Bendigo Street Milk Bar

(27/8/12)

Bendigo Street Milk Bar is really like going into your local Milkbar (for those who remember such shops! & finding nice big wooden tables to sit and have some breaky/brunch/lunch. Almost like sitting in a friends home :-) It was fairly quiet when we were there, but Im guessing around

lunch time, a lot of local workers (it is close to swan st richmond) descend on it, as they have a number of tasty looking takeaway options.

The menu is reasonably basic & not overly huge, you will find options like Porridge w coconut milk, caramelized pineapple & toasted coconut ($9.9) which would hit the spot on a cold Melbourne morning. Beans - smokey spicy braised mixed beans, poached free range eggs, fetta w a parsley pangratta? (not sure if this is meant to be pangrattato - breadcrumbs )? (13.9) to an Omelette - open chorizo, olive & potato omelette, herb salad, roast garlic & aioli (15.9)

A very friendly young girl, took our order for coffee & juice (Emma & Toms), and we proceeded

to peruse the menu. Choices made, it was a very short wait for our meals, the cutlery was already on the tables in the cute tea tins so there was no need for table setting.  Which is probably a blessing for the staff as they deal with a steady stream of takeaway customers between waiting tables.

Big Breakie - Bacon, slow roasted tomatoes, marinated field mushrooms,

spinach scrambled eggs & toasted sourdough

(17.9)

Corn Fritters - homemade w Avocado salsa, rocket & poached eggs

(16.9) + Extra Salmon ($5)

Mushrooms - lemon, garlic & herb marinated flat mushrooms, rocket

& creamy goats cheese, served on toasted ciabatta

 with poached eggs

(17.9)

Not a huge amount to say individually about the meals selected, they were all very tasty. The mushrooms received a particularly good wrap from the two brunch members that had them. The corn fritters were also another stand out, crispy/crunchy with great corn composition.

The Bendigo Street Milkbar is open 7 days a week, Mon - Fri 6-5 , Sat 6.30-5, Sun 7-5. Im guessing when the Channel 9 building, apartment renovations are complete this hidden little gem will go gangbusters!

South of Johnston

(20/8/12)

Coffee (3.5)

Only two to brunch today & venue was chosen after seeing an article in Melbourne Weekly (I think!)

   It sounded interesting, and if you check out their facebook page you will see the before photos & the present ....... Wow, great job guys. It was a little cool outside so we selected 

a table near the warm/inviting fire! The first person we encountered on entering was a little cool

just like the weather, but the next was much warmer :-) just like the fire !

Quite a varied menu from a croissant filled with gypsy ham & tasty cheese & tomato (7.5) nice & simple, French Toast made with organic brioche & topped with caramelized banana, chopped walnuts & jock's gingerbread ice cream or with grilled bacon & real maple syrup (15.9); to Corn Fritters with coriander, tomato relish, sour cream & grilled bacon or smoked salmon ($16.9), Omelette filled with roasted pumpkin, goat's cheese, baby spinach, pinenuts & sage on multigrain toast ($16.9) or Chorizo Eggs poached & served on a chorizo sausage, kalamata olive & napoli ragu with holiandaise, torn basil & sourdough toast ($16.9) Wow now that sounds interesting :-)

Fried Eggs served with kaiserfleisch, roasted mushrooms, roast tomato

& rosemary on sourdough toast

(16.9)

Choice for today by my very hungry bruncher was the fried eggs with kaiserfleisch (which is smoked pork belly), mushies, tomato on toast. He devilishly added another egg to the mix, now thats a meal & a half :-)  which he presided  to demolish. Only negative comment was the kaiserfleisch had a little too much fat on it! But otherwise was very tasty.

Salmon Eggs poached & served with smoked salmon, fresh spinach, creme fraiche, & 

a caper, dill & red onion salsa on sourdough toast.

(16.9)

My choice was a little more refined, & I went for some omega 3.  The eggs were on the 

firmer side of runny, which was okay, but runny possibly would have moistened the dish a little .

 The salsa tasted predominately of red onion, a little diced tomato could work & maybe a bit more dill & caper.

Its a great space & wasnt overflowing with customers but Im guessing once word

gets out this will no longer be the case!  They have a really lovely outside area which on a warm sunny day would be delightful, they have also catered for man's best friend with a kennel/water bowl .... cute!

