Breakfast/Brunch

The Foodrinkery

22 Banksia St, Burwood 9808 2468

Chermoula Eggs

Pumpkin Toastie

Thoughts:

Chermoula Eggs – grilled zucchini, smashed pumpkin, poached eggs and chermoula on toasted Turkish bread = Not bad

Pumpkin Toastie – smashed pumpkin, roasted cashew, kale and basil pesto and marinated feta in toasted ciabatta = Not bad

Overall:

Unexceptional food and service, charming country-like atmosphere, a great place to take the kids to as there is a park right next door.

Wombat Hill House

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford 4373 0099

Wombat smoothie

Herb and goat cheese tart with salad and relish

Cottage pie with salad and chutney

Thoughts:

Wombat smoothie – refreshing mix of blueberries, Jonesy’s milk, yoghurt and honey = Not bad

Herb and goat cheese tart – small servings of an okay tart = Not bad

Cottage pie – small servings = Not bad

Overall:

This large open cafe has a great relaxed feel. You can choose to sit amongst a charming vegetable garden out the back or at the cheerful side courtyard or perhaps inside where everything is neat and homely. It’s a shame that the food here is mediocre and rather expensive considering the serving sizes. Note that this place is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Small Victories

617 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North 9347 4064

Baked Eggs

(creamed corn, streak bacon, lardo soldier, thyme salt)

Poached eggs on toast, house smoked salmon, soused cucumber, pickled onion, heirloom radish, braised mustard seed and roe

Thoughts:

Baked Eggs – also from the Herald Sun’s list of Melbourne’s 25 best breakfasts. Simply marvellous = Excellent

Poached eggs with salmon – colourful with a generous serving of salmon = Not bad

Overall:

Small simple place, slow service, fantastic Baked Eggs.

Coco Lounge

93 Kingsway, Glen Waverley 9560 9705

South Carolina tacos

Falafel burger

Seafood spaghetti

Thoughts:

South Carolina tacos – 2 soft shell tacos with dry shredded pork shoulder, spicy BBQ sauce and plenty of coleslaw = Not bad

Falafel burger – warm brioche bun with an extremely thick home made falafel patty, caramelised onion, tasty cheese, beetroot, tomato, lettuce and chilli aioli. A really filling burger = Not bad

Seafood spaghetti – pan seared prawns and scallops with preserved lemon oil and lots of baby peas = Not bad

Overall:

I have been to this place numerous times and have always found the food at dinner to be nicely presented but merely average tasting, whereas the food served at breakfast is quite good. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is casual. There is also an upstairs lounge bar which opens every evening from 5pm until late. Note that this place is in the Entertainment Book.

Bowery to Williamsburg

16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne 9077 0162

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Pastrami Hash

Thoughts:

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate – a terrific blend of peanut butter and chocolate. It even comes with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! = Good

Pastrami Hash – 2 poached eggs with sweet potato, pastrami, corn and red pepper hash and wholemeal bread = Not Bad

Overall:

Tucked away in a small cobblestone lane, this place serves up American inspired food that ranges from bagels to mac and cheese. This place is quite small so seating can be an issue during busy periods. The breakfast menu comes on a postcard so you can imagine that the options here are quite limited. Service was average as was the food. If I ever decide to come here again, I think it’ll just be for drinks. Note that this place is cash only.

Eden Espresso

121 Glenferrie Rd, Malvern 9509 9119

Olive Bread Benedict

Middle Eastern Eggs

Thoughts:

Olive Bread Benedict – 2 slightly overcooked poached eggs served on Noisette’s Kalamatta Olive Sourdough with a slice of fresh tomato, baby spinach, crispy grilled bacon and drizzled with a lovely home-made hollandaise sauce. I probably would not have ordered this had it not been for the olive sourdough which definitely made this dish extra yummy. I love olive sourdough = Good

Middle Eastern Eggs – 2 poached eggs served in quite a spicy tomato concasse, topped with squeaky pan-fried haloumi, chorizo, spring onions and a side of crusty Turkish bread = Not bad

Overall:

A nice place for breakfast if you happen to be in the area. The service is quick and there is heaps of seating room (tables and couches inside, a small back room as well as an outside courtyard).

