La Renaissance, The Rocks

Hi all, this is my actual first post on petit fours. This post wasn't intended, so please excuse the lack of variety and photos.My friend P and I visited The Rocks in the hope to find some hipster, vintage cafe tucked away in forts of sandstone, somewhat nostalgic of the convict days (though I didn't always listen in history class to really know what I'm talking about). We spotted La Renaissance first so we stopped here for a light snack after a long walk at the Botanical Gardens. Upon first sight, my heart sank a tad when I noticed the four tables sitting idly at the entrance, all occupied. Of course, I wanted to sit and eat, not to take and go. Nonetheless, the patisserie itself was full of variety, and as indecisive we were, we pondered and pondered until I finally decided on a salmon baguette, only to find that their lunch menu stopped at 2.30pm. Great. We reverted once again to the wall behind and stared at the options. A bit frustrated, I asked one of the workers for a vegetarian option (yep, I'm pesco-vegetarian), and they suggested to try the leek quiche. As bland as it sounds, you'd be surprised.Most problems with quiches are their dryness. This was not. Moist, moist, moist. I know that word sounds gross, but the wobbly and somewhat creamy egg and cheese mixture being enveloped by the thin shortcrust pastry, made it pleasing to eat. While all this 'moistness' was happening, the softness of the leeks melted happily in my mouth.Of course, we couldn't deprive our sweet tooth either and opted for the 'brown thing' in between the yellow and pink. There was no tag labelling the dessert so I have no idea of the name. Perhaps Hazelnut mousse with raspberries? Well everyone loves hazelnut, and this was no exception. As creamy and smooth a mousse is meant to be, the hazelnut mousse was decorated with these soft toffee-like (though I really don't know what it is) bits that gave it that aesthetic appeal as well as something to roll around in your mouth because you'd be killing yourself trying to figure out what the hell this tiny soft thing is. Encased in all that good hazelnut mousse was, however not what I expected. To my disappointment, it was raspberry jam, except thicker. I'm not really a fan of jam in food, only on scones. Despite this, the raspberry does help cut the hazelnut flavour to balance it a bit and creates a rather smooth combination between the two. It eventually turned out to be a very pleasing and interesting dessert.
All this spooning (oh, get your mind out of the gutter!) occurred in a secret courtyard that was hidden behind the cafe; it wasnt't just those four tables at the front! You'd buy whatever, and take it to the courtyard that's connected through the counter area. Pretty cool right? I really fell in love with the courtyard, because one, I was surprised of its existence, and two, it was like it transported you back to the 19__'s (seriously don't know my history) where things were less modernised and more natural.
Please do pay a visit here when you're looking to rewind and relax for brunch, lunch or arvo tea. The colourful panels of macarons and desserts has already got me trying to set a date with another friend. Oh and NTS: arrive before 2.30pm for their baguettes!


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