Percy's Aeroplane Cafe

(19/6/12)

Read an article on this Cafe in local magazine, it had a really lovely story to the name and being sort of local, we thought we had best give it a try :-) It is another industrial/grunge cafe fitout, but done nicely, with the preservation of the leadlight windows at the front. The yellow aeroplane hanging in the front room of the cafe adds a whimsical touch & matches the bright yellow Ruggero espresso machine, that turns out a beautiful coffee!

Upon entering the cafe you may be fooled into thinking there are not many tables...... but no there is another room & a courtyard at the rear of the building. We chose to sit in the courtyard in some winter sun (there is also a heater for additional warmth), it was very peaceful outside & lucky for us no smokers just couple of smelly ashtrays! The staff were extremely friendly & efficient, water straight to the table & drink orders taken :-) 

Percy's House coffee blend cappuccino ($3.5) & two Charlie's Honest Apple juice ($3.8) Breakfast is served 7.30 until 2pm.

 On to the menu, a simple one page menu with some really different breakfast options such as Dried Fruit, nut toasted museli w seasonal fruit compote & sheep yoghurt ($9), French fruit toast w spiced blueberries, mascarpone cream, almonds & maple syrup ($12.9) to  Huevos Rancheros - Baked chorizo, white bean stew w cheese, baked egg & crusty bread ($16)  or  Corn fritters, avocado salsa & tomato vinaigrette ($14).  Choice of breads, White, Rye, Fruit or Multigrain & Gluten Free Bread extra ($1).  The usual extras plus Percy's Tomato relish or Chipotle mayo, cheese or Dukkah ($2.5)

A welcome sight was the line on the menu that stated that there were options with the  menu if requested; Gluten free(GF) Lactose free (L) Vegetarian (V) Gluten free bread (GFB)  for those amongst us with intolerances :-(

(17.9) + ($3)

On to our choices for today, Smoked Buxton trout on potato rosti, spinach, poached egg & dill dressing with the addition of avocado.  The presentation was a work of art and the use of rectangle serving plates made a nice change from the usual round plates. It was eaten with gusto and declared Excellent ! which was attested by the clean plate.

($18) + ($3)

My next reviewer chose the Pilot's Breakfast - Fried eggs, bacon, chorizo, mushrooms, spinach & roast tomato on toast. He decided to omit the chorizo & add avocado of course being the avocado king! He wouldn't normally choose fried eggs but said it made a nice change & went down a treat. Both the choices so far were ample servings for hungry males.

($16.5)

My choice was one of my favorites (mushies) - Thyme infused mushrooms on toast, smashed avocado, lime dressing, dukkah, creamy goats cheese & a poached egg. Wow this was so tasty, the cheese was a little firm at first maybe straight from fridge but had softened nicely early into the meal. The mushrooms were so tasty I could have eaten a whole plate of them! It was a decent size but as I have to wait until mid morning for my reviewers to surface, I am usually quite hungry & it is Brunch! :-)

Upon clearing plates our friendly waitress ticked our Brunch box by asking if we would like any more drinks :-)  yes please another of the wonderful coffees & a green tea!  Indeed  thats how you sell a cafe/coffee! hats off to you Percy!  If you are in the area, or even if you are not we would highly recommend seeking the cafe out. There are also a few Lunch items on the menu, basic but Im guessing equally as yummy.  Well done Percy's you are a welcome addition to the Kew area, and we will be back  :-)

Santucci's

(5/6/12)

Have been to Santuccis (including this visit) four times, three times for Brunch & once for Lunch, so I guess that means I think it is okay :-)  Today instead of the usual three,  we have a fourth guest reviewer, who happens (unfortuately) to be a coeliac :-(  so we get to check out if Gluten Free features on the menu.  It is a freezing cold Winter Melbourne morning & as we arrive at the door of Santuccis we can see the place is absolutely bursting with customers on no!!!  Met at the door by very friendly staff member who even though we can see no free tables asks us to just take a seat at window stools & he will work something out.  Lucky for us there were three very nice people who were seated at one end of a large table who were happy to do a swap & sit in the window on the 3 stools & give us the end of the table. One slight problem with Santuccis is they have a number of large tables which take up quite a large portion of the floor space, & sharing a table is not always everyones cup of tea!  We were not fussed at all, but we had a lady who was placed at end of our table later on who felt like she was intruding on us :-(

This cafe has a lovely collection of gorgeous old tables & mismatched chairs, and has a really warm cosy feeling to it, almost like being in someones home.

