Bay Vista Dessert Bar Cafe BrightonLeSands

“Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.” These words, emblazoned across the walls at dessert bar, Bay Vista acts as more than a catchy slogan, but rather to many of us a way of life.



Bay Vista is one of the most popular cafés in Brighton-Le-Sands. While open all day the café really comes alive at night. The décor, a combination of rustic and industrial, is inviting and the warm lighting casts an ambient glow over the entire café, leaving just enough light to decipher the amusing homage to dessert plastered across the café’s feature wall.



Bay Vista not only has a great atmosphere and amazing view to boot, but also boasts a vast menu that would surely appeal to even the most discerning dessert connoisseur. The menu, an elaborate 14 pages, includes everything from pancakes served with Canadian maple syrup to Belgian waffles, decadently overstuffed crêpes, gourmet ice-cream and an assortment of drinks from milkshakes to frappés and fruit smoothies. The dessert bar also showcases a cabinet, abundant with cheesecakes, pies, fruit tarts, mousses, multi-coloured macarons, and a towering chocolate fountain.



After wading through the menu, simply place your order at the counter and wait. Breathe a sigh of relief however as, despite the dessert bar being packed almost to capacity, with a sizeable queue forming out the door and around the corner, the wait is rarely more than 10 minutes.



The kitchen is kept busy year round cooking up delicately thin crêpes stuffed with an assortment of sweet and savoury fillings. The Snickers crêpe ($15) is filled with the nutty, caramel chocolate candy bar, roasted peanuts and doused with lashings of caramel sauce and served with a generous scoop of vanilla ice-cream. This crêpe is delectably rich and indulgent, albeit borderline sickly-sweet.



From the ample cabinet a selection of cakes, pies, tarts and traditional Greek sweets can be ordered. The warm, sticky date pudding ($12) is perfectly spongy and served drowning in a puddle of gooey butterscotch sauce. For an extra $3 add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, which serves as the ideal palate cleanser, and helps to cut through the intense sweetness of the sauce.



If cakes and crêpes aren’t really your thing, the dessert bar also boasts one of the most impressive arrays of giant ice-cream bowls and sundaes. Santorini Sunset, which is indeed just as exotic and colourful as its name suggests, comprises of scoops of vanilla ice-cream piled high and complemented by chunks of juicy peach and sweet strawberries, topped off with a mass of whipped cream and drizzled with forest berry sauce. The refreshing fruits and simple flavours are perfect for cooling down a hot and humid summer night.



For something less extravagant, but just as delectable, you can’t go past an old school milk bar shake ($7.50). The chocolate thick shake comes served in a retro stainless steel cup, which besides looking very cool also means that effort had gone into physically scooping ice-cream, adding chocolate sauce and blending the mix by hand, as opposed to simply dispensing a pre-made mixture. The viscous ice-cream concoction packs an intense chocolate hit, and while it may be the least extravagant dessert on Bay Vista’s menu; it is just as enjoyable as its more elaborate counterparts.



While the lines may be long, especially on a Friday or Saturday night; Bay Vista is an experience in itself. The dessert bar has a very unique vibe: the service, even at peak times is fast, and the desserts are amazing. Your best bet; bring some friends and sample a range of desserts - it will really make the 20 minute wait for a table well worth it.

Rating: 9/10

Where: Bay Vista, 83 The Grand Parade, Brighton-Le-Sands NSW.
Why: Amazing desserts, generous portions and a great ambience. Ideal for a fun night out with friends and family.
Cost: Desserts run from $9 - $22. Milkshakes, frappés and blended drinks from $5.50 - $9.50. Kids' desserts and drinks from $4 - $6.
When: Open every day from 10am - 1am, except Saturday when the dessert bar is open from 10am - 3am.

Good for kids: Definitely.
Take away: No.

Categories:

#_brighton_le_sands
#_dessert_bars
#_cafes
#_desserts
#_sweets


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