Coffee

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.

Beletti Restaurant Cafe Bar

161 Lonsdale St, Dandenong 9793 1600

Chai Latte

Duck Risotto

Linguine E Gamberi

Thoughts:

Chai Latte – when it comes to chai lattes, this place has always been highly ranked on my list. Perfect for those who like their chai lattes to be sweet, aromatic and not overly spicy = Excellent

Duck Risotto – a generous amount of oven roasted duck pieces cooked with arborio rice, mushrooms, peas (which the dish could have done without) and red wine sauce = Good

Linguine E Gamberi – a light and tasty combination of linguine, prawns, cherry tomatoes, onions, basil, rocket, olive oil, chilli and garlic = Good

Overall:

The food can sometimes be a hit or miss depending on what you order, but the chai latte is always good (for my taste anyway). The service is attentive and the decor quite elegant. Note that this place is in the Entertainment Book.

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.

Noble Calzones

238 Railway Parade, Noble Park 9791 2699

The Sweet Hot Chick

Pepper Steak with Goats Cheese

Choc Berry Double Bliss calzone

Thoughts:

The Sweet Hot Chick – sweet chilli chicken, capsicum, onion, fresh chilli (that is actually hot) and herbs = Good

Pepper Steak with Goat Cheese – sliced steak (bland and chewy), onion, capsicum, chevre (goat cheese) and peppercorns = Not bad

Choc Berry Double Bliss calzone – chocolate fondant and berry calzone served with vanilla ice cream. Although the photo I took of this is not particularly appetising, this calzone was actually quite tasty. The sweet butter dough reminded me of donuts and the fondant itself had the right amount of sweetness to it and was not overly rich = Good

Overall:

The terrific thing about this place is that all the meat and dairy used here are certified halal products and that no pork products are used or kept on the premises. The menu items that contain ham and bacon are in fact beef ham and turkey bacon (I had no idea that turkey bacon existed!). The service was incredibly warm and friendly, and the food tasty and exciting.

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/

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.