Café: Sweet Envy

Oh dear. It's been more than a month since my last post! I would say I'm a slacker but instead I'm going to blame it on having far too much paid journalism and a thesis to write. Have to pay the bills and graduate and all that. 

Anyway, to make up for my absence there will be two posts in quick succession, both about wonderful places I have had the pleasure of eating at in the past few days. 

The first of these is Sweet Envy, a beautiful little patisserie that opened yesterday on North Hobart's restaurant strip. Thanks to my big sister for the heads-up, we managed to get there on the day of their big debut.

The spread of cupcakes, brownies, macarons and other delectable delights made my mouth water as soon as I went in. After taking much longer to decide than anyone else, I opted for the Raspberry Surprise cupcake. I didn't want to ask if there actually was a 'surprise' in it for fear of looking silly, but am pleased to say a raspberry baked in the centre of the cupcake took its deliciousness to another level. 

While not personally a big coffee drinker, many people are so I'll pass on my sister's verdict: good. Her discerning palate (she used to work for Nescafé in London) didn't seem overwhelmed but neither did it seem disappointed. 

The impressive wedding cake window display 

The decor is fantastic, with pastel-coloured rustic charm. It's the small details that make it, from the latterns hanging in the window, each with a cupcake inside to the wooden clothes pegs holding the handwritten name tags. There are a couple of nice wooden tables for dining in and service is personal and warm. 

Wedding cake magazines (who knew such a thing existed!) are piled on one of the tables for excited brides to be and those who need to be reading when they eat (I fall into the latter category). The window display was drawing curious looks from passers-by and at one stage a whole crowd of women had stopped for an admiring look. 

My sister says they have a website that tells you all about the fabulous people working there, but if they do Google mustn't like it because I cant find it anywhere. Will get back to you on that one. 

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