Cake Snob Reviews: New Zealand
The quest for the best meat pie, sampling pavlova in wine country, and a detour for a donut I couldn’t resist.
BC and I spent the beginning of February in New Zealand, visiting his family. Because it was vacation, I ate a lot of baked goods.
Meat Pie Quest
BC and I didn’t intend to make a meat pie quest part of our trip. We just stumbled upon a cute store and then opened a book that listed the best pies in the country, and we were intrigued. Kiwis love their meat pies. Almost every small bakery has a case full of handheld pies, filled with meat and cheese and all delicious. We recognized Fergbakery on the list—we’d visited on our last New Zealand trip and had been impressed. We were sold.
Richoux Patisserie
The closest bakery to us was this one, deep in the suburbs in Ellerslie’s unassuming downtown. The pastry was very flaky, perfectly browned, and crisp, and the gravy filling inside was just perfect. It was thick and deeply umami but had enough acidity to balance the richness. This was a truly delicious pie. I was sadly unable to give it full marks, though. The pastry wanted more flavor (using butter instead of shortening would have done the trick), and some of the pies (we tried five different varieties) didn’t have much meat in the filling.
Madhatter Bakery
Located in a tiny town, Madhatter Bakery seemed like the kind of no-frills, homey place where a third-generation baker is still using her grandma’s secret recipe. The pies looked a little pale, but we ordered anyway, and I have never been so disappointed in my life. The pastry was limp and very underbaked, the filling was sawdust-dry, and the whole thing was bland and flavorless. Horrible, just horrible. The pie book is dead to me.
BP
We decided to rescue our breakfast by stopping at the next BP we could find that had a Wild Bean Café. That’s right, we went to a gas station for the food. And the pies were good. On my first trip to New Zealand, I thought BC was insane for wanting one, but I tried it and saw why. It was steaming hot, full of juicy, flavorful steak and gooey American cheese, and the pastry is pretty flaky. It’s a solid option.
Pavlova in Waiheke
BC and I spent a day, just the two of us, on Waiheke. This island right outside the city is known for its wine, but I don’t remember which vineyard did it best. What I do recall are the two pavlovas I ate and what exactly I liked about each one.
Batch Winery Pavlova
The portion size was excellent! Pavlova is light, so you want a lot of it. The luster dust was extravagant and so fun, dressing up an otherwise homey dessert. The pavlova was soft and marshmallowy in the middle and crisp on the outside. The mascarpone cream was light and lovely, and the strawberries and passion fruit syrup were delicious. However, the fruit wasn’t quite sour enough to balance out the sweetness of the meringue.
Mudbrick Pavlova
The textures in this dish were just perfect. Feijoa sorbet, refreshingly cold and mild, stood up well next to rich whipped cream, crunchy kiwi seeds, and a pavlova which had the most delicate crust and pillowy center. The balance of sweet and sour was absolutely perfect thanks to a tart kiwi sauce and barely sweet sorbet. I wanted a little salt in the meringue, but that’s me nitpicking; this pavlova still deserved full marks! It was the perfect end to a perfect day.
These last two desserts were pure spontaneity, the thing I live for on vacation.
Monkey Bread from Amano
We had lunch at the restaurant, but before we did, I looked at the bakery case and decided to save some room. It was a good thing, because this monkey bread was delicately sweet and very buttery, with a satisfying crunch from the sugar. The laminated bread dough, which I’ve never seen in a monkey bread before, made a dessert that is usually simple into something special. Absolutely delicious.
Raspberry Cream Donut from Doe Donuts
I saw a giant ad for Doe Donuts two days in a row. On the first day, we had to leave Auckland before the shop opened, but the second day, we managed to pop in right before catching our bus. The donut was moist, well-risen and rich, with a brioche-like dough that wasn’t oily at all. It was somehow simultaneously dense and fluffy, and was generously filled with rich cream and tart jam. My homemade donuts are great, but this blew them out of the water.