Coffee

Dip In Cafe

Dip In The Atlantic

(scrambled eggs with dill and chilli, served with smoked salmon and a cherry tomato, pine nut and basil salad)

★★★☆☆

Mushroom Madness

(spinach and cream cheese dip with poached eggs, halloumi cheese and a medley of marinated mushrooms)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Bread bowls are such a simple and delightful concept. It’s a shame that very few places offer bread bowls these days. Perhaps it’s to do with wastage seeing as the soft fluffy interior is taken out and not used. But that is definitely not the case at Dip It Cafe where we discovered that the bread interiors were all donated to charity. We also discovered the bread bowls to be surprisingly very filling. Service was friendly and the décor charming with lots of quirky ornaments and a superb wall mural.

Dip In Cafe

20-22 McKillop St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9670 5379

http://dipin.com.au/

Store Fifteen

Beetroot Latte

(fresh pressed beetroot, ginger juice, steamed house made almond mylk)

Golden Latte

(house made almond mylk, freshly pressed ginger and turmeric, topped with cinnamon and cracked black pepper)

Overall:

There was a strong emphasis on health and nutrition at Store Fifteen. The menu had even been developed with the advice from a highly trained nutritionist! The drinks we ordered were not your typical lattes but were fresh and interesting. The Beetroot Latte had a delicate sweetness with underlying spiciness, while the Golden Latte was extremely pungent and is not something I would want to drink on a regular basis. Service was friendly, atmosphere was casual, and the decor funky although the hessian sack seats were a bit scratchy and uncomfortable at times. An ideal place for the health-conscious.

Store Fifteen

15 Main St, Mornington, VIC

(03) 5975 5015

Oscar Cooper

Spiced napoli baked eggs, grilled zucchini, spanish onion, corn, chorizo and manchego cheese served with ciabatta

A bit on the watery side but very flavoursome with a brilliantly spicy kick.

★★★☆☆

Crispy truffle polenta slice, confit field mushrooms, poached eggs, shaved manchego and jamon

The polenta slice was delicious with a distinctive truffle aroma while the eggs were perfectly poached.

★★★★☆

Oscar’s benedict on potato roesti, smashed avo, poached eggs and tangy hollandaise with house cured salmon

The potato roesti had been overly fried so was incredibly crispy. Eggs were perfectly poached and the hollandaise quite tasty.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This popular corner cafe draws in the crowds with their enjoyable food, easy-going service and the all day booze they have on offer. So remember this place for the next time you have an early morning hankering for some wine or a cocktail.

Oscar Cooper

160 Greville St, Prahran, VIC

(03) 9529 5670

http://www.oscarcooper.com.au/

District Brewer

Black Forest Bircher

(80% cocoa chocolate, crushed pistachio, cherry labneh, fresh grapes, coconut)

Absolutely amazing! I loved the presentation and spent a bit of time oohing and ahhing this dish before taking my first bite. This bircher was so incredibly fresh and light, and had a delicious combination of ingredients with wonderful textures.

★★★★★

Just another photo of this pretty dish…

Mr Benedict

(toasted rye bread, slow braised beef cheef, miso babaganoush, wilted calvo nero, curry hollandaise, poached eggs)

The beef cheek was a tad dry however the curry hollandaise was terrific.

★★★★☆

White chocolate and strawberry doughnut

Disappointingly dry. If only it tasted as good as it looked.

★★☆☆☆

Salted Caramel and Oreo Milkshake

Sweet frosty milkshakes that were unbelievably filling.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This fantastic suburban cafe ticks all the boxes: delicious food, super friendly staff, bright and cheery atmosphere. I strongly recommend visiting District Brewer as soon as possible while there are still no lines during peak time. Oh that Black Forest Bircher…I cannot wait to have it again.

District Brewer

36 Brewer Rd, Bentleigh, VIC

(03) 9972 3812

http://www.districtbrewer.com.au/

Fifty Acres

Chorizo scotch eggs with avocado, manchego, spinach and seeded mustard mayo

Perfect scotch eggs. Deliciously crispy on the outside with golden runny yolk. The only downside to this dish was that it wasn’t very substantial.

★★★★☆

Citrus cured NZ King Salmon, green olive tapenade, poached eggs on dark rye

Well poached eggs with tasty salmon and tapenade.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Delectable food, stylish minimalist decor, calm and relaxed environment, efficient service. There are still so many things on the menu that I want to try (ie. pumpkin pancakes, brioche french toast with nutella) so I must return to Fifty Acres soon.

Fifty Acres

65 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9421 0296

http://www.fiftyacres.net.au/

Muharam Cafe

Golden Gaytime Shake

EXTREMELY SWEET and didn’t really taste like Golden Gaytime now that I think about it.

★★☆☆☆

Spiced Sweetcorn Fritters with red pepper salsa, avocado and haloumi

Crispy fritters with a hint of smokiness and spice.

★★★☆☆

Trio of Sliders: Chicken Schnitz and Slaw, Wagyu Beef, Mushroom and Haloumi and Pesto

The chicken and beef were dry, while the haloumi and pesto combination made for a significantly salty slider.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

After seeing heaps of Instagram photos of Muharam Cafe’s incredible Nut-tellin’ doughnut shake (which is essentially a Nutella doughnut on top of a