Abbotsford Convent Slow Food Farmers Market and Beatrix, North Melbourne

There was one place in Melbourne that stole my heart. Beatrix in North Melbourne. Welcome to the final post on our three-day Melbourne adventure. And yep, I saved the best for last. I know we managed to eat a massive amount of food on our mini-break. People would ask why we were going/had travelled to Melbourne. I don't think they really believed us when we bluntly replied "to eat".


Relaxing on the lawn at Abbotsford Convent

The only sightseeing I had planned on our (comprehensive) itinerary was the Slow Food Farmers Market. Okay, I know this involves food, but surely walking + outdoors equals some points for touristing, right? As luck would have it, our visit coincided with the monthly market at Abbotsford Convent.


Artichokes

We spot the swarms of people even before we reach the car park. There are hordes of people both entering and leaving the market. Everywhere you look are happy smiles of stallholders, artisan products and a rainbow of organic produce.


Certified organic leeks


Certified organic Tuscan kale


Certified organic Dutch carrots


Shoppers at the markets


Certified organic baby celeriac


Dogs, kids and shoppers


Dr Marty's crumpet stall

I zero in on Dr Marty's crumpet stall like a moth to a flame. I'd been keen to get my hands on his crumpets again after first trying them at St Ali. They're a handmade crumpet made with organic flour, and their satisfying density was something I'd craved ever since.


Dr Marty's toasted crumpets with DIY spreads $5

Hand over five bucks and you can enjoy two of them freshly toasted on the spot. There's an assortment of spreads that you can slather on as generously as you please. And you can grab a take home bag of 6 for $8.50. I still have a precious few sitting in my freezer.


Buerre bosc pears


Chestnut honey by Walkabout Apiaries 

And even though my pantry is full of honey, I still couldn't say no to a jar of chestnut honey from Walkabout Apiaries, a dark and intense honey harvested from chestnut groves in the Ovens Valley.


Fruit sponge cakes from Convent Bakery


Asparagus


Beetroot


Hang Wan from Hi-Fye Pistachios, grown chemical-free in Wedderburn

We stumble upon Hi-Fye Pistachios and are taken aback when we realise they are selling all different kinds of pistachios. Wasn't there only one? Wrong. We're told there are more than 100 types of pistachios. At their farm in Wedderburn they grow 30 different varieties from 15,000 pistachios trees.


Some of the 30 different pistachios they grow on their farm in Wedderburn

The sirora pistachio is the one most commonly grown commercially. It has a high yield and is easily harvested by machines. Hang Wan tells us that the shelled ones she has for sale are all done by hand.

They have an impressive range of other varieties, including mohseng, mumtaz, sayfhadeeny, larnaca and badami. I pick up a tasting bag of four different varieties for $25 to take home. It's eye-opening to taste them and notice their differences in shape, crunch and flavour. Hang says that because the pistachios all ripen at different stages (they will naturally crack), they hand harvest them one by one. Only the sirora pistachios are harvested by machine.


Market stalls in the Abbotsford Convent grounds





Beatrix, North Melbourne


Raspberry and sweet ricotta cream in a polenta cooked crust

Beatrix is tiny but has bucketloads of charm. It was the posts and IG pics from Sarah that led me to this little slice of sweet tooth heaven in North Melbourne. The owner isn't named Beatrix but Nat Paull, a qualified pastry chef who has worked with Maggie Beer, Greg Malouf, Stephanie Alexander and Cath Claringbold (Burch & Purchese).



Eggbeaters above the counter at Beatrix

The corner cafe has only a smattering of tables inside and out. There's a vintage kitsch feel the place, with an assortment of old fashioned eggbeaters hanging above the counter. Word is that if you donate your own from the kitchen, you'll be rewarded with a free slice of cake!


Cakes and pastries on the display counter

The savoury menu is written on blackboards mounted on the wall, but your eyes are likely to be drawn to the sweets in the display cabinet. Footed cake plates and handwritten labels on lace doilies make it hard to resist ordering one of everything. We were there on the day of the AFL grand final. Beatrix has firmly asserted itself as a Sydney Swans supporter with all kinds of red and white themed treats specifically for sale that day.


Potato brioche doughnuts with lemon sour cream glaze

I spend several minutes just gawking at everything. I expect you will too.


Date caramel and chocolate tart with toasted peanut crust


Rosewater meringues 


Rhubarb crumble cheesecake with gingerbread and cookie crumb crust


Calamity Janes graham cookies with vanilla marshmallow, strawberry preserve and milk chocolate


The Plugger $15.50
Pulled McIvor's free range pork shoulder 

We concede to a savoury start before we hit the sweets. The pulled pork sandwich made with McIvor's free range pork shoulder is inordinately delicious. The pork is sweet and juicy, doused in a smoky barbecue sauce. There's a good handful of slaw to lighten proceedings and several tiles of crackling are the cherry on top.


Flat white coffee

Cakes and coffee are served on an eclectic mismatch of crockery that's just perfect for Instagram.


Dessert time!


Mandarin chiffon cake $6

I'm a huge fan of chiffon cake and this mandarin version is mighty fine. The crumb is beautifully light and fluffy, pulled apart without any resistance or residual oil on your fingers. It's as soft as a cloud with only a thin layer of tangy lemon icing on top.


Date caramel and chocolate tart with toasted peanut crust $8.50

At the other end of the scale, the date caramel and chocolate tart is a lesson in achieving richness without being cloyingly sweet. We sink our forks into the gooey pool of date caramel, the bittersweetness of chocolate and hit the buttery toasted peanut tart shell that's short and crisp.


Potato brioche doughnut with lemon sour cream glaze $5

Potatoes, brioche and doughnuts have always been three distinct foods in my eating history but here they're presented as one. As I understand it, this delicacy involves making a brioche dough with potato starch and then frying it in doughnut form. I can confirm this is one helluva tasty mouthful. The doughnut is cakey but soft, and the lemon sour cream glaze has just the right amount of tang.


Anzac cookie made with Myrtleford butter $2

But my favourite dessert had to be the Anzac cookie. Maybe it was the use of Myrtleford butter that elevated this Aussie icon, but it was the ideal ratio of butter, oats, coconut and crunch.

I miss you already, Melbourne. Can't wait to eat you again soon!






Beatrix
688 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Tel: +61 (03) 9090 7301
Open Tuesday to Saturday 9am-4pm




Abbotsford Convent Slow Food Farmers Market
Abbotsford Convent, Providence Lawn and Sacred Heart Courtyard
1-16 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford, Melbourne
Tel: +61 (03) 9419 0826

Fourth Saturday of every month 8am-1pm
$2 entry fee per person is encouraged 
(collected by the Abbotsford Convent Foundation maintenance fund)


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