A1 Bakery

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One of my newest 'finds' is a place called in Dandenong. This Bakery bakes a number of different types of Lebanese breads and pizza-style items. The front is an unprepossessing Middle Eastern style shop which sells a wide variety of Middle Eastern/Lebanese groceries, so it also has the added benefit of being the place where you can pick up your Burghul, Mango Nectar and Hookahs when required. But it is the food that they sell at the back which is well worth the experience and you shouldn't feel put off because of the lack of ambience. It is more than covered by the quality of the food.

At the moment I am torn between about two or three favourite items from there, which normally means that my husband and I need to buy about three items and split them evenly between us so I can eat all my favourite things. My three favourite things at the moment from there are the Meat Pizza, Cheese Pie and Beef Borek.

The Beef Borek, for the as yet uninitiated into the joys of Lebanese food is filo pastry that has been wrapped around meat with yummy spices to make a roll. Very delicious, it's so nice eating all the flaky bits of pastry with all the meat juices.

The Meat Pizza is about the size of a small pizza but on unleavened bread. There is no cheese or anything like that on it and the spices are a little unusual at first, so the first time I tried it, it tasted a little sweeter than I expected. But now I need to get it almost every time I go there, so it obviously must have something addictive put in there. Mmmm actually very addictive. I am craving one now.



The Cheese Pie however is my favourite. It looks like a pastie on the outside, like a circle that has been folded in on itself and the inside is shredded haloumi cheese, all lovely and salty - the kind of cheese that squeaks a little when you bite into it. This gives the pie a combination of textures with the crunchy pastry on the outside and the chewy cheese on the inside. I can't describe how good this one is, I think all I need to say is that sometimes I try and steal my husband's slice of the Cheese Pie as well as eating my own. He is not amused by this. They also have a Cheese and Spinach Pie made with fetta which is almost as nice as the Cheese Pie.

The best thing of all is that the prices are all really quite reasonable. The Boreks are all about $2, the Meat Pizzas about $2.80 and I think the most expensive thing on their takeaway menu is about $5 which gives you a lot of Lebanese baked goods for your buck. They also sell Baklava there which is a great way to have a small dessert at the end of your meal (or any meal really).

Most times we have been, we have been able to get three baked items to share, two pieces of Baklava and two drinks all for under $20 and feel pretty full by the end of it. This is coming from two people who like their food a lot and often eat a lot of food.

#cafes
#frugal_friday
#south_east
#dandenong
%wnmelbourne