In short: A whimsical mix of culinary craft and magic, amazing sweet treats and great coffee too.
“Dynamic duos” come in many guises, Batman & Robin, Bert & Ernie, Han & Chewie, Cookies & Milk, but some partnerships are a little more abstract at first thought. Petal Met Sugar, a magical mingling of a florist and patissier in Sydney’s Woolloomooloo, is redefining the creative potential of eclectic collaborations, with sweet outcomes for all!
Petal Met Sugar is the delightful concoction of patissier Elisa Li and florist Angela Wong. This whimsical marriage of blossoms and bonbons openly showcases the two distinct talents of its creators and how those come together in a blaze of colour and culinary craft.
Petal Met Sugar is almost always a bustling hive of sweet tooths lined up to grab the next available table, so we showed our dedication to the cause and crawled out of bed early on a Sunday morning to be the first to sample the dazzling dainties carefully arranged for our selection.
Coffee to clear the cobwebs of the early wakeup, and this one is yum! The cappuccino is just the right amount of bold, tempered with a light, sweet, froth that bathes the tastebuds in a silky nuttiness that nicely rounds out the experience. Not only does Petal Met Sugar take pride in its floral and flour pursuits, but clearly the bean benefits from the same level of attention.
Easing into the pastry, we dip our toe in with a benchmark that tests the mettle of any good pastry chef. The croissant is equal parts fluffy and crispy with that elusive rich, buttery flavour that is usually only found on the streets of Paris. Sonia, the self-appointed Coco & Vine croissant critic, goes silent. Silence can mean one of two things, that the croissant is yet another poor excuse for the genuine Parisian pastry, or, as in this case, the holy grail of Sydney croissants has been discovered, finally. There have been many contenders, let me tell you, but this one is now the title holder of Sydney’s best croissant….
One of the heavy burdens us foodies must bear is the eternal FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). What’s the ideal tonic for this terrible affliction? Tasting plates, of course! The Trio plate at Petal Met Sugar lets you sample three of the gems from the patissier’s jewellery case. So here we go… Front to back, we have the strawberry cheesecake, raspberry, and the caramel. All of these tiny treats might be small in scale, but the flavours are big statements of the obviously premium ingredients used and the refinement of the craft. The sweetness is never overpowering and only acts to enhance the starring flavour for each one. While Sonia might claim to be the adjudicator in the realm of croissants, I will step up to fill a similar role for cheesecake. This slice of paradise is amazingly light and yet so rich and creamy. How they strike that perfect balance is something that is akin to wizardry, in my mind. Each one of these temptations is worth the price of admission alone, but to have all three in an all-star line-up is heaven.
Cleansing the palate is a must in these urban foraging expeditions. We choose to do so with a Watermelon and Earl Grey Iced Tea. Apart from bringing another burst of colour to the already vibrant collage assembled on our table, the iced tea’s spark of freshness hearalds the spring morning with floral notes and undertones from the Earl Grey. Once again, a superb balance that lets all the essences peek through.
In my books, every good show must end with a finale. A crescendo of fireworks that etches a mark in one’s memory bank. If someone was given the task to create a confectionary homage to a fireworks display, then Petal Met Sugar’s Flower Bomb has met the brief. The fragile orb of elegant white chocolate sits unassumingly in the centre of its stage. A single, deft blow from our servers spoon explodes the contained splashes of colour and scents across that stage and simultaneously resets our measure for impact in the world of sugar. The shards of the orb have given way to edible flowers that almost seem too vibrant to take in. These top a base of mascarpone mousse, brown butter popping crumble, and passionfruit jelly. It has that Wonka feel in its magical design, but again, a refinement to the flavour construction that is more than eye candy.
Petal Met Sugar is that little piece of wonder that Sydney’s Woolloomooloo needed to pull together all the other great food experiences in its mosaic. When you’re feeling like you need a little magic in your day, Petal Met Sugar is there with open arms.
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