Breakfast/Brunch

Top Paddock

658 Church St, Richmond 9429 4332

Latte

Well roasted, full-bodied with a toffee-like aroma

= Excellent

Chai latte

= Not bad

Gin and lime cured ocean trout fillet with pickled baby beetroots, potato galette, poached eggs, leaves, goats curd and toast

The presentation of this dish was rather peculiar as everything seemed to be randomly plopped onto a different part of the plate. The trout itself was crispy on the outside and rare on the inside, and went well with the other ingredients on the plate.

= Not bad

Pan fried local snapper with chilli-fried egg, avocado, tomato, lime and a corn tortilla

The snapper was tasty but there wasn’t much of it! I also wasn’t a fan of the super dry corn tortilla.

= Not bad

Blueberry and ricotta hotcake with berries, organic maple, seeds and double cream

OH SO AMAZING! (both in terms of looks and in terms of taste!) The berries added a lovely freshness and the seeds added a nice crunch. I could not get enough of this wonderfully sweet and fluffy hotcake.

= Excellent

And here’s another photo since this dish was so darn pretty:

Overall:

If you have a sweet tooth, you MUST try the blueberry and ricotta hotcake! Seriously. If not, there are many other interesting items available on the menu such as sticky black gingerbread and soft-shell crab rolls. The service here was average while the decor was simple and chic with plenty of greenery and flowers about which brightened up the whole place. Note that bookings for groups of 4 or more can be made on weekdays.

The Premises

202 Bellair St, Kensington 9376 7565

Slow roasted pulled pork with Nana Kath’s pineapple chutney, red cabbage slaw and a dill pickle

= Not bad

Two poached eggs, falafel, beetroot slaw and tahini yogurt on Lebanese flat bread

= Good

Overall:

Homely atmosphere, good service and your standard breakfast/brunch fare.

Trunk Diner

275 Exhibition St, Melbourne 9663 7994

Golden Gaytime Milkshake

I liked this creamy toffee/honeycomb/vanilla milkshake. But then again I find the Golden Gaytime Krushers available at KFC to be equally as likeable.

= Good

The Wagyu Burger
175 gram freshly ground Wagyu beef served medium-rare, grilled brioche, baby cos lettuce, purple onion, tomato and house-made pickles

A tiny ordinary tasting burger that needed self assembling? No thanks.

= Not bad

“Huevos Rancheros”

Two fried eggs, chorizo, Mexican mixed beans, goats fetta, salsa, avocado, jalapenos and toasted tortilla

= Not bad

Overall:

Average food, good variety of milkshakes (eg. Tim Tam, Lamington, Golden Gaytime), quick service, buzzing atmosphere.

Little Chloe

1810 Malvern Rd, Malvern East 9885 2194

Pork, fennel & three-cheese meatballs cooked in a tomato broth, tossed with spaghetti, spinach, and roasted capsicum

The meatballs were somewhat bland however the spaghetti was cooked to perfection and the sauce was tasty and light.

= Not bad

Little Chloe’s corn fritters with red chilli scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, spring onion and goat cheese on sourdough toast

A splendid dish that was unfortunately ruined by one thing: the burnt corn fritters. Nevertheless the red chilli scrambled eggs were great, the bacon was super crispy and delicious, and the goat cheese gave this dish bonus marks (I love goat cheese!)

= Good

Overall:

A nice breakfast/brunch/lunch place that offers a good variety of menu options, quick service and a casual ambience.

De Clieu

187 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9417 6498

Berkshire Pork Neck

Meltingly soft 24 hour slow cooked free range pork, crispy spring onion roti, house made BBQ sauce, yolky fried egg, roquette

= Good

Middle Eastern Eggs

Fried free range eggs, crispy roti bread, roquette, organic sausage which I found to be slightly dry, hummus, dukkah

Notice anything particular about the eggs? Do you see the massive piece of egg shell?!? I suppose having a big piece of egg shell is better than having lots of little pieces as you can at least pick the big piece out.

= Not bad

BLAT

Double smoked bacon, avocado, roast garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, quinoa & soy sourdough, roquette

What made this sandwich enjoyable was the amazing quinoa & soy sourdough that added a little crunch and the terrific roast garlic aioli.

= Good

Overall:

Small menu, small portions, average service, relaxed atmosphere.

Crabapple Kitchen

659 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn 9078 5492

Sweet corn, coriander and chilli fritters with Cyprian Haloumi, avocado, tomato, cucumber, red onion, mint salad and a poached egg

= Not bad

Myrtleford buttermilk pancakes with pears in spiced sugar, pecan and pine nut praline, white chocolate mascarpone with pure Canadian maple syrup and a side of bacon

Enormous serving size! (I only managed to finish one pancake) These soft fluffy pancakes were sweet yet salty, and I probably didn’t need the side the bacon.

= Not bad

Overall:

I was a little disappointed in the food, but I liked the high energy atmosphere, the super friendly and efficient service, and the ‘Friday Night Flights’ menu (which changes fortnightly and inspired by food from around the world). Note that this place does take bookings.

