Reinventing the classics - Raspberry Apple muffin takes lessons from Dior!

This weekend started as most should, with a NBM meeting and a muffin.

Happy River Cafe is situated right next door to the Footscray Community Arts Centre.

We arrived in the gorgeous morning sunlight to find the outside tables packed! Kids were playing on the grass with the supplied toys while their parents sipped coffee at the make shift tables.

There was plenty of room indoors though and we were served super quickly.  

Coffee was good and the muffin was BIG.

Raspberry Apple

This muffin had my definition of the perfect muffin top!

Crunchy around the edges and cracking under pressure to reveal a soft. Moist, still warm inside.  My first bite was filled with warm raspberry, just tart enough apple and the texture of cocnut – perfection!

It took me at least 5 bites to get through the muffin top and every bite was as good as the last!

Fruit to flour ration was fantastic, they are packing in the fruit here and it was all too soon gone!

No points for originality of flavours but they win the points back with perfecting a classic!  

I couldn't help but compare this muffin to this Spring 2014 Dior dress:

Raspberry and Apple green, instantly appealing, classic but interesting.

Gorgeous neck detail but maintaining the interest down below.....

I could go on!  But back to the muffin...

This may be the new yardstick!  

All things considered:

Presentation ('cause we all judge a muffin by it's top...) - 4.5/5

First bite - 4.5/5

Flavour: Flour Ratio - 4/5

Inspired architecture of Flavour - 2.5/5

Overall muffin scoffing experience - 3.5/5

Service with a Smile? - 4/5

Bang for Buck$ - 3.5/5

Its a 3.95/5!

Upon finishing our muffin the fun was not over for NBM.  Not only were we treated to some impromptu Hip Hop dancing and performances but we were also allowed to have first jump on the jumping castle!

If only every weekend could start like this!

See whats happening at Footscray Arts Centre this weekend .... 

Dior optional but possibly not conducive to castle jumping.

45 Moreland Street Footscray.

Happy muffin scoffing!

Jess and Suz

Peanut and Peanut butter; The muffin equivalent of double denim?

Speakeasy continues to kill it on the muffin front.

The fact that I have to walk past this cafe 4 days a week pretty much guarantees that I will sample at least 4 muffins, all of which will be blog worthy!  

And the fact that I am yet to double up on flavours is equal parts disappointing (as some of them have been amazing!) and awe inspiring (surely it will happen soon?)!

Of particular note this week was the Peanut and Peanut Butter concoction pictured above.

Though not a particular fan of either flavour I had to give it a try and was blown away!

If I was to say anything negative at all about this muffin it would be that it was a little on the large size.... 

Usually this is hardly a problem but my muffin tummy is currently slightly compromised by a growing baby and as I am still unable to leave a morsel of muffin uneaten it did make for an uncomfortable afternoon at my desk.

All completely worth it!

Texturally this muffin was a gorgeous mix of crunchy raw peanuts, tacky peanut butter and what in other cases I would call dry muffin batter.  For some reason all of these elements worked in its favour!

All things considered:

Presentation ('cause we all judge a muffin by its top....) - 3/5

First bite - 3.5/5

Flour: Flavour ratio - 4/5

Inspired Architecture of Flavour - 4.5/5

Overall muffin scoffing Atmosphere - 4/5

Service with a Smile - 5/5

Bang for buck$ - 5/5

It's a 4/5!!!!

Lessons learnt:

Though I originally would have likened this muffin to the flavour equivalent of double-denim, Speakeasy, like Chloe (below)...rocks it!

You can find the crew at speakeasy and their hipster muffins, 

Monday - Sunday

359 Chapel street, Prahran

Happy New Year

Nothin' but Muffin would like to wish all our followers a Happy New Year. A quick recap of some of the muffin adventures we had in 2013:

• NBM favourite - Alice Nivens - Orange and Fig
•  Penny Farthing - Cranberry, Coconut and Lemon
• Storm in a Teacup - Amaretto Crumble
• Chew Chew - Chocolate Hazelnut
• The Auction Rooms - Trail mix, Coconut and Chocolate
• Group Muffin Date - Peal Oyster - Apple, Zucchini and Walnut

NBM is looking forward to new muffin adventures in 2014. If you have any muffins in the Melbourne area that you think that we most try please feel free to comment on this post or via our facebook page here.

May your year be full of (delicious) muffins.