Casa De Pan
Our time in the Port Gibbon area was up and unfortunately it was time to leave. Our 10 day stay was simply outstanding and without doubt my favourite part of the Eyre Pensilula thus far. We decided to make our way up to Whyalla and make this our last destination before we started our journey on the famous Yorke Pensilula.
Nestled on the shores of the upper Spencer Gulf, Some say Whyalla is the gateway to the Eyre Pensilula. Between May and August each year, Whyalla plays host to the annual migration of giant Australian cuttlefish, the only spot in the world the ‘chameleons of the sea’ are known to gather en-masse to breed. Another incredible feature in this steel city is The once-in-a-generation circular Jetty. The jetty is an extensive 315m long including the circumference. Bespoke lighting has been installed the entire length of hand railing creating a 24/7 attraction with a wonderful ambiance at night.
After settling in the caravan park, i decided to get in the car and do a bit of exploring, by that I mean looking for a bakery to review. My exploring was only 10 mins in when found Casa De Pan
located on Playford Ave Whyalla.
I walked in and introduced myself to the staff and met the owner Chris. Chris has been in the baking game for almost 35 years and opened this classy joint back in 2017. This is a cute little bakery and as soon as you walk in the first thing you see is an impressive cabinet display. Open 6 days a week Chris employs around 10 staff and this place can get extremely busy. Once again the cakes, slices and doughnuts looked out of this world as did the color of the 🥧‘s in the warmer. Chris was massively under the pump when I came in as were the girls so we decided to get cracking.
Easy choice this week, I wanted to go old school and smash a flavour I enjoy. So the 🥧 of choice was a “Chunky Beef”. The colour and shape of this 🥧 looked incredible and I was pumped to get started.
🥧 THE REVIEW 🥧
1. Value for Money – $5.20 is crazy cheap !!! I had to ask twice what the price was, just to make sure I wasn’t hearing things. The 🥧 was a very generous size both in depth and diameter. Excellent value !! 10/10
2. Meat Ratio – Yeah pretty good. Was a hole in one side but apart from that this 🥧 was relatively full. 8.5/10
3. Flavour – This was a basic chunky steak and the overall flavour was really nice. The meat was chunky and very tender while the dark gravy sauce was thick and tasted great. The guys have done a great job with this one. 8.5/10
4. Pastry – The colour and shape was up there with the best I’ve seen. The colour of this 🥧 was golden and a shape was all class. The pastry tasted really nice, plus the stability of this 🥧 was terrific. In terms of the bakes they needed a little work. The bottom bake was underdone and the top and sides were a tad thick. The bakes were a real shame as everything else about this pasty was top notch. 7/10
5. Serving Temperature – No issues here 10/10
Overall Rating
🥧🥧 44/50 🥧🥧
Great job team, this was a really enjoyable 🥧. The flavour was basic but it tasted terrific. I couldn’t get over the $5.20 price tag. $5.20 was way too cheap and this represented insane value. Yes the bakes needed a little work but nothing that cannot be fixed. Overall this 🥧 was a little beauty and I would have no hesitation having another one.
This was another great little find that was totally unexpected. What Chris has created here during the last 5 years is very impressive. The shop fit out, cabinet display, service and most importantly the 🥧’s are all superb. This bakery and Whyalla itself is 100% worth a look. The circular jetty is very cool and keep a eye out, your a big chance of seeing dolphins swimming near the forshore.
Our time on the Eyre Pensilula was unbelievable. The whole area exceeded our expectations and one this is certain we will be back. I’d like to thank all the bakeries that I visited and thank everyone for their hospitality. We met some amazing people down this way and forged some great friendships. This is a place you must visit and allow PLENTY of time.
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