On my second day of walkies around Melbourne I decided to venture down to St Kilda. I had never visited this beachside suburb on previous trips that is home to Luna Park. It is also home to a multitude of retro-style cake stores, replete with beaded curtains in the doorways and old favourites like vanilla slice and multicoloured meringues sitting in the windows, along Acland Street.
But, of course, I had an ulterior motive for visiting St Kilda and that was to purchase chocolates from Cacao. Wifey had been to Cacao when we were last in Melbourne and I had had the fortune of stumbling across Cacao chocolates being sold at The Chocolate Shop when I was at Berry a couple of months prior.
Cacao’s St Kilda store is its head office and sells not only chocolates but cakes, macarons, breads, pastires and café food as well. The macarons are all shades of pastel and individually packaged but as much as I’d like to bring some back to Sydney, I fear they risk being smithereened during travel. The inside of the store is light-filled with plenty of seating. Since my last trip to Melbourne Cacao has also opened a couple of other stores in the city centre but both are chocolate outlets only.
As I have been wandering around already for about two hours, I decide to rest my legs and grab some brunch. The store is largely empty when I sit down and order a flat white and ‘Croque Monsieur’. Unfortunately the coffee is too milky for my liking and I get a little confused when the croque monsieur is placed in front of me. There is only one slice of bread, albeit a thick one, which is topped with a slice of cheese, a slice of ham and Bechamel. The sauce is quite thick and I find it a bit rich.
As it is quite a sunny winter’s day, I decide to leave the purchasing of chocolates for later in the trip from one of Cacao’s outlets in the city (I end up visiting both). I order a chocolate croissant to take-away for nibbling on later in the afternoon and head off in search of clothing along Chapel Street.
52 Fitzroy St, St Kilda VIC
Tel: (03) 8598 9555
Opening Hours: 7 days 7am-7pm
happy eating!
I have always wanted to go to Melbourne and go to all their retro style cafes. The cakes and macarons look so delicious
ReplyDeleteLook at those shopfronts! They're like from a movie set :D
ReplyDeleteLooks like you've had an absolutely fantastic time in Melbourne! I used to get down there twice a year (or more) but haven't been for almost two years now - miss its little cafes and crazy Acland Street cakes like mad!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing what else you get up to! :)
Those bakeries look huge! I want to go to Melbourne now...
ReplyDeleteHi A cupcake or two! I unfortunately didn't get a chance to sample any of the cakes or slices from the retro cake stores - I ran the risk of carting multiple stores back to the hotel with me!
ReplyDeleteHey Lorraine, it was surreal having every other store along one side of Acland St looking like that.
Hi Shez! I love Melbourne and manage to discover something new every time I'm there. What was the reason for your frequent visits?
Hi Von! They're standard-sized stores but with lots and lots of stuff in the windows!