So if you dont want to wait for a table down the road at Proud Mary, wander down to South of Johnston you will not be disappointed :-)

Two Birds One Stone

(17/8/12)

Three Men One Bird, set off to try a new kid on the block in South Yarra, it was raining & Claremont Street is certainly not easy to get a park! After doing a trip around the block we scored a park in busy Toorak Road. Looking through the large windows we could see it was fairly busy .... would we secure a table for four?  The answer was no :-( we could take a seat on stools at the bench in one of the  windows until a table became available.  Not an ideal spot for four people to have brunch together as you can only comfortably talk to the person beside you, but coffee & juices ordered we checked out the menu & the cafe. 

 Breakfast is served all day,  with items such as House made bircher w/ poached honey pears, pistachios & cranberries ($11.5), Twice cooked marmalade French toast, oranges & vanilla mousse (16.5) sounds interesting, to more savoury like Baked beans, haloumi & coriander pesto ($14.5) or Blonde omelette w/ hot smoked salmon, fennel, chili & coriander (16.50).  Lunch is also served all day, & there were some very tasty items on offer!  The usual suspects - Extras from Egg, tomato relish ($2) to House smoked salmon ($5)

Orders taken we were still sitting in the window, & after watching a women w/ baby enter & take a vacated table with out waiting we felt the window was where we may be eating! A gentle little reminder to the floor staff who granted were busy (couple looked a little flustered), & we managed to secure one end of the lovely large communal table.  

Coffee ($3.8)

Pear & Apple Juice ($3.5)

Two birds: eggs, bacon,tomato, mushrooms, spinach , avocado & 

tomato relish (18.5)

Two birds: scrambled eggs, bacon, tomato, pork chilli & fennel

sausage, mushrooms, spinach & tomato relish

(18.5)

Two birds: eggs, bacon, tomato, pork chilli & fennel sausage, 

mushrooms, spinach & tomato relish

(18.5)

I wont comment on each of the three meals above separately as they are all takes on the Two birds,

they all enjoyed their respective dishes & commented that the bacon was cooked particularly well. Positive feed back on the sausages too, not something they would necessarily choose to have, but were a welcome addition for two of the three :-)

Roasted field mushrooms, toasted house made brioche, 

Meredith feta & watercress

(15.5)

Loving mushrooms almost as much as the avocado lover! the roasted field mushrooms were my choice I also added the poached egg just to give it a breaky feel. The mushrooms were on a toasted house made brioche (brioche - highly enriched bread of French origin, high egg & butter content which gives it quite a rich taste)  Personally I didn't really like the combination of the brioche with the mushrooms & feta, it was all a bit sweet for me, I think I would have rathered sourdough or multigrain. But that is just my palate, Im sure plenty of customers would love it. I did give the other brunchers a taste & I have to say they did all agree with me. However the mushrooms & feta, egg went down a treat :-)

White peony tea

($4)

Meals done, plates cleared by very efficient staff, we decided to order another coffee & a White peony tea, & a Jasmine pearls.  The tea came in the cutest teapots we have seen, the visual was quite striking!

Two birds one stone, is a very attractive space with some very usual & quite dominating lighting fixtures. Its clean, bright & polished which makes it a very attractive cafe & very much a hit with the locals of South Yarra. There are some outside tables, not inviting in the rain & unfortunately usually occupied by smokers! Hopefully one day that will be a thing of the past :-)  We would happily return to this cafe if not to try some of the other Breakfast items, one of the Lunch! 

Cru

(3/8/12)

 Oanh's restaurant closed & for quite a considerable time we have wondered what would emerge

 in its place? Question answered CRU! Yet another trendy cafe with a modern/industrial feel! It doesn't have a huge internal space as the bar/coffee area takes up a considerable amount of the floor space. There are however tables outside in the space that runs the length of the building which houses the kitchen, storage & toilets, it is covered which is great & means their customer capacity is increased.

All the tables inside are occupied, so we have to venture to the outside (covered) area, & unfortunately the only table left that 3 can use is located near the toilets. I had my back to them, lucky for me, maybe the addition of a tall plant near entrance might serve as a barrier. The end of the path way which was near our table could have used a sweep with a stiff broom as there was a bit of possum poo/seeds from adjacent tree, just an observation :-)

Orders for drinks taken by friendly waitress, menus & water supplied, then juices arrived ......... no coffee?? Waitress had forgotten to put coffee order through, but how can you be cross when someone actually owns up to their mistake! Apology  accepted.  

