Ying Thai 2

Ying Thai 2 110 Lygon St, Carlton

Sounds like a cr@p experience. I used to go to Ying Thai on Victoria Street and found the service and food pretty good. Maybe try that one some time... ?

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Did someone say a real, damn-good Chocolate tart?

Cafe Vue 430 Lt Collins St, Melbourne

Are you frustrated....

.... at the lack of good quality, chocolate muffins in this side of town?

Well, I am. I'm over walking the streets, looking endlessly for a cafe that sells chocolate muffins or tarts that are just simple, good quality and basically, well, chocolate.

I'm over the chocolate & raspberry variations, the apple or banana chocolate muffins, the double chocolate muffins which only disappoint when you realise the only the other chocolate in the "double chocolate" is white chocolate, and where the hell is the cocoa in that? I'm over the seemingly numerous (well, that is relative) muffin hot spots that serve mediocre muffins by drawing the crowds only because the muffins are warm and plentiful and come in an assortment of variations, possibly, dare I say, to suit the kind of people that order soy, decaf, mocha-chinos with extra hazelnut flavouring!

What ever happened to the days when you could easily get a nice, simple, fresh chocolate muffin made with good quality ingredients? Not like those chocolate muffins, which have hard, crispy chocolate drizzled all over the top and make you feel like you are eating candy rather than cake. Nor too, like those muffins which use bad quality milk chocolate which instantly make you think you should have just gone to 7-Eleven and bought a crap Cadbury bar instead of giving such a "good looking" muffin a go.

The quality of muffins this side of town has hit rock bottom, I say. I hope I can be proved wrong, so if you know of anyplace that contradicts my statements please let me know.

The good news is....

After fifteen minutes of zooting around trying to find a muffin place, I did manage to settle in a nice cafe that served an excellent chocolate tart. That place is Cafe Vue, which is attached to the popular Vue du Monde restaurant. The tart is moderately priced ($4) but for an indulgence it’s definitely worth the expense. It’s basically a dark chocolate tart made with a biscuit base of semi-sweet biscuits. The tart is soft but thick enough to warrant the use of a knife with your fork (albeit a wooden one), and it's dusted with wonderfully rich and good quality cocoa. There is no banana, no fruits, no cinnamon, no sprinkles, no hardness reminiscent of a cake baked two days ago, no overly sweet flavours and certainly no white chocolate. In fact there is little doubt there exists cocoa in that tart. It reminds me of my frozen, dark chocolate mousse cake that I make with Valrhona or Lindt chocolate, though much softer.

Until I find better, I think my weekly chocolate tart indulgence will be there. And with only two minutes walk across the road from my building, I'm left with a sense of satisfaction now.

I hope that you, too, will enjoy the only muffin/tart recommendation I have to offer in this side of town. Thank you Mr Shannon Bennett (From Vue du Monde).

Enjoy.