Wow, these guys are awesome! I've been coming here for years-whether it's for a special birthday cake, a tasteful lunch or simply a Chai to start the day, I know I'll be greeted with a friendly smile as I enter Dolce Mia and be continually impressed by the quality of their products! :) Highly recommended!

At the end of the Broadwalk on High Street is a bakery by the name of Pasticceria Dolce Mia. I've been there a couple of times, and I'll try it a few more times, but I'm rather undecided on how I feel.

I ducked in after work one afternoon as they were about to close and asked if they had sold the bigne` (known as a cream puff, an Italian variation of the beignet). The lady at the counter said that she only had chocolate left and sold all her vanilla. I told her I would return tomorrow as I was not particularly a fan of chocolate. Apparently this is a blasphemous statement inside a bakery! She offered me a chocolate bigne free of charge so that I could try it. I thought this was an incredibly kind gesture and thanked her for it.

The bigne itself was rather uninspiring, and I was disappointed to come to that conclusion. It tasted mediocre - there was nothing that dragged my mouth back for a second bite. Rather large sized, I could only manage about half before I gave up. Neither the pastry nor the filling quite hit the mark. The chocolate did not taste sweet or rich enough, and the pastry was a little on the bland side.

I went back a few days ago and purchased a biscuit and a 'melting moment.' I would highly recommend the melting moment - it literally dissolved in my mouth and I regretted only buying one. The biscuit, however, was once again mediocre. Beautifully decorated, it was filled with something like semolina. While baked perfectly, it was uninspiring and not sweet enough. In the middle was a dollop of a glace` cherry, but I think the biscuit could have benefited from a dollop of jam instead. Once again, I could only get through half before becoming tired of it.

My experience with the service the second time around was a little less satisfying. I was asked once by a server what I was after, but I said that I was still deciding. After having decided though, I was left by the servers. I removed my sunglasses and made eye-contact, and even though the servers looked at me, they carried on with their conversation instead. I waited for a few minutes until I was asked again what I wanted. I felt that this was slightly rude. I had clearly indicated that I was ready to order, but all three servers chose to continue their conversation over serving me. I am unsure if this was a one-off experience.

I will return again to this bakery in the high hopes of it impressing me. Their goods look beautiful and I only hope that I can find one that suits my desire. I also hope that service is closer to that of the first time. If I were to recommend it right now though, I would be slightly half-hearted as I have had far better experiences.

Great coffee and granola's but all cakes are delicious would recommend this spot for morning teas and little catch up's with the girls!