Breakfast/Brunch

Left Field

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Shoulder Benedict with Sourdough, Poached Eggs, Apple Cider Hollandaise, Pomegranate, Apple and Mint

Ample amount of tender flavourful pulled pork, perfectly poached eggs, delectable hollandaise.

★★★☆☆

Breaky Board – Wild Muesli with Honey and Cinnamon Yogurt, Roast Pumpkin Bruschetta, Poached Egg, Hummus, Feta and Dukkah, OJ

I really liked the Breaky Board at Tall Timber and was hoping that the Breaky Board here would be just as good or even better. While this was very tasty, I enjoyed Tall Timber’s version slightly more.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

I was super stoked when I heard that this place was being opened in Carnegie as the South East side of Melbourne is seriously lacking quality brunch-type cafes. With a team of people who are behind Tall Timber, Rustica Canteen, Short Straw and Touchwood, I was really looking forward to seeing what Left Field would offer.

The decor inside was bright and simple, the staff helpful, and the food enjoyable. My only disappointment was that they had sold out of their ‘Cookies n Cream Donut Sliders’ so I will have to return to try them.

Left Field

358 Koornang Rd, Carnegie, VIC

(03) 9578 2043

Bawa

Potato rosti, slow braised pork, poached eggs, herb hollandaise

I enjoyed the pork and the herb hollandaise but not so much the potato rosti and the dehydrated apple. The portion size was also a bit underwhelming.

★★☆☆☆

Philly cheese steak ciabatta, braised short rib, peppercorn cheddar, dijon aioli, mushrooms, fennel, potato rosti

Not the prettiest looking sandwich, but definitely a darn tasty one. There was meant to be a side of fries with this, but the kitchen had run out so we were given potato rosti instead.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Innovative menu and decent service within a gorgeous open setting (think lots of greenery, wooden tones and natural light).

Bawa

248 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9819 6701

http://bawacafe.com/

Mixed Business

Apple Pie Waffles

(buttermilk waffles, maple baked apples, pecan crumb, vanilla ice cream)

These waffles arrived piping hot which quickly melted the ice cream leading to soggy waffles. However everything still tasted good so it wasn’t a big deal.

★★☆☆☆

Sherry Roast Swiss Brown Mushrooms

(whipped Meredith chevre, hazelnut and herb salad on toast with a side of slow roast pork belly)

Thank goodness we ordered the side of pork belly (which was delicious) otherwise this dish would have been rather lacking.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

After reading so many positive reviews about this place, I felt a little let down with our experience. More precisely it was the food that failed to make an impression, as the staff here were terrific and the atmosphere pretty stock standard for a brunch-type place.

Mixed Business

486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, VIC

(03) 9486 1606

http://www.mixedbusinesscafe.com/

Sir Charles

The Smash

(smashed avocado with dill oil, dukkah, goats cheese croquette, poached eggs on multigrain toast)

Crispy cheesy croquettes, perfectly poached eggs and an ample amount of smashed avocado that was a little salt heavy for me.

★★★☆☆

Salmon Benedict

(panko crumbed eggs with Sriracha hollandaise, smoked salmon rillette, baby spinach and burnt chilli on roti)

My first reaction was: WHOA LOOK AT THAT HUGE CUT OF LEMON! Who actually needs that much lemon squeezed onto their dish? Massive lemon aside, this Salmon Benedict was seriously amazing! The combination of delicious ingredients worked very well together and I loved how the Sriracha hollandaise and burnt chilli gave this dish some gentle heat.

★★★★★

Eton Mess Waffles

(Belgian waffle with crispy meringue, jelly tip ice cream, marshmallow and fresh berries)

This was without a doubt one of the most colourful brunch dishes I’ve ever had! The waffle itself was incredibly crispy and subtly salty which provided a wonderful balance to all the sweetness from the meringue, marshmallow and ice cream.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Excellent food, quick and friendly service, bright relaxing space. Sir Charles, I will see you again soon!

Sir Charles

121 Johnston St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9415 7077

The Basics of SEO

5 Lire

Ricotta Hotcakes

(buttermilk hotcakes topped with Nutella inspired semifreddo, Pariya Persian chocolate fairy floss and scattered with chocolate cacao and orange crumble)

The fairy floss reminded me of a bad toupee but I really liked it as it wasn’t overly sweet. The hotcakes themselves were average but the Nutella, the crumble and the fairy floss brought this dish up to the next level, making it overall enjoyable.

★★★☆☆

Riso con Latte

(warm creamy arborio rice topped with amaretto baked peaches and an amaretto biscuit crumble)

Warm and hearty.

