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Classic bunnies. Chocolate ducklings.
Handpainted eggs and pale blue boxes of
Piper-Heidsieck bonbons, wrapped up with
cloth ribbon. During Easter and beyond,
these are some of the calling cards of
Melbourne pâtisserie La Belle Miette. “Our
best-sellers are the Fleur de Sel caramel
bonbon and our chocolate-coated
passionfruit and gianduja hazelnuts, called
dragées,” says owner Maylynn Tsoi. La Belle
Miette, which means “beautiful crumb”
in French, uses single-origin Belgian and
French couvertures and traditional enrobing,
panning and moulding techniques. $52.50 for
25 pieces. labellemiette.com.au LAKSHA PRASAD

Chef Guillaume Brahimi is the host with the most at

the first Gourmet Institute event of the year on 11 April

in Sydney. It’s a lesson in classic French dinner parties,

complete with twice-baked Roquefort soufflé. Tickets

cost $65. harveynorman.com.au/gourmet-institute

You never know who’ll drop in at one of

Africa’s most remote safari camps. More

than half the world’s population of just

800 mountain gorillas live in Uganda,

and most of them in the aptly named

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Deep inside the national park’s

rainforest is Sanctuary Gorilla Forest

Camp, with just eight tents and a

lounge-dining pavilion. It has recently

reopened after extensive refurbishment,

adding freestanding baths, polished floors,

indigenous prints and even a forest spa.

But it’s still the impromptu visits by gorilla

families that attract the most attention.

The thrill of working within

gorilla habitat in a national park

hasn’t diminished for camp manager

Nick Kirya, who has headed Sanctuary

Retreats’ Uganda property for three

years. “The privilege of working in a

location that brings you into regular and

close contact with one of the world’s most

impressive and endangered creatures is

hard to articulate,” he says. “Typically,

gorillas visit the camp about once a month

and they head straight to their favourite

feeding area – a fruit tree in the communal

area. For those guests lucky enough

to be in camp at the time, it is a truly

magical experience.”

Forest ecology and the complicated

etiquette of encountering gorillas is

explained by camp guides, who lead

hikes with just eight guests a day.

Direct flights between Uganda and

Tanzania now allow travellers to combine

stays at Sanctuary’s four camps in Tanzania

and those in Botswana and Kenya.

sanctuaryretreats.com

The lounge-dining

pavilion, Sanctuary

Gorilla Forest Camp,

Uganda. Right:

mountain gorillas.

Ape expectations

Welcome to the jungle – and get set to meet its star residents.

GOURMET TRAVELLER 29