Hobba

428 Malvern Road, Prahran 9510 8336

Bubble and Squeak

Smashed Avocado (with a side of smoked trout)

Thoughts:

Bubble and Squeak – comes with half a roasted tomato, a fried egg, a thick slab of bacon, sourdough toast and some enticing brown butter hollandaise sauce = Not bad

Smashed Avocado – a huge serving of creamy, lemony avocado with Yarra Valley fetta that comes with a free range 63˚C slow poached egg on some delightful pumpkin grain toast = Good

Overall:

I’m slowly working my way through the Herald Sun’s list of Melbourne’s 25 best breakfasts and came here to try out their Bubble and Squeak (which disappointingly turned out to be just okay). The service here was average, but what made this place stand out for me was the actual building and its decor. This cafe used to be an old warehouse and still has an industrial feel to it with its exposed brick walls, super high ceilings, wooden beams and concrete floors. This all just added to the charm of this place and made for a really funky dining atmosphere.

Two Brothers

558 Mitcham Road, Mitcham 8838 8145

Breakfast tortilla

Ando’s baked beans

Pina colada pancakes

Thoughts:

Breakfast tortilla – pulled pork and beans in soft mini gluten free tortillas topped with a poached egg, a tiny amount of avocado salsa, chilli oil and mint. This was my first time eating a gluten free tortilla and I must say that I am not a big fan. Although they were soft, they still tasted dry and not quite right = Not bad

Ando’s baked beans – baked beans with goats cheese, baby herb mix and a poached egg served with multigrain bread = Not bad

Pina colada pancakes – light, fluffy coconut pancakes served with a deliciously tart yet sweet lemon and lime curd, grilled pineapple, a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, coconut flakes and macadamia nuts = Good

Overall:

A bright welcoming atmosphere, friendly service, delicious pancakes. Note that this place is closed on Sundays.

Third Wave

30 Cato St, Prahran 9510 2991

Russian Sampler Plate

Reuben Sandwich

Thoughts:

Russian Sampler Plate – the perfect choice for those who want to try a little bit of everything from the Russian menu. This sampler plate included:

Russian Salad – a deliciously tangy salad that consisted of roast chicken, potatoes, hard boiled eggs, peas, pickles, carrots and a dijonaise dressing = Good
Blintzes – soft yet crispy crepe-like pancakes that were filled with the choice of either mushroom, meat or cheese. The mushroom blintz was filled with fried mushrooms, plenty of cheese and spices; while the meat blintz was filled with pork, chicken, carrots and herbs. These were scrumptious! = Excellent
Meat Dumplings – served with sour cream, these dumplings were bland and needed a sauce of some kind = Not Bad
Syrniki – soft creamy cottage cheese pancakes that were served with organic blueberry jam and sour cream = Not Bad

Reuben Sandwich – fall apart slow smoked beef brisket, pickles, Swiss cheese and coleslaw, between lightly toasted Rye bread. This solid sandwich was served with pickles, crunchy on the outside soft on the inside chips, and a zesty barbecue sauce = Good

Overall:

I was rather impressed with the extensive menu that they have here. Apart from the classic breakfast/brunch options, there are quite a few American and Russian inspired dishes. The main problem was simply trying to decide what to order as everything sounded terrific! The portions at this place are quite generous, and even their drinks are quite large. The dining area is a light open space with an interesting vertical garden growing on the back wall. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is very casual. This newly opened cafe is a great place to go to if you want to try some tasty food that isn’t on your typical breakfast/brunch menu. And what’s great is that this place takes bookings.

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Third Wave. All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I felt about the service, food and quality at the time of visit

Drugstore Espresso

194 Toorak Road, South Yarra 9827 5058

Corn fritter stack

Brioche french toast

The Somerset burger

Drugstore’s full prescription

Thoughts:

Corn fritter stack – enjoyable fritters packed with plenty of sweet corn kernels served with diced avocado, fresh salsa, smoked salmon, a poached egg and wild roquette = Good

Brioche french toast – served with fresh berries, grilled banana, creme fraiche and drizzled with a copious amount of maple syrup (making the entire dish intensely sweet) = Not bad

The Somerset burger – wagyu beef patty (cooked medium), English cheddar, lettuce, tomato, ketchup and aioli, all in a toasted brioche bun served with crunchy thick fries = Not bad

Drugstore’s full prescription – a general big breakfast dish comprising two poached eggs, bacon, grilled tomato, roast mushrooms, smoked chorizo and wilted spinach = Not bad

Overall:

The service at this place was great. Our waiters were fun and goofy but also quick and attentive. The food on the other hand was fairly average while the coffee was disappointing (ie. served weak and lukewarm). Also note that the menu is now smaller than it used to be and that they no longer serve the Mr Miyagi burger (which was listed in the Herald Sun’s top 25 burgers of Melbourne at the end of 2012).