When the boy on the counter tells me Uncle Dean is the one who bakes the cakes and pies, I can't help but be impressed. I love a family business, especially when it comes to baking.
Avant Garde Patisserie is tucked in the end of the Milton shopping centre on Baroona Road.
It's the creation of Dean Vickers and Sam Sherman with Dean as the head chef and Sam as the manager.
Dean's 15 years experience as a pastry chef saw him starting out as a baker, then moving in to pastries. Dean has worked in everything from small patisseries and large scale production kitchens, to some of the world’s best restaurants including Michelin star restaurants including The Ivy in London as soux pastry chef.
The cabinets are filled with a range of delicious looking cakes and pastries plus there's also a great selection of pies, sausage rolls and bread rolls.
I had a savory puff pastry tart with smoked salmon on lemon-zested zucchini with cream cheese and fresh dill while V Diddy enjoyed a pani. It's easy for this type of food to be just okay, but these two were delicious with plenty of flavour.
The all day menu offers plenty of choice with pies, quicke, savorty tarts, croissants and wraps all available.
The breakfast meny, available from 7am - 12, uses free range eggs and includes avocado and feta mash on sourdough, grilled haloumi on toasted turkish, bruschetta with fresh topped tomato and more.
I purchased a caramel tart and orange syrup cake for home tasting, and also a lamb and rosemary pie. I'll be heading back for more of all of them, but especially the chunky pie which had a great home cooked flavour and was not over-seasoned, which I often find in purchased pies.
Avant Garde Patisserie
22/12 Baroona Road, Milton. 3876 6411