French Fantasies

Ah, it's not quite Paris, but with French-accented waiters (who are cute to boot) sauntering around and delectable sweets, it is a bit of a French Fantasy world.

Especially when you have an afternoon like mum and I did!

French Fantasies is located on the Punt Road side of Toorak Road and not too far across the road from LuxBite. My intentions were to actually go to LuxBite with mum for coffee and sweets....but silly me realised when we got there, it was Tuesday. Again. And they were closed. But we had parked our car right next to French Fantasies, so we figured we couldn't go too wrong there.

The place is just adorable, warm, woods all over, with a gentle glow from the dessert display....mmmm.

Mum got a latte and I a chai variation. The chai latte was exceptionally sweet. I am a sweet tooth by all means, although I found this a little excessive. Can tone down the honey there a bit I think!

After uhm-ing and aah-ing over the selection of desserts, I decided to go with a chocolate Opera cake and mum settled on a raisin danish.

Oh my lord. There was so much chocolate in that cake. It's a pretty decent sized serving, between two would have been comfortable, but just for one? Devastating. In the best way possible. It was so rich from the chocolate, yet light in the texture.

I loved how glossy mum's danish was....although we all know that means it's just covered in sugar. Mum enjoyed it...but enjoyed my cake better. Heehee.

Now!

While we were sitting, sipping and eating away, we happen to sit at a big four person table close to the door, so a woman bustles in and is greeted with compliments and familiarity by a man who had been hovering by our table.

They asked if they could join us at our table and started chatting away.

We soon learnt that she was from Sydney on a shopping expedition before she flew back that night...and he? He was Yves, one of the owners of French Fantasies.

So before long, mum and I were caught up in conversations of beautiful places to eat in Melbourne, where to go shopping and how much we loved macarons. It's fascinating meeting people who enjoy...meeting people. Yves is one of them, kind, generous, and incredibly curious, he could tell many a great story, with a very heavy French accent which encouraged you to crane in and listen more closely.

The woman (Suzie) and Yves, had us captivated for 2 hours (a bit longer than I planned my coffee break to be), as Yves introduced us to his business partner and told us about his trips back to France.

Did I mention that we talked about how much we loved macarons? I was absolutely stuffed from an overly sweet Chai and rich chocolate cake, but Yves insisted that we let him treat us to some macarons. We had to wait 10 minutes before we could munch on them though, as he had extracted a hazelnut flavour (just for us), from the freezer, which is apparently the way to keep them. In the freezer (not the fridge, or they go slimy) and then before you want to eat them, just take them out for 10 minutes!

There was coffee, chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut and strawberry. Each luscious and delicious, airy and with just the right amount of ganache and sweetness. They are not as dense as some places I have been to, but just divine all the same. My mum was particularly impressed (and she isn't usually). Seriously guys, the hazelnut is to die for, easily my favourite. I made a little trip the other day to get one to bring home to mum after an excursion to LuxBite (I'm sorry, my macaron loyalties lie everywhere...).

Where was I?

Two hours later, after dropping Suzie off down Chapel street so she could find everything on her shopping list at the last minute, and heading home, mum and I were quite bewildered. I cannot guarantee you'll have the same experience I did at French Fantasies, but I'm pretty sure you will have a good experience (just ask for less honey in your chai).

Quite keen to pop back for brunch or the such sometime...

French Fantasies

15 Toorak Rd

South Yarra, 3141