Review: Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio

Location: 647 Chapel Street, South Yarra,
Phone: 03 9827 7060
Link: burchandpurchese.com
Cuisine: Desserts/Ice Cream
Overall Impression: 6/10

We arrived at Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio (B&P) filled with excitement and anticipation. J and I had been looking forward to relaxing with cups of tea and some sweet treats. When we arrived, it became apparent that B&P was not at all what we had expected. B&P is not a "cafe" in any sense of the word but instead, as its name suggests, a sweet studio offering a spectacular array of sugary delights (including tubs of ice cream) to take away. Annoyed at myself for assuming it was a cafe, we decided to buy a couple of treats to take home and enjoy with a pot of earl grey I had blended myself courtesy of Mr. Twinnings.

J and I each picked a dessert (which was an arduous task given the tiers and tiers of endless selections on display). Our selections were carefully placed in a box and soon we were home-bound.

Smoked White Choc, Coffee, Aniseed, Lemon

Smoked white choc cream/ crunchy almond meringue/ coffee buttercream/ coffee sponge/ aniseed syrup/ brownie sponge/ lemon curd/ dehydrated choc rock

We both found the dessert as a whole a tad too sweet for our liking and the use of such a variety of flavours and textures slightly confusing. That said, I enjoyed each 'layer' individually very much, I just wasn't entirely convinced by the flavour combinations when eaten together. That said, this cake was incredibly complex. There were so many elements to this dessert and each element was executed perfectly.

Gin & Tonic

Gin & tonic jelly/ juniper berry crumb/ lime curd/ gin caviar/ lime jelly/ lime & white chocolate mousse/ brilliant white chocolate velvet spray/ lime streusel

Although again, just a touch too sweet for our flavour profile, we enjoyed this dessert. It looked spectacular in that clear cylindrical tube and each layer complemented the next. It truly encapsulated "gin & tonic" in the sweetest manner. And again each element was perfectly executed. The gin and tonic jelly was full of flavour and had a brilliant tanginess. The 'gin caviar' was perfectly cooked sago that had lovely flavours of gin immersed in it and the lime and white chocolate mousse brought a lovely calming balance to the aptly tang of the lime.

Darren Purchese's technical abilities, creativity and flair are clear for all to see in this lovely sweet studio. The flavour combinations are far from conventional and certainly pushes boundaries. The presentation of the sweets and the service is faultless. It is certainly worth a visit for anyone with a sweet tooth.