Not a huge breakfast menu but some interesting choices. You could have your basic toast, of which there was a gluten free option.  Stop 80 (reference to the tram stop out the front) fried egg, brioche bun, bacon, tasty cheese $5 ; Porridge pistachio fig, cranberries, yoghurt, honey, rose petals $10 to Gallette - Puy lentils, sumac feta (sumac is the fruit of a shrub that grows throughout the Middle East & mediterranean, sold as a coarse or fine powder), baby beets, onions, green soy beans $16 ; CRU Pierre smoked bacon, bubble & squeak, 65 65' egg $17.  Extras such as poached egg $2, mushroom, spinach $3, avocado, smoked bacon, boston beans, chorizo $4 etc

Orange Juice $4.5 served in a very cute little jug, nice touch, although the guys think

the paper straws taste a bit funky!!

Phlavours of pho juice $6, interesting taste!

Coffee($3.5)

En cocotte 6 hour smoked ham hock, baked eggs, sauteed spinach

($17)

Quite an international take on the menu, but after a little deliberation the ham hock won out.

  It was a very tasty & filling dish, & the side of toast came in handy to wipe the bottom of serving dish when empty.

Eggs scrambled with seeded toast & sides of mushrooms, Boston beans & of course

Avocado!

($9 + $3 + $4 + $4)

This was less adventurous brunchers choice, a take on a big breaky, with his beloved

avocado. It was indeed sufficient for his hungry stomach, & declared very tasty!

Roesti avocado, smoked salmon, red onion, crispy capers, poached egg

($18)

What an incredibly pretty dish :-) & the taste was just as good!  The roesti was lovely & crispy 

underneath the salmon, egg & other goodies.  Every mouthful was a delight & I would 

return at any time of the day to enjoy this dish again.

Empty plates removed by friendly staff, a couple of familiar faces from a previous life 

at another popular nearby cafe. Another coffee ordered & a Green tea, which was served 

in this very cute teapot, with a somewhat dangerous position of spout for wait staff! Must keep tray level otherwise contents can end up on table or customer lol. 

Lots of friendly/happy staff at front station, music being played was a vinyl record!!!

Cru seem to have the recipe right, good food, attentive staff, bright funky interior, 

keep on keeping on guys!

Crabapple Kitchen

(6/8/12)

Crabapple Kitchen has only been open a few weeks, but what a welcome addition to Glenferrie Road

Hawthorn. From the bright multi striped awning at the front to the mix of more edgy design at the front of the cafe to comfy at the rear, you immediately feel welcome. Very friendly service from all floor staff, possibly better than average was the comment from one of the brunchers!

The demographics of the customers at crabapple was possibly  a little older than the usual gen Y invasion of new cafes, not to say that they wouldn't be seen there, if they get a taste of the food you wont keep them away, however the  choice of music played might not be to their taste, some wasn't even mine, but its not offensive just a little old school :-)

Coffee & freshly squeezed Apple juice ordered, we perused the menu which contains quite a varied selection. From Seeded or sourdough toast w either Crabapple jelly, honey or good old Vegemite $5.5, Creamy porridge with banana & cinnamon, golden raisins & a drizzle of honey $7.5 to Baked Beans - haricot beans braised in tomato with garlic & herbs, gratinated Taleggio & bruschetta for mopping $16.5 add poached egg $3 ; Sort-boiled eggs with soldiers made with the flavours of Croque Monsieur $12.5 & they come in funky little egg cups!

 

'Big Breaky' - 2 free-range eggs on seeded sourdough w bacon, roasted tomatoes & mushrooms

$17.5

Mmm first son wavers between the Avocado on olive toast with Meredith dairy soft feta, lemon verbena salt, chilli & mint! (being such an avocado lover) but decides it possibly wont be substantial enough for brunch today. So choice made 'Big Breaky' it is :-) & it definitely filled the brief. Everything on the plate was cooked perfectly & all totally demolished.

Buttermilk pancakes w pears, pecan crumble, creme fraiche & pure Canadian maple syrup

$14.5

Yes I know what you are thinking, pancakes!!!!!!!!!, healthy choice??????  Hey I did spend hour & quarter at the gym before going to brunch, so I felt I could deviate today :-) Im so glad I did, they were the most delicious buttermilk pancakes, with slices of sweet pear through out. The pecan crumble just added an extra level to the experience, if pushed I could have eaten more of them!  So the verdict - taste was absolute magic, but don't know if you agree, I felt maybe the addition of little colour or even additional sliced pear on the side would have completed the dish!  Plating looks quite bland, but most certainly doesn't taste that way.

