I had been stalking Doux Amour for a while, ever since I spotted their very cute penguin choux pastry on Instagram. By chance, friends of mine came across their pop up store at the lower ground level, QVB and were nice enough to bring some home to share. Not all animals were available (7 out of 12) but I did have my eye on ‘Rosie’ (rose and lychee) and ‘PoPo’ (cookies and cream).
Photo sent from my friend which made me squeal very loudly.
The menu.
My friends couldn’t remember how much each puff was but I’ve seen on some reviews they are around $7.60. They bought home Rosie, PoPo and ‘Nutty Freckle’ (nutella).
Cutting one up reveals a light fluffy custard that isn’t too OTT and you could easily eat more than one without feeling sugar sweats. I thought I would enjoy Rosie the most because of the similarity with Pierre Hermes’ Ispahan but surprisingly my favourite was PoPo. I thought the flavours of the nutella and rose/lychee weren’t strong enough.
It could be said that these choux pastries are really gimmicky as they are very instagrammable and ridiculously cute but lucky they are also delicious. I can’t speak for all flavours though and I still want to get my hands on ‘Blackie’ (black sesame), ‘Quackie (pineapple), ‘Hopper’ (strawberry) and ‘Chai-ger’ (chai).
Venue: Doux Amour
Address: QVB pop up, lower ground level north
Even their booths are covered in this cute material.
I really wanted a cute cheeseburger with the iconic Hello Kitty bow but we had just come from lunch so all I could squeeze in was a cute milkshake and a waffle for an afternoon snack (don’t give me that look).
The Pancake Milkshake ($8.00). This had little chunks in it and yes it tasted and felt like a pancake milkshake with maple syrup. I don’t know if it is worth $8.00 for the size, but I didn’t want a lot and it didn’t disappoint in flavour.
Cinnamon waffles apple pie ice-cream, salted caramel ($8.00). I was pleased to see that it was freshly made and was hot and crunchy, while a lot of cafes I have been to serve a warmed pre-made one or even worse, from frozen. The fact that it was in the shape of Hello Kitty’s head topped with a cute bow was just a super cute touch. I really enjoyed the apple pie ice-cream that went really well with the salted caramel sauce. A perfect sweet treat that isn’t overly sweet or filling.
Where to start? Pastries of course!
How cute is this place?!
The area is rather quite big and very popular. There is a beautiful area called ‘The Garden bar’ where it appears to be more casual with no table service but an amazing outdoor area with lots of sun light shining through.
TimmyC couldn’t wait 1 hour before having coffee, so he ordered one from The Garden Bar.
I could live here.
I love polka dots!
The menu: what flavour of milkshake would you choose?
I love this old school coffee maker!
Deluxe shake Apple pie ($8.00). I was torn about what milkshake flavour to get between caramel and lime but the lovely girl who was serving me suggested I try a deluxe flavour when I can. Oh my! I could not go past an apple pie. My eyes lit up when I saw that they used Tilba milk. The milkshake had lovely notes of cinnamon and I loved the addition of a short bread biscuit.
A close up of my deluxe ‘Apple pie’ milkshake. I probably would have preferred some ice cream blended into it but you need a good drinks/sweets van when you’re surrounded by food trucks with lots of savoury options. They also have cans of soft drink for $2.50.
Venue: April’s Caravan
So much to be tempted by in the cake cabinet.
Here is the menu- small and precise, what would you have chosen?
I just love the decor of this cafe, so funky and laid back.
Large flat white
Earl grey doughnut ($3.80?). Not my favourite 
Shake it off! vanilla infused honey, malt balls and ice cream ($5.50?). I love the name of this, it was partially why I chose it actually. I could really taste the malt and sometimes the ice cream clogged my straw but it wasn’t the best milkshake that I’ve had.
This is how we roll smoked bacon, 2 free range eggs, house made bbq relish, potato hash, melted jack cheese & toasted brioche bun ($9.90). A breakfast bun with all my favourite things! I happen to cut this roll in half for photo and sharing purposes before I spotted a short hair under my bacon and alerted the waitress who whisked my plate away. The owner (?) then came to us and was very apologetic and a new roll was made for me very quickly. He came over again to apologise and offered us both free coffees which was really nice of him. Despite a small wait for my second roll, I really enjoyed my heavily savoury breakfast as it balanced out all the sweetness of the pancakes.
The essential cross-section photo.
I know I’m a slow eater and TimmyC having a head start to his breakfast didn’t help. A big table of 8 was heading into the cafe and we were asked to shuffle down a seat and even with only a few more bites to go, I was told not to rush at all. I didn’t mind moving (it was only one seat down), I was just glad that we all fit.
Despite a few little dramas which might have annoyed me at any other cafe, I really like the set up, the vibe of the staff and how this little gem is tucked away in the suburbs. I definitely much prefer this place compared to the previous establishment which made it onto my short list of ‘will not return’.
TALES OF A CONFECTIONIST 