Mt Lawley Western Australia 6050
(08) 9272 6708
http://www.scentsoftaste.com.au
Hours:
Mon Closed
Tue-Fri 8:00 - 17:30
Sat 8:00 - 16:00
Sun 8:00 - 13:00
Scents of Taste is a tiny French Patisserie and bakery managed and operated by two real "Frenchies" Olivier Collas and Franck Gire, selling wonderful sweets, cakes and savoury treats. It is located in the heart of Mt Lawley, squeezed up by the Fat Dragon and Spectacles. The indoors area is very small, and includes both the baking and shop areas, but they have a nice alfresco area spread around the shop's footpath and part of the car park with umbrellas and funky super-cool orange chairs.
I have had a few tasting sessions of sweets, to my surprise!, me being more into savoury stuff, but everything I've tried is very good. Two cakes stand out for me despite being average-looking: the Pear & Almond Tartlet, and the Lemon Lime Broulee Tartlet, especially the latter. They are light, very fresh and full of flavour, with a nice thick creamy texture, constant fruity implosion of flavour in your mouth, and a yummy pastry base. Among the rich and sweeter cakes, I recommend you the gorgeous-looking architecturally-designed mousse-ish Chocolate & Caramel Fudge Tartlet. One of the things I like most about Scents of Taste's tartlets is that their bases are excellent regarding hardness, richness, and flavour. I usually don't eat the tartlets' base as most bakeries make them too hard, too sweet, or too rich, so I feel sickened after the first bite; but Scents of Taste' pastry bases are fine pastry and taste great.
The big cakes look great, especially the colourful macaroon ones. Unfortunately, you have to buy the whole cake, as no slices are served. Sigh! Find an excuse to organise a tea party at your place to buy one of those. I think, they would sell the slices easily, I cannot understand why they do not do so.
Their macaroons are huge and so good! Not the usual ultra-sugary cookie you find elsewhere. They taste divine, and have the flavour of the fruit or ingredient right there, in your mouth, not as an accessory, if you know what I mean.
The savoury section is less aesthetically pleasing but more substantial for your stomach, with an original mix of wraps, pies, sandwiches, quiches and pastries of considerable size and filling, which will make happy any hungry man - manly food!
They also have a few imported foods, coming directly from France: canard cassoulet and tinned blocs of real foie-grass. I am just making a wish list right now!
Service is friendly. One of the guys is very outgoing, extremely friendly and attentive, and the soul of the shop, and he is the one who attends to the customers. The other guy is much more serious, the baker, and the let's do business right of type.
The Pricing is very good for the pastries, which are absolutely divine. Average price for deluxe pastries sounds good to me. However, the mini-tartlets and mini-cakes are pricey: average 7 bucks. Macaroons are 5 bucks. If you want to be satisfied you need at least two or each (or is it just me?). Their savoury food is also pricey. Having said so, comparatively speaking, buying a whole cake is not that expensive.
The main down of the site is, firstly, that they don't have a proper enclosed cafeteria to seat and enjoy their sweets, as their alfresco area is not convenient on rainy cold days. Secondly, the pricing of the small cakes and tartlets; they are very good but a bit expensive too. The main sin of Scents of Taste is, however, their absolutely tasteless coffee (Griffiths'). What a disappointment! A good coffee enhances the flavour of any sweet, but if it tastes of nothing, you better grab the sweets and have the coffee elsewhere, or, my trick in emergency cases, order a topped-up macchiato, and no sugar.
TIP
+ If you are short of money and just want to grab one thing, go definitely for the Danish, it is big, it tastes divine, and it looks divine.
+ If you want just one treat go for the Lemon Lime Brulee Tartlet.
NOTE
They only bake brioches on Saturday, just if the guy has the time, which is rarely - his words! If you get them in the shop, you are lucky.