★★★☆☆

Italian Style Croque Monsieur

(brioche loaf toastie spread with ‘Nduja, stracchino cheese, peppered fig jam, Lyonnaise onions and a fried egg)

Perhaps it was the combination of the ingredients or perhaps it was the ‘nduja (spreadable salami) itself, but there was a peculiar alcohol-like taste to this croque monsieur that no one was fond of.

★☆☆☆☆

Deconstructed Tiramisu Waffles

(waffle jolie topped with a whipped vanilla mascarpone, coffee jelly, crushed cookies, chocolate balls and coffee gel)

Every part of this was delicious!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Tasty food (mostly), friendly staff, and a long wait for our food to arrive (likely due to the small kitchen that they have).

5 Lire

116 Errol St, North Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9329 2249

http://www.5lire.com.au/

Lights in the Attic

Bird Nest

(scotch eggs on top of a potato nest, free range kransky chilli beans base and grated parmesan)

Very tasty and really filling!

★★★★☆

Wild Forest

(chilli scrambled egg, potato made mushrooms on top of toast with free-range bacon, pork floss and crackling)

The eggs were a bit bland, the crackling was tough and rigid, but the potato mushrooms were cute.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

After seeing so many photos of the Bird Nest on Instagram, I’m really glad that this dish turned out to be as tasty as it looks. In fact all the dishes here are well presented. This cafe is bright and airy, and the service friendly.

Lights in the Attic

38 Camberwell Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9813 5042

Rustica Canteen

Free range roasted cayenne spiced chicken, kale, corn, lime aioli, pumpkin sourdough

★★★★☆

Grilled brisket, house pickles, gruyere, Russian dressing, watercress, light rye

★★★★☆

Poached eggs, smashed avo, rustica sourdough

★★★★☆

Crispy skin vodka cured ocean trout, smoked sea salt, radish green salad, poached eggs, citrus yogurt, light rye toast

★★★★☆

Overall:

Friendly service, great music (classic 80’s and 90’s), delicious food. The bread here is fantastic, making the sandwiches amazing! I also wanted to try their Ispahan croissant except they had unfortunately sold out. My next choice (the Chocolate and Peanut Butter croissant) was also sold out and I wasn’t particularly keen on the almond or the plain, so I must return here soon for the croissants!

Rustica Canteen

33 Guildford Lane, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9642 2203

http://www.rusticacanteen.com/

Trei Cafe

Coconut Hotcakes

(vanilla ice cream, coconut nectar, toasted pistachios, blueberries)

One of the most popular items here at Trei Cafe. We were told that they were out of the vanilla and nutmeg co yo ice cream (coconut milk vegan ice cream) so we happily settled for plain old vanilla ice cream instead. Now I really liked the colourful presentation and the generous serving size, however these hotcakes were not as fluffy as they could have been and were also markedly salty.

★★☆☆☆

Mango Smoothie Bowl

(mango, coconut water, coyo, coconut milk, vanilla Proper protein, granola, macadamias, passionfruit)

Healthy, refreshing and very colourful.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Simple bright decor, average service, ordinary food. The east side is desperately in need of good brunch places, and after my visit to Trei Cafe I still believe that this is the case.

Trei Cafe

232 Blackburn Rd, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9802 0960

The Peddler Cafe

Campfire (Baked) Eggs

(chorizo, bacon, butter beans, chilli, parmesan, napoli)

★★☆☆☆

Roast Salmon and Quinoa Salad

(avocado, snow peas, rocket, saffron and elderflower vinaigrette)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A charming unpretentious cafe where the staff were lovely and provided great service. The menu was limited compared to many other cafes (which is perfectly fine), however the dishes we sampled were merely average which was a shame.

The Peddler Cafe

295b Springfield Rd, Nunawading, VIC

(03) 9877 4381

Wide Open Road

Thick cut bacon with gruyere cheese potato cake, poached eggs, beetroot relish, rocket, chipotle mayo

The thick cut bacon was delicious and had a lovely hint of sweetness. If only there had been more of it!

★★★★☆

Corn, black bean and smoked mozzarella tortilla with chipotle lime creme fraiche, fried eggs and pork belly

I would have preferred less beans however the pork belly was quite enjoyable.

★★★☆☆

Caramelised tiramisu french toast with espresso mascarpone, poached plums and a cocoa nib, cinnamon and nut dukkah

The sugar crust on the french toast was a nice touch, while the espresso mascarpone and poached plums made for an interestingly delightful combination of flavours.

★★★★☆

Chai latte

★★★★☆

Overall:

Great food, average service, definite hipster vibe.

Wide Open Road

274 Barkly St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9387 6079

http://wideopenroad.com.au/