• The art of desserts from Le Petit Gateau

458 Little Collins Street
Melbourne 3000
03 9944 8893
www.lepetitgateau.com.au

Of all cultures, perhaps the French have cake most ingrained.  They eat it for breakfast, the world has adopted the French word ‘gateau’, and cake even appeared in historical phrases proclaimed by the last queen, Marie Antoinette.  With all this in mind, it is probably reasonable to assume that French cakes, of all cakes, are the best.

A visit to Le Petit Gateau promises to be exciting.  I had not been for years.  Little has changed, but it never needed improvement.

Wanting some carbs before hitting a sugar high, I ordered a toasted roast vegetable panini.   The pumpkin was a hard, but the olive tapenade and fetta gave the veggies a strong flavour.


Cake, of course, was the highlight.  Whilst there are many, I can never go past the amazing brownie and passion fruit chocolate gateau.  This classic French style cake is layered with a delicious chocolate and nut brownie, praline, passionfruit curd, chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache.  The tartness of the passionfruit balances the velvety chocolate.  The crunch of the praline and nuts, juxtaposes the smoothness of the perfected mousse and curd.


My friend ordered a milk hot chocolate with vanilla and cinnamon.  She also enjoyed a fresh cup, which was, well, refreshing.


The set-up of this cafe is cosy, but it is pleasing to watch, the creators in the spacious kitchen whipping up creations. The tiniest details are taken into consideration, from the texture of the mousse, to the eatable glitter on the chocolate decoration.

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