'Steak & Eggs' - Hopkins River scotch fillet with eggs and tomato relish 

$17 + mushrooms $3

My personal trainer bruncher went the whole hog on brunch & chose the protein - steak :-) with a side

of mushrooms.  He also received fries, cant  remember ordering them, fairly sure they were a side also, but he devoured the lot! Unfortunately my description of the dish is possibly not 100% accurate as my photo of menu chopped the description of the above dish off. Suffice to say he did enjoy it but said that the steak was just ok, bit like he would cook on bbq himself.

Dishes cleared by ever attentive floor staff, but arggggg no mention of .. ..... another coffee ?  

Oh no :-(  just about to call it a day & pay, situation redeemed  a return to the table with the said question! Yes thanks, another coffee & green tea (T2).  

As we are leaving people are starting to arrive for lunch & its getting very busy, throw a few prams into the mix & the entrance starts to become a little congested. Only one negative (if you could call it that) is the register is right near the front door, which causes a bit of chaos with people paying & people entering/waiting for tables. Maybe a better position would have been at the other end of the bar? Other than that Crabapple Kitchen, you are on a winner, with such an esteemed owner chef how could you not be.  We will be back :-)  (actually I have had lunch here second week they were open & I have to say food 100% service 100%) A must try!!

Small Victories

(3/7/12)

Was tossing up between Coin Laundry & Auctions Rooms for Brunchon blog today. Then reading the Epicure happened upon the section -  unexplored territory, featuring a cafe 'Small Victories' in Rathdowne St Carlton Nth. It used to be known as the Rathdowne Street Food Store, & happens to be very close to my most favourite gift shop Belki! so it was a done deal the other two can wait until another day. :-) 

 It certainly is a nice bright, streamlined looking cafe that is split level, lovely wooden floors & a few nice little knooks with tables other than the window or marble bar seating.

Smiling, warm greeting by staff upon entering, there weren't many people dinning when we entered but by the time we left a lot of the tables were full. There are a number of eateries along Rathdowne St to choose from so the lure of people already in a cafe can be a definite draw card.

Breakfast is served until 4pm, Lunch from noon onwards.

Freshly squeezed Apple juice was choosen by my two companions at ($6), there was also choice of Harcourts Cold Pressed Apple Juice. They verdict was that the juice was very tasty.

Wide Open Road Blend Coffee (3.7)

Not a huge menu, but quite a few items you would not find on a lot of cafe Breakfast Menus, for example Black Pudding which along with the sausages are made on the premises. Also a really tasty alternative to potato rosti - a Leek & Cheddar Croquette with crunchy outer. There are a list of Sides you can order such as Bacon, Breakfast sausage, Oven Baked mushrooms, garlic & rye crisp, Baked Beans, Leek & Cheddar Croquette.

 The biggest negatives for the sides is the price! Most were ($6) with exception of Baked Beans, Croquette, & Wilted Spinach which were ($5). So if you order eggs on toast & couple of sides it would take your breakfast dish over the ($20) mark!!  There were no sides such as Tomatoes or Avocado (staple at most cafes) but maybe that was their decision to set them apart.

($15)

Waffles, Poached Pear, Chestnut butter, smoked muscovado sugar, fenugreek syrup & candied & caramelised chestnut. 

Yes today I got my sweet choice he he, Waffles that were so light & fluffy. However  they could have done with just a little more of the fenugreek syrup (fenugreek - plant used as spice in fake maple syrup) or chestnut butter as they were a little dry on the outer. The Chestnuts crumbed, candied & caramelised added a really nice crunch to the waffles.

($10) + ($6) + ($5)

Scrambled Eggs on toast, side of Bacon & side of Baked Beans

The plates used for the meals were a lovely deviation from the standard white used in most cafes, they were a type of stone ware. The only problem with breakfast above was that most of the said plate was covered with food & with the raised sides it was a little tricky to eat, but don't worry he ate it all!  Only negative apart from the hefty price of the sides was that the bacon was a little under cooked & a little rubbery, otherwise was a lovely smelling & tasting dish.

($18)

Small Victories mixed Grill: Sausage, Black Pudding, Croquette, Streaky Bacon. Baked Beans

Having never had Black Pudding before there was a little hesitation with choosing this dish! ..... it has what in it ??? Always the adventurous one he stuck to his choice and wasn't disappointed.

The dish was also stoneware & was  served on a wooden board that had the slice of crunchy toast on it, very attractive presentation.  The croquette was extremely nice, and even the Black Pudding went down well.  As with the above meal the only criticism was the Bacon was a little undercooked & bit rubbery.

We finished off with another coffee & a Green Tea. Very friendly staff, nice atmosphere, just a little expensive, hopefully it wont be too much of a negative as they deserve to do just as well as all the cafes around them. :-)