Cafes

Yarra Valley 2012: Essenza

2/17/2012 09:18:00 PM

Our second day in the Yarra Valley saw us with a free morning, and in much need of caffeine, so we decided to pop into Essenza for breakfast.  Essenza is a teensy-tiny hole-in-the-wall espresso bar, cafe and retail space, from the same team who run the fabulous B&B where we stayed.  Even though it wasn't on the original itinerary, given how much we loved the accommodation, I knew it would be a good choice.


Essenza
191B Maroondah Highway
Healesville, VIC 3777
Ph: 0433 414 252
Website



All their pastries are baked in-house by Chef Gianpaolo (yes, he of the amazing cheddar mashed potatoes), and include croissants, danishes, muffins, cakes, friands and tarts.



Coffees were very good, as expected: rich and strong, without any excess bitterness, and made with luscious full cream organic milk.

Cappuccino - $3.90
Cafe Latte - $3.90

It took a little while for us to decide on breakfast, but in the end we went for simple classics: a danish and a muffin - both well made and lovely.

Apricot and Pistachio Danish - $4.00

Berry and White Chocolate Muffin - $6.00
$6 for a muffin seems quite expensive, but Essenza's muffins are massive, and absolutely full of berries and chocolate pieces - you may remember me complaining ages ago that commercially made muffins are often a dry disappointment.  This, however, were delicious, and I was happy to pay $6 for it!

Essenza was a great find, and I do mean that literally - it's hidden away between two other shops and is quite tricky to find at first!  It's well worth looking out for though, with its great coffees and tasty treats - fabulous!

This is the fifth post from my Yarra Valley 2012 Trip series.

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3 comments

  1. Those totally look like coffees worth pretending not to be lactose intolerant for ;) And squeee, muffin in a flowerpot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, they were delish! I'm pretty sure Essenza wouldn't have soy milk either- I asked for skinny milk and was told they only have full cream organic milk! *sheepish*

      Delete
  2. Anonymous5:56 PM

    They do have soy milk, but the organic full cream just tastes so good!

    ReplyDelete

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