Essendon man pours love for vanilla slice into review website The Snot Blog
An Essendon man is such a fan of vanilla slice, he’s set up a website tracking his hundreds of reviews of the treat so close to Victorian hearts. So which Melbourne bakery does he rate the best?
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What makes a perfect vanilla slice?
Byron Bentley has recorded his experiences eating them the world over, and he says the biggest key is freshness.
The Essendon North resident has run his tongue-in-cheek review website The Snot Blog since he decided to track his tasting adventures in 2014.
And he says he is tough on bakeries who allow vanilla slice staleness to set in. “I like to go to town on out-of-date products,” he said.
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Mr Bentley said he prefers icing on top of his slice, a yellow custard and fresh and flaky pastry.
He said his love of the dessert came about from an obsession with custard as a kid, but the slice itself was not common in the south of England, where he grew up.
From his Australian travels he can confirm different states do the slice very differently.
New South Wales bakeries only serve pink icing, South Australia top their custard with a fluffy, marshmallowy topping and Western Australia has taken on a French influence, with layered slices.
The blog, named for the colloquial name for the slice as a snot block, is yet to award a perfect 10 but of the approximately 300 reviews, four boast a score of 9.75.
Local favourite Gusto Bakery in Strathmore is the only one in Melbourne to receive that score.
Castlemaine’s Johnny Baker’s Drive-in and Peninsula Pantry in Rye and Latte’ Mor in Helensvale, Queensland all share the honour of the highest rating.
With two kids — both intolerant to dairy — Mr Bentley said he is considering winding back his vanilla slice intake and said the next bite could finish the blog.
“If I found a ten I would have to give it up, so it’s basically impossible to get the perfect rating,” he said.
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