Cafe de Beaumarchais Archives

So we have manned the phones, checked the town noticeboard and scanned the Parish Newsletter. The votes are in for our Friday Favourites and top tips for the weekend.

It is a little cold in Melbourne right now, but as my gorgeous French waiter at the Piggery Cafe in Sherbrooke said to me yesterday “brisk, not cold.” So yes, I am looking on the bright side. Brisk it is (imagine it with a French accent, nice yes?). Plus, school holidays have arrived! No more early morning starts in the cold for 2 weeks. 🙂

Here are my top picks for the weekend.

1. Dinner at O.My.

I was lucky enough to eat at O.my again last week and due to a late cancellation we found ourselves dining in the gorgeous private dining room out the back. It was so beautiful and cosy and the service was fantastic as always. We had the 6 course degustation and my companions ordered the matching wine so we even had our own sommelier. You can read more about O.My here. If you are not in the market for fine dining then maybe jump in the car and check out Iv’s Burritos Food Truck in Upwey. Or for my current food crush, try the best Korean food in Melbourne at Kimchi Hut Glen Waverley.

2. Inspire. Stop looking at Facebook photos of all your gorgeous friends on holiday in Bali (or is that just me?) and instead get in your car and head to somewhere beautiful close by. For me that would be Sassafras in the Dandenong Ranges. Chojo Bonsai Gallery, Cafe de Beaumarchais, a wander through the mist and a peek in a few gift shops. Don’t forget your beanie, your camera and a few dollars for the Sweet Shop (I’ll have a bag of Pear drops please. How kind of you to ask).

3. Buy. Casey-Berwick Farmers Market at the Old Cheese Factory. 8am to 12.30. or the Yallourn North Winter Market. The Yallourn North Winter Market launches tomorrow and I have never been there but it looks great. Let me know what you think if you manage a visit. The Casey-Berwick Farmers Market is run by the local RSL and generally has a good smattering of gorgeous food all within the beautiful grounds of The Old Cheese Factory.

4. Bake. The browneyedbaker.com is the winner of this weeks #Sharethecakeau. She shared a beautiful Snickers Cake with her family and the instructions for making it can be found here. It looks absolutely amazing and far too complicated for this simple cook. Ever more importantly, there is a very special and very beautiful story behind why she made her Snickers Cake so do please give her a visit and read about it. I recommend you bring tissues. To find out more about #sharethecakeau head here. Or head on over to my Instagram account.

5. Make. Get Crafty with Pip from Meetmeatmikes. Pip is a writer, crafter and author from Melbourne. She loves a crochet square and a craft project and the school holidays may just be the right time for you to check out her blog. It is very beautiful and it will make you smile. It also may inspire you to crochet a blanket or decorate a shadow box. You’ve been warned.

Plus, eatmystreet has embarked on an exciting new project. As well as my mission to get more people connecting together over the sweetness of cake #sharethecakeau, I am also about to launch a series profiling local, inspiring folk of note and their favourite cafes. How awesome is that. I am très excité (oops, the French waiter is haunting me). So sign up to my blog here or head over to Facebook to “like” me (blush, I am touched) to keep up to date.

Happy Eating.

Dani B

Cafe de Beaumarchais

The first time I visited the enchantingly named Cafe de Beaumarchais, a thick winter mist was swirling through the streets and fog had shrouded half of the little village of Sassafras.

It is hard to imagine that anyone paying a visit to Sassafras in the Dandenong Ranges outside of Melbourne, would not instantly love it. It is drenched in charm and dripping with nostalgia and the line that snakes outside the popular Miss Marples Tea Rooms is proof perfect regarding its popularity as a tourist destination. Just quietly I know a lot of non tourists that also love the area, myself included.

If you do not feel like lining up to be cosily ensconced in the floral and lace dining room at Miss Marples then you might like to dine somewhere different. Cafe de Beaumarchais should certainly keep you happy.

It is a narrow fronted French Cafe named after a well known French teacher extraordinaire. Musician, diplomat, spy and playwright are but a few of the bows in his quiver. The cafe is decorated accordingly and is gorgeous & gilt lined in equal measure. Pop over here for some pictures if you would like.

http://www.cafedebeaumarchais.com.au

The menu has a great range of cakes and tarts and in true French fashion also does a line in simple but perfect baguettes. ($9.90 – $11.90)

They serve Jasper organic fair-trade coffee ($3.80) , an interesting selection of teas ($4/ $8) and even a tiny selection of wine. My advice is that you try one of their Parisian hot chocolates with a tiny croissant to on the side. I was helpfully told that the croissant is for dipping in the thick, sweet chocolate and it was immediately apparent that this is a perfect idea!

Next time you are in the area stop by for a visit. I really enjoyed my window seat although there will be no fog swirling at this time of year. Call ahead for a table if there will be more than one of you as this is a small, popular cafe. If you learn any more of the intriguing Pierre de Beaumarchais then let me know. If only we could all live such exciting lives!

For now, I will stick with the joy of indulging in chocolate, pastry & cake. I’ll save diplomacy and spying for another time…..

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

Details

Cafe de Beaumarchais

Cnr Mount Dandenong Tourist Road & Woodlands Avenue, Sassafras
Phone:(03) 9755 1100