French Fantasies

The ham and cheese croissants at French Fantasies are so buttery, so flaky and so oozing with gruyère that my now-​husband was able to convince me to move our wedding date up by A FULL YEAR without so much as a batted lash.
Indeed I was so overcome with pastry ecstasy that the thought planning our cross-​continental wedding in six months seemed totally feasible.
Truly, though, we feel lucky that French Fantasies is a short walk from home. It’s the most authentic French bakery in the area, bolstered by its native French speaking staff and commitment to the excessive butter required for this type of blissed-​out baking.
We come here for classics like croissants and savory crepes (the spinach and bechamel is simple and gorgeous). And for that, plus a nice cup of coffee, it’s perfection.

I’ve been going to French fantasies since before they expanded next door. Back then it was a simple bakery with a few tables inside and outside but the boulangerie patisserie was is always one of the best in the hood.
Then, they expanded next door and now have a very chic proper French style café where there’s more food served. Top things to try include their almond croissant, blueberry or raspberry muffins, sourdough baguette and their eclairs. They also have savoury baked goods that look great and I’m sure taste fantastic and I’m yet to try them. Everything is baked on site and is freshly made early in the wee hours as should be.
Yes all the staff speak French and have lovely accented English so it kinda of lends the atmosphere. And this place buzzes on the weekends so best bet is takeaway the breads if you don’t want to wait long for a table. And the coffee pretty yummy too.

Mediocre macarons. Go to La Belle Miette instead.

If there’s any indication to the authenticity of French Fantasies, the servers here speak French to one another. Yup, they are from France. When my husband said «Merci» to our server, she quickly asked, «Vous parlez le francais?»
We were there for breakfast and luckily there was one almond croissant left when I placed my order. If they were all sold out, I would have been heart broken. Almond croissants are my favorite and I tend to like to judge a place by its almond croissants (and macarons). The croissant was not the flaky and airy type but instead was a little more dense with a generous amount of almond paste filling. There might even be a hint of almond liqueur in it. Although I’m used to airy croissants, I must say that I really like French Fantasies’ interpretation of almond croissant. My husband had the minced pie which he really liked as well especially the pastry crust.
Step in here for a nice breakfast and then head out for some fun shopping on Toorak Rd and Chapel St.

I literally have fantasies of the food from this French bistro style eatery on the top end of Toorak Road near Punt Road intersection. When I discovered this place, I made excuses to bring friends, family and even neighbours to the chic bistro just so I could indulge in my weakness. Think light but buttery croissants, tasty Croque Madamme and Croque Monsieur and the best French toast I’ve ever had!
The secret to the very satisfying French toast is they use brioche (sweet bread), serve it with a dollop of fresh cream and as the staff call it: very expensive maple syrup to top it off. All the staff are French so you really do feel like you’re dining in a chic part of Paris. And the extended shelves of sweets are so tempting, you’d be forgiven if you decided to dine in and then take away some sweets for tea time.
Because the eatery isn’t too large, French fantasties is always packed s9 you’re better off going after 10 for breakfast or just before noon for lunch. The best bit is they do all day breakfast but tend to run out of their fluffy chocolate croissants pretty quick so order yours the moment you get a table.