Adrian Grazioli always had a dream of opening his own patisserie. After training at Brunetti’s in Melbourne, Adrian moved back to the coast, working for different cake shops before opening his own premises, ironically in the same block as the restaurant his parents founded: Riviera.
Hidden away in a tiny suburban shopping centre in Sorrento, The Pastry Emporium is a gift to locals and a ‘need to know’ shop for the rest of the coast.
“The Melbourne style of cakes still amazes me,” he tells us. They amaze us too! The patisseries along one little stretch of Ackland Street alone are a revelation; one we rarely indulge in for fear of being sucked into their doorways, never to return!
It’s those same exquisite delicate treats we see in The Pastry Emporium, albeit on a smaller scale: Salted caramel tarts with a top notch of walnut, individual tarts with a swirl of meringue, tiny macarons of all colours, small pieces of cake, larger cakes (which can also be ordered online) and pastries.
“Which cakes do you like the most?” As if the beauty of the cakes doesn’t speak for itself, I ask Adrian to tell me more.
“Everyone likes a different cake, but our bestsellers are Mille-feuille and Almond croissants. Personally I like the individual cakes. They are all traditional but with a modern twist: For example, our Carrot cake has a cream cheese mousse with raspberry and strawberry jelly on top. It’s still the basic flavour of a carrot cake, but pimped up,” he says.
Ooh! We love the pimping! With those violets, Alita’s birthday cake looks dolled up enough to win Fashions of the Field!
The Pastry Emporium is open for breakfast until 11am daily, with Ham and egg bagels, Filled croissants, Avo smash and Truffled eggs among the brekkie dishes, with Merlo coffee to drink in or go.
With the expansion of the Bundall shop, lunch is also available, from pastries to schnitzel, fish and chips to sausage rolls. Sit down and relax with your coffee in the air conditioning.
Somehow, we never seem to make it out the door without a small cake or two. Simply exquisite!
Riviera Plaza, 4/7 Campbell Street (Cnr Panitz St.), Bundall, Queensland 4217
Ph: 0435 919 433