home for the family or sit in the cafe and enjoy it with a nice cuppa.

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I hope no matter what you choose to sweeten up your Christmas with, you have a wonderful and Merry Christmas. Thank you for reading! 

Photos do not belong to me and are 

sourced from the respective shop's

 Instagram accounts. 

T by Luxbite - Launch Party

The newest addition to the Luxbite Family is T by Luxbite, where the T stands for tarts! Glorious glorious tarts!

Last night's launch party was a collection of the Luxbite team and pastry loves/enthusiasts alike. 

It was an unreal opportunity to rub elbows with some of Melbourne's favourite food bloggers and celebrity pastry chefs; including Adriano Zumbo, Christy Tania and Anna Polyviou (from Sydney)

The tarts are of course divine, where the usual Luxbite goodness is filled into delicate pastry shells. 

My favourites of the night were the Calamansi and Praline tart. I didn't get a chance to try the Picnic tart, which is adorned with beautiful spheres of choux pastry so that will be my first official purchase from T by Luxbite.

Their colourful variety of macarons are also available for purchase.

The official opening is on Friday the 28th of November, so pop in and get yourself a lovely tart or two.

T By Luxbite

2/517 Flinders Ln, Melbourne VIC 3000
tbyluxbite.com.au

Finn Cafe - St Kilda

Run by husband and wife team Marcus Wilson and Laura Winter, Finn Cafe is a cute little addition to Carlisle street in St Kilda. 

The simplistic layout of the cafe and some of its menu items are inspired by Winter's Scandinavian background which is also why the cafe is named Finn. 

When I visited Finn, it was a sunny afternoon which warmed and lit up the cafe beautifully. They have an all day breakfast menu so I had their open mushroom omelette with taleggio and rye - a vibrant and delicious omelette that was plated very elegantly. I added bacon to my omelette and I liked how they incorporated it into the plating of the omelette as opposed to just placing it on the side. 

The rest of the menu consists of your usual brunch items with a few unique dishes; such as smoked salmon on sourdough with smashed peas and poached eggs or a plentiful breakfast board with granola, hummus, salmon, duck rilletes, boiled eggs, cheese and a baguette. There's also a gorgeous cakes cabinet located up front filled with lots of irresistible sweets and treats. 

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For me, the staff are always a huge reason for returning to any establishment and I found that the staff at Finn are very lovely and genuine people. There was a slight mix up with one of our orders so as an apology we weren't charged for any of our add-ons, which was a very generous and kind thing to do especially because we weren't too bothered in the first place. It's this type of hospitality that left a lovely impression on me. 

124 Carlisle Street, St Kilda
Ph: 0481 394 403

Hours

Monday - Friday 7:30am-4:00pm

Saturday - Sunday 8:00am-4:00pm

Kettle Black - South Melbourne

The boys that brought us Top Paddock, Three Bags Full and Two birds one stone have done it again. This time, gracing the people of South Melbourne with their fine food and coffee.

The food is similar to  Top paddock - creative, fresh and sourced as locally as possible but this time Chef Jesse McTavish is taking things up a notch. Popular items on the menu are the crayfish burger with yuzu mayonnaise, cured ocean trout with raw kale and seaweed salad and chilli scrambled eggs with air dried Flinders island wallaby and feta.

Whilst the food is enough temptation to pay a visit, the cafe itself is a stunning piece of architecture that is worthy of admiration. The place combines the traditional and contemporary with one half of the cafe being a traditional Victorian terrace house whilst the other the modern foyer of an apartment building featuring lots of windows for natural light. As with all their cafes, the place is also well decorated with beautiful flowers and gorgeous light fixtures.

My chilli scrambled eggs were cooked well and the feta added extra creaminess. 

The ocean trout was also very good, the only fault being that the ocean trout was a bit on the small side.

The steak sandwich was unfortunately a bit of a let down. The Kettle Black bun was certainly interesting and the flavours were excellent but the beef was an absolute chore to chew. Which is a shame because it tasted really good, but the skirt steak just didn't break down. If you have to use a knife and fork to eat a sandwich, is it still really a sandwich?

Aside from that, the Kettle Black is an outstanding Cafe. Its staff are wonderful and dealt with the masses of people extremely well and I look forward to my next visit.

50 Albert Road, South Melbourne

(03) 9088 0721

www.kettleblack.com.au

Little Man Cafe - Seddon

Little Man Cafe is one of the latest additions to Seddon's popular brunch spots. Unlike its neighbours, Common Galaxia and Seddon Deadly Sins, which prefer an earthier style of wood finishings and black details, Little Man Cafe is a delightful new fit out of white walls and blue tiles that adds a splash of colour and brightness to the neighbourhood.

What it lacks in space, it makes up for in friendly service and atmosphere. The food is what you would hope for in a typical brunch menu, a good place for your usual fix of poached eggs, bacon or smashed avocado.

The lunch menu is also quite good, with their Little Man Burger a popular choice amongst patrons. The chips with the burger were seasoned with thyme and were surprisingly tasty.

The whole cafe has a friendly and relaxed vibe, which makes it the perfect place to bring the family on weekends or to catch up with friends for brunch.

158 Victoria Street, Seddon 

(03) 9687 8881

littlemancafe.com

Ora Specialty Coffee - Kew

Ora Specialty Coffee is one of those places where you'd up and move just to make it your own local hotspot. It has everything, you could ask for in a cafe. 

The staff are friendly and warm, the food is brilliant and fresh and the tea and coffees are perfectly brewed.

The seasonal menu consists of a handful of well executed dishes created by head chef Zoe Pearce. It was no surprise when Ora won the title of best food cafe in the Age's good Cafe guide 2014.

On my most recent visit, I had the Black pudding fritters with watercress and beetroot aioli. The fritters had a delicate crispy shell with a super creamy inside.

The beetroot aioli was a gorgeous vibrant colour, making the dish stunning both visually and taste wise. The peri peri pork roll was also a standout amongst friends. 

As a tea lover, I adore the selection of teas on offer which are all from Storm in a Teacup. They are steeped to perfection and served in beautiful glassware, so you can appreciate the golden liquor of your tea. If coffee is your thing, they have almost every style of coffee imaginable - filter, siphon, cold drip, pour over etc - but rest assured, they are all done perfectly. 

Finally Ora's small sweets display can not be overlooked, they have pretty little cupcakes, a delicious beetroot chocolate brownie and fluffy bombolinis with cream just to name a few.

Ora is truly a neighbourhood treasure. Its impeccable food and coffee bring a touch of city style and flair to an otherwise quiet suburban area.

156 Pakington Street, Kew 

(03) 9855 2002 
 

Open: Weekdays, 7am until 4pm 

Weekends, 8am until 4pm