Bienvenue à La Fantaisie: Abbotsford’s new charming pâtisserie-florist hybrid

A reimagination of your local café experience, oozing with fanciful food, fresh flowers, in-house pastries and hot coffee.

Abbotsford has just landed a whimsical new café, patisserie, florist and event space, all bundled into a timeless Victorian façade building, flowing with abundant light. Welcome to La Fantaisie — the most serendipitous, multifaceted remedy to lockdown fatigue and a longing for extravagant food experiences again. 

It’s a little Provençal and a lot of Melbourne, balancing a dreamy white exterior and dramatic entrance with historic bones designed by Bergman & Co. Inside, locals will deliberate over which decadent, meticulously-crafted treat to select from La Fantaisie’s curated pastry menu, shortly to be paired with an equally masterful coffee or high tea experience. 

Grounded in the simple pleasures of a slow Sunday or a ‘just because’ bout of self-indulgence, La Fantaisie rolls artful bunches of fresh flowers into its repertoire. The ultimate pitstop for picking up a few special gifts for a friend, or revelling in some pockets of joy alone, this café-florist hybrid has recently opened to a revived, reopened Melbourne. Owners Jia Wang and Valerie Wang have taken cues from their first venture, Flovie, planning an extensive premium lunch menu and private events for Paris-reminiscent soirées. 

After the success of Carlton ‘destination café’ Flovie, Jia and Valerie dreamt up a space that borrowed from faraway charm and the air of je ne sais quoi wafting around a French patisserie with the rich coffee culture of Melbourne. Surprisingly, the quintessential Abbotsford warehouse space is actually owned by football supernova Dustin Martin, only adding to the quirks and allure of such a unique spot. 

While picturing Dusty nursing a teacup might seem obscure, even the most steadfast brunch traditionalists will be tempted to order from the lavish menu featuring scallop and spinach risotto, sticky pork ribs or the Cubano eggs benny, accompanied with signature Flovie drinks rose tea and the snow white cocktail. Dessert is a must with coconut granita and a selection of rotating petit gâteaux. 

The double storey, multi-room terrace lends itself to all types of soirees from weddings, birthday parties and corporate events to intimate family gatherings. Take the pressure out of event planning and have catering and styling done under the one roof with the convenient in-store patisserie and florist. 

La Fantaisie is the European-reminiscent escapism Melbourne has been pining for.

2^nd February 2022