Comments on: Baker D Chirico hot cross buns rule: official

By: Stickyfingers

Stickyfingers — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:23:55 +0000

This year we tried HCB from Phillipa’s, Babka, Chimmy’s, D. Chirico & Noisette(Port Melb). The latter won hands down and we were subsequently in there every morning over Easter including GF for our daily dose.

On the subject of food journalism much of it is inconsistent, and some of those who tackle it are seriously under-qualified in terms of literary and culinary skill.

There was a time when I wrote for papers on a freelance basis, but I was frequently annoyed that by the time my story hit the page, the Editors had changed my text to be factually or grammatically incorrect – which in turn could potentially be misinterpreted and construed as being not factual. As the bunny with the byline I must have been subject to similar scathing remarks.

Having been consistently reliable with my research, I threw in the towel after an argument whereby I was told – by one Editor – that they would write whatever they liked about whomever they liked.

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:12:17 +0000

I have kept out of this until now but with great interest. Last year I did a bit of an accidental taste off in the week leading up, of the usual highly commercial options (Baker delight, brumbys, supermarkets) and then Babka and Baker Chirico. This year I think I was still over them from last year but had a couple of Browns HCB… I have to say the Babka buns still rate highest in my mind, soft yet aromatic, fruity buns with generous spice and a gentle glaze.
I also saw the SMH piece on the restaurant dish costing and noticed that it was sooo wrong, I can’t believe at least the GST calculation didn’t get picked up on yet all the other crazy costs! I tried to make a rebuttle of this piece but kept getting road blocks. Perhaps they choose not to know what we think.
Jack

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:52:42 +0000

matthew,

I’d like to have tried babka but i wasn’t up that end of town. On Sunday i saw some of Phillipa’s for sale at IGA but by then I’d overdosed.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 03:07:30 +0000

We wound up roadtesting three lots of buns: Baker D. Chirico’s, Babka’s, and some random half dozen from the Queen Vic market. Baker D, Chirico’s were certainly excellent — very spicy, and by far the best looking — but In the end we liked Babka’s the best: big, light and with a nice balance of fruit and spice.

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 12:04:58 +0000

Cin, I should have noticed the Phillipa’s bit. i saw some of her HCBs in IGA and they do look a bit lighter than th Baker D Chirico ones. If i have a criticism of them it is that they are very dense and heavy.
Duncan, ‘fraid they are not chocolate and I don’t really approve of chocolate ones. I’m a bit of a purist and that applies to hournalism too although the odd press elease can be helpful

By: Duncan

Duncan — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 10:31:53 +0000

There’s so little concern about anything more than press-release journalism at the moment that it’s unsurprising that things like the restaurant dish pricing just appear without critique. (Or the recent press release about kids drinking fruit juice being fat… or …) Either that or one gets to opinionate without knowledge just cos one is a staff writer somewhere.

Ed: those aren’t *chocolate* hot crossies are they?!

My main criticism of the Epicure piece would be that, with a bazillion bakeries producing hot cross buns, it seems distinctly unfair to present a field of 14 (some predictable and some seemingly random).

By: cin

cin — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 03:57:03 +0000

what??? it wasn’t a hot cross bun that they tested for the hot corss bun challenge? I have to admit that i was really surprised by the score they gave.

the other thing that i thought was a little odd was that phillipa was one of the taste testers and the Phillipa’s HCB scored the equal highest – despite the lack of fruit in it.

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:51:52 +0000

AK, As a journalist I find it strange when people don’t admit they are wrong. I must admit last week I was urged to call up the person I wrote about pre publication after I spelt the name chocolatier wrong and I did. Carl I saw that about the ingredient costs and it posted somewhere. Neil, again strange attitude as it isn’t exactly that difficult to check this kind of fact.

By: Carl

Carl — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:50:18 +0000

AK has hit the nail on the head, I can’t believe the crap I read in the Good Living section of The SMH sometimes. A few weeks ago, they rpinted a costing breakdown of a dish at a Restataurant in Woolloomoolo. It worked out that the restaurant was making about two bucks on the dish. Now, some of the cost prices of the items were severely over inflated, it was obviuos, but, they printed it anyway. Suppose its the old “We can only go on what people tell us” excuse. Disgraceful.

By: neil

neil — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:37:50 +0000

A couple of weeks ago Huon Hooke in The Age Good Weekend wrote about Chablis as being at the climatic extreme for the chardonnay grape destined for table wine. I wrote to him and pointed out that there was an appellation further north than this (coteaux champenois) and he wrote back that he didn’t consider it because he didn’t rate the wines. Well, the French did go to the trouble of declaring it an appellation and chardonnay has been grown here for hundreds of years, long before champagne was invented. A little arrogance perhaps?