Nshry

129a Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park 9682 1077

Umami Burger

Corn and Zucchini Fritters

Coffee Syphon

Thoughts:

Umami Burger – 200g Wagyu and Angus beef (cooked medium rare unless otherwise specified), umami rub, brown mushroom sauce, gruyere, caramelised onions, oven roasted tomato and a parmesan crisp between a sweet brioche bun with a side of beer battered chips, coleslaw, cornichons, spicy chip dip, tomato sauce and wasabi kewpie. Don’t be fooled by the petite size of this burger as it is quite heavy and filling. The beef patty itself lacked flavour but the other ingredients made up for it. The chips were satisfying (crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside) and the selection of side dips were great. (I particularly enjoyed the wasabi kewpie) = Good

Corn and Zucchini Fritters – a generous serving of crunchy panko crumbed corn and zucchini fritters topped with smoked salmon, avocado, a perfectly poached egg and wasabi kewpie = Good

Overall:

Nshry (pronounced ‘noshery’) offers beautiful beachfront views and a tasty unique Japanese inspired menu. You have to work a little bit to get the attention from the staff but at least the food comes out quickly. This place is quite small and the tables inside can get a bit cramped on days when the weather isn’t so good so best to come along on a warm and pretty day.

Einstein’s 251

251 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North 9939 5135

The water comes in a conical flask (!)

Soy Hot Chocolate

Latte

Brazilian Super Smoothie

Mumma’s Latkes

Kaz’s Japanese Teriyaki Burger

Egyptian Brekky

Braised Eggs

Thoughts:

Soy Hot Chocolate – not too rich, not too watery = Not bad

Latte – weak and tasted slightly burnt = Not bad

Brazilian Super Smoothie – THICK blend of acai berries, banana, granola, apple juice, yogurt, topped with coconut. This smoothie was almost a meal in itself = Good

Mumma’s Latkes – thin crispy potato and spring onion latkes served with smoked salmon, a poached egg, radish slithers and a horseradish sour cream = Good

Kaz’s Japanese Teriyaki Burger – wagyu beef burger with teriyaki aioli, tomato and lettuce on a challah roll, served with wasabi aioli drizzled crispy sweet potato = Not bad

Egyptian Brekky – baked eggs with eggplant, spinach, beetroot relish, feta, dukkah and green tahini. Best to get this dish with the spiced lamb otherwise it is quite ordinary = Not bad

Braised Eggs – baked eggs in a sour middle eastern tomato sauce, onion, capsicum, crispy zaatar mushrooms and goats cheese served with toasted seeded sourdough = Not bad

Overall:

If only the food here was as good as the decor.

Merchants Guild

680 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East 9579 0734

Soy latte

Pumpkin, feta and harissa polenta biscuit, free range poached eggs and za’atar

Shortcut bacon with an avocado and charred corn salsa on sourdough with poached eggs and jalapeño pesto

Doughnut french toast with vanilla mascarpone, peaches, berries and pistachios

Thoughts:

Soy latte – strong with a rich aroma = Good

Polenta biscuit – this polenta biscuit was fantastic as it was full of flavour, crisp on the outside, and soft and delicious on the inside. The eggs were nicely poached and the herbaceous za’atar added an interesting element to the dish = Excellent

Bacon, avocado, eggs – ordinary bacon, tasty avocado and corn salsa, terrific jalapeño pesto (it gave the sourdough a nice little kick) = Good

Doughnut french toast – delicious! My only grievance with this dish was the small portion size = Good

Overall:

A delightful gem of a place where the service, atmosphere and food is great. It’s comforting to know that there are terrific brunch places like this south side of Melbourne. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Friends of Mine

Toasted piadini

(pork/chilli/fennel sausage, tomato chutney, smoked scamorza cheese and spinach)

Small portion size so wasn’t very filling.

★★☆☆☆

Smashed avocado

(avocado, thyme buttered mushrooms, poached egg, marinated feta and torn basil on toasted five grain bread)

This exact dish is bigger and better at Porgie and Mr Jones (same owners as this place)

★★☆☆☆

Eggs benedict

(smoked ham hock terrine, poached eggs, a rich and tangy apple cider hollandaise and baby herbs on an English muffin)

★★☆☆☆

‘Jack + Jill’

(toasted ciabatta, poached eggs, bacon, 12 hour roasted tomato, avocado and thyme buttered mushrooms)

★★☆☆☆

Citrus semifreddo

Sweet, rich and creamy, served with almond praline and raspberries

★★★☆☆

Overall:

A nice place to catch up with friends as the noise level is low and the dining area is quite spacious and comfortable. The staff (who wear these cute denim aprons that have the word ‘Friends’ on them) are lovely, the coffee is good, but the food is average at best. Note that this place is cash only.

Friends of Mine

506 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9428 7516

http://www.friendsofmine.com.au/