Coffee

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).

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).

Dee’s Kitchen

19 Pier Street, Dromana 5981 4666

Warming Shakshouka

Delicately smashed rosemary potato and pumpkin

Zucchini and fetta fritters

Spiced carrot and chickpea pastili

Thoughts:

Warming Shakshouka – a rich Middle Eastern inspired tomato salsa baked with spinach, chorizo and chèvre (goats cheese), topped with two poached eggs and served with warm house baked pita bread = Not bad

Delicately smashed rosemary potato and pumpkin – the roasted potato and pumpkin were tantalising and full of flavour. These were served with beautifully poached eggs, crispy pancetta and pepperonata (stew of onion and sweet peppers) = Excellent

Zucchini and fetta fritters – deliciously crispy fritters that had a hint of creaminess due to the fetta, served with a sweet beetroot and sesame dip, and a tasty labneh (yogurt cheese) dip = Excellent

Spiced carrot and chickpea pastili – rolled carrot and chickpeas in crunchy Tunisian pastry, served with a cauliflower and quinoa salad, a pumpkin dip and a yogurt dip. These imitation spring rolls were bland while the salad and dips were plain and unexciting = Not bad

Overall:

The menu is Middle Eastern/Mediterranean inspired, while the ingredients that they use are sourced locally wherever possible and change with the seasons. Note that this place also sells wine, cheeses and cured meats for you to take home. The staff are friendly and helpful, and although the decor here is quite dark (dark floors, dark metal chairs, grey metallic ceiling), the open space of the dining area allows for plenty of natural light to enter in through the windows, making the place feel warm and comfortable.

Spilt Milk

288 Neerim Road, Carnegie 9571 8880

Donkey

Cow

Thoughts:

Donkey – overcooked poached egg, bacon (not the crispy kind) and fresh spinach on sourdough, served with spiced capsicum aioli = Not bad

Cow: baked eggs with fatty chorizo sausage, plenty of fetta and herbs served in a pan, with chewy light rye bread and sweet tomato relish on the side = Not bad

Overall:

The menu here is fun and unique as all of their dishes have been named after various animals. Portions however are quite small, as is the place, thus seating is limited. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere is cosy. Just note that there is no restroom here but they are in the process of installing one.

Lolo and Wren

484 Albion St, Brunswick West

Crispy Croque Monsieur

Sweetcorn and Zucchini fritters

Brioche french toast (half serve)

Thoughts:

Crispy Croque Monsieur – I didn’t realise it at the time, but this was listed in The Age’s guide to Melbourne’s best sandwiches. It consists of shaved leg ham, swisse cheese, cheese and chive cream, coated in crisp breadcrumbs and fried, served with homemade tomato relish. Crispy, greasy and deliciously cheesy; this sandwich was awesome = Excellent

Sweetcorn and Zucchini fritters – crispy light fritters that contained more corn than zucchini, served with peperonata (stewed sweet peppers), Meredith soft goats feta, pebre salsa (Chilean chili salsa), chilli jam and avocado = Good

Brioche french toast – served with lemon curd, fresh orange, ricotta, candied zest, raspberry compote, baby basil and burnt orange syrup = Good

Overall:

Located on a suburban street underneath some modern green apartments, parking is close and plentiful. The decor is simple and the service varies from average to fantastic depending on who is serving you. The menu here is fresh and interesting, and bookings can be made before 10am and after 1pm.

Dukes Coffee Roasters

169 Chapel St, Windsor 9521 4884

House cured ocean trout, heirloom beetroot, goats feta, poached egg, german rye

Avocado hummus toast, poached eggs, honey candied bacon and dukkah

Thoughts:

House cured ocean trout – ordinary trout, perfectly poached eggs, white/golden/red beetroot and slivers of apple added a nice sweetness, the german rye was extremely tough and chewy = Not bad

Avocado hummus toast – the avocado hummus spread and the honey candied bacon were delicious. However the toast itself was rock hard and impossible to cut! = Not bad

Overall:

I think my expectations for this place were just set too high. After hearing about how great this place was, I was left a little disappointed. The service was average, the food nothing extraordinary and the decor dark and offbeat.

Bent Espresso

2/385 Centre Rd, Bentleigh 9557 1339

Beetroot relish, avocado and goats cheese on toasted sourdough with poached eggs and dukkah

Sautéed garlic mushrooms, spinach and goats cheese on toasted sourdough with poached eggs and dukkah

Potato and herb cake topped with smoked salmon, asparagus, poached eggs, soft herbs and horseradish cream

Thoughts:

Beetroot relish – the combination of the sweet beetroot, the salty goats cheese and the creamy avocado made this dish quite enjoyable = Good

Sauteed garlic mushrooms – the fresh, buttery, garlic infused mushrooms were fantastic! The sourdough was a little bit over toasted but everything else on the plate was delicious = Excellent

Potato and herb cake – the potato cake itself was crispy and full of flavour while the horseradish cream added a mildly pungent element to the dish = Good

Overall:

I can’t imagine what this place would be like when it gets busy as they do not have a waiting list of any sort here. You simply loiter around and hope that the staff know who arrived first, or that the people who arrive after you follow the honour system and don’t jump the queue. The place itself is very small, with a funky huge mural along the back wall and bright red retro style chairs and tables. The staff are friendly and efficient, while the food here is delightful (perfectly poached eggs and all). On a side note, they do not have a toilet here so you have to use the public toilets located outside near Bentleigh Station (which were apparently revolting).