For oozing Belgian Chocolate brownies that melt all dietary discipline.

Our experience

There are some sweet things that MoMo & Coco prefer not to buy, and rather, in a flurry of flour, dustings of sugar, and meltings of butter, make for ourselves at home. Sometimes however, a tendency to be rather lazy kicks in. Melbourne has numerous bakeries, most of which sell bread of various dough types and standard baked sweeties. MoMo & Coco have no intention of featuring such bakeries on this blog, but we will make an exception for Phillippa, a long-standing suburban bakery favourite of ours. A third outlet sprung up in a CBD laneway in late 2011, delivering the perfect mid-week bread-shopping excuse for city workers. It’s a very European set-up — windows backlit in a golden light, little outside chairs and tables, a mix of modern and rustic shelving and counters stocked with baked beauties.

Being a bakery first and foremost, rather than a patisserie, cakes and sweet things are not a specialty nor a particular forte at Phillippa’s, and MoMo & Coco would ordinarily bypass them. However, let us tell you…the Belgian Chocolate Brownies are a m-u-s-t. At $12.50 for a large slab, it’s perfect for eating over a few days, or perhaps for sharing, but after one mouthful, you would not really want to at all! Why, you might ask, why is it so good? Because dear readers…the outer epidermal has that baked layer for a textural relief, before disappearing into a soft rich brownie studded with nuts. This brownie yields a most decadent dark chocolate taste that is missing in other store-bought brownies — a flavour like a full-bodied wine, neither a dry ashy tone nor one that is too sugary. If heated, it becomes more luscious fudge-y in texture, and the dark chocolate flavour does take on a slightly carbonised caramel taste. We prefer it as is, straight out of its plastic wrapping and sliced up into rectangles. For those who like white chocolate, the Blondies slice at Phillippa’s is also superb.

Our verdict

Phillippa’s undoubtedly best for bread, but the brownies are just as exceptional, as is the lemon curd (MoMo & Coco’s favourite preserve, two jars of which purchased from London were confiscated by *stupid* Melbourne quarantine officers boo!!), albeit tinged in appearance and flavour a little more orange than preferred. But this is nit-picking. Let us draw your attention back to those Belgian Chocolate Brownies. Now in a convenient city location, is there any excuse not to visit?

Dessert adventure checklist

1. ☑ Dessert destination: Phillippa’s Bakery, 15 Howey Place, Melbourne CBD, Vic 3000; 1030 High Street, Armadale, Vic 3143; and 608 Hampton Street, Brighton, Vic 3186.
2. ☑ Budget: $-$$.
3. ☑ Sweet irresistibles: Bakery sweets.
4. ☑ Must-eat: The Belgian Chocolate brownies.
5. ☑ The short and sweet story: For oozing Belgian Chocolate brownies that melt all dietary discipline.