Coffee ($3.2)

Freshly Squeezed Apple Juice ($5.5)

The menu is not huge but is quite inventive & covers alot of the basics. House Made Baked Beans & Chorizo w Goats Cheese, Toast, Balsamic Reduction & Roquette ($14),  San Benedicto - Poached Eggs w Prosciutto & Hollandaise on Pastry ($14)  Eggs on Toast - Poached, Fried or Scrambled ($7) / w Bacon ($9)  & the usual Extras, Avocado, Field Mushrooms, Spinach, Beans ($3), 

Potato Rosti, Italian Sausage, Bacon ($3.5)

Only a couple of negatives to be found, and one we did find a little amazing - no GF bread, or many other options our GF diner could choose :-(

GF choice Scrambled Eggs, Avocado, Italian Sausage & Field Mushroom 

($7) + ($3) + ($3) + ($3.5)

Unfortunately when the meal came out it was sitting on sourdough bread, which had to be sent back to the kitchen.  Hopefully to be redone as even the food that was sitting on the bread can be enough to cause problems with a coeliac.  But it was done with a smile on the face & returned anew :-)

Ricotta Pancakes, Poached Apple, Brandy Cream & Pomegranate Molasses 

($15)

Yes once again I have gone the non egg option, mainly to give blog readers a broader review of the food!!! ...... honest :-)  not because it tastes good.  Yes it did taste very good, the apple had a tartness to it that made the pancakes taste healthy!  The  Brandy Cream was a welcome addition as the middle of the pancakes would have been a little dry without.  Maybe a small pot of the Molasses could be added to pour on if required ?

Scrambled Eggs & Yarra Valley Fetta on Potato Rosti w Tomato & Avocado

($16)

Beautifully presented dish, equally as tasty but Avocado loving son felt it was not quite big enough for his mansize appetite!  But as he finished off my ample pancakes he was well and truely sated :-)

Giuseppe's Breaky Fried Eggs on Toast w Italian Sausage, Field Mushrooms,

 Bacon, Tomato & Spinach

($17)

Even though this looks like a huge breakfast fourth reviewer decided to add extra Avocado! Which they actually forgot to add, but was quickly amended with a side dish of avocado.  He then proceeded to consume the whole lot with gusto, & declared it a hit.  The mushrooms were huge & must have come from a very good pasture.  The spinach was well cooked as it can be rather watery sometimes.

For the second time in two weeks of brunch, the very welcome question of any other drinks? was again asked before all meals were totally completed.  Well done Santucci's your staff know how to sell its biggest commodity <3 <3  Yes more coffees & green tea (T2) were ordered & enjoyed.

Liar Liar

(29/5/12)

Liar Liar, pants on fire!! well not really but we were sitting next to a table of MFB

 guys having a coffee break :-) ?  Liar Liar is a Hawthorn institution particularly with the coffee/brunch set, which is why it is always very busy.  We had to take one of the outside tables, luckily the weather had not turned as nasty as it has now.  Outside isnt really a bad option as I have eaten inside and it can get very noisy/squashy, & in summer quite warm!

Very efficient staff, water/menus straight to the table & Fresh start - Apple + Lime juice ($6.8) , Hippy Juice - Carrot + orange ($6.8) , & Coffee ($3.5) ordered.

Liar Liar serve All Day Breakfast & its quite an extensive menu from Eggs on Toast ($9.5) 

Breads - 5 grain, Sourdough, Turkish Pide, Gluten Free;   Bircher Museli ($9.5) served with Apple + Sultana + Labna;   Seasonal Fruit Bowl ($9.5) topped with Labna + passionfruit;   House Made Baked Beans + Saganaki + Pesto On Toast ($16.50)  to  Big Fat Liar ($17.5) - Eggs anyway + Bacon + Beef Chipolata + Roast Tomato + Mushrooms + Spinach + Tomato Relish w Toast.

Big Fat Vegie ($16.5)

After spending time scanning the menu & changing options several times, two decided on the Big Fat Vegie 

which consisted of Eggs anyway (their choice scrambled) + Roast Tomato + Mushrooms + Avocado + Spinach + Tomato Relish w toast (sourdough) They both thoroughly enjoyed it, it was both mansize and very tasty.  The issue of knives that are not quite sharp enough for crusty toast again raised its head, check out 8 days Armadale best knives in the business. Means you dont wrestle with your toast/shake the table or avoid sending parts of your meal over the person near you :-)

Ricotta Hotcakes ($16)

Mmmmm a dilemma do I choose the Eggs Atlantic ($16) & get my omega 3 dose, Smashed Avocado - Feta & Avocado Smash + 2 poached eggs + Honey Glazed Bacon + Dukkah on Toast and make my Avocado loving son jealous??  No I'm going the maybe not so healthy, but ohh so delicious option, Ricotta Hotcakes served with Berry Coulis + Almond Cream + Maple Syrup.  Yes I m in heaven :-) calories blahh, once a week I can live with that.  It tasted as good as it looks!

Another  issue we usually wrestle with is the clearing of dishes & wait staff member not asking if any further drinks required :-(  Not so the case at Liar Liar, staff member was across that issue before we had consumed our last mouthfuls, perfect another yummy coffee ordered.  This cafe is a Local favourite & we certainly will be back, they have lunch options as well, I have only tried one but it was equally as good as the Breakfast .  :-)