5 Sweet Treats to try in Sydney

You may already be familiar with some of Sydney's attractions - the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach - but have you heard about it's tantalising cake shops and gelato bars? Heather Rudd, a career breaker who left the USA to move to Australia for a year, has been working her way through them all! In this post she shares with us her Top 5 sweet treats in Sydney.

Whenever there's travel on the horizon, there are always questions about where to sleep, what to eat, and which sites to visit. If you're anything like me, scoping out affordable and delicious eats is a priority.

When I moved to Australia 10 months ago on a 1-year visa, I never expected to find my inner foodie along the way. Thanks to a wicked sweet tooth, it should come as no surprise that some of my most noteworthy eating experiences have revolved around sweets.

If you're planning future travel to Sydney, consider a trip to one (or more!) of my favourite places to find a sweet treat in the city.

Cake break at the beach at The Gelato Bar
140 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach

The Gelato Bar serves up meals, but the abundance of tasty cakes, slices, and strudels in the window will stop you in your tracks. Before or after a trip to the iconic beach, grab a few friends and share a dessert or two -- you'll want to try more than one and the portions are ample enough for sharing.

 Gelato at Gelato Messina
241 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst

After sampling gelato in five shops in the city, there's only one place for me - Gelato Messina. With one taste of the salted caramel with white chocolate chunks, I knew this place was something special. I also tried a scoop of coconut pandan - more subtle but still full of flavor. Sometimes gelato, ice cream, and frozen yogurt just taste "cold", but at Gelato Messina, the texture and wicked flavor combinations won't let you down.

Photo credit: the heart of food

Tarts from Bourke Street Bakery
Surry Hills, Marrickville, Alexandria, Potts Point (mid-2011)

You'll know you've found Bourke Street Bakery (the original location in Surry Hills) before you arrive, as a queue will surely have formed, spilling out onto the street. The inside of the bakery is quite small, so it's helpful to know what you want before you enter. What's a first timer to do?! Take the recommendation of Sydney foodies and try the strawberry vanilla brulee tart. All of the components - the pastry base, the thin layer of strawberry, the vanilla custard, and the perfectly crispy, crunchy top - worked together like a dream.

Gluten free goodies at Healthy Feast/onefiveseven
157 Norton Street, Leichhardt

When you live with food allergies or sensitivities, finding tasty treats often poses a challenge. The average bakery or shop tends to offer one or two options at best, and those may not be of the best (i.e. delicious!) quality. Enter Healthy Feast - also known as OneFiveSeven, due to its physical address. The small shop serves up gluten free cakes, tarts, pastries, and more, and there are dairy free options as well. On my first visit I asked a staff member for a newcomer recommendation and tried the lemon merginue tart at her suggestion. The textures and flavors played together beautifully.

 Something out of the ordinary at Adriano Zumbo
Balmain, Rozelle, and Manly

Known as one of the best pastry chefs in Australia, Adriano Zumbo has a strong, loyal following for good reason. His French-style macarons come in a wide array of flavors and colors and are a $2 melt-in-your-mouth bite of heaven. Zumbo's innovative thinking also produces quality cakes, often with quirky names. I became such a fan of his treats that I elected to go on a No Macaron Left Behind Mission - a lofty goal to taste every flavor of macaron before my 1-year visa meets its end. Mission Status: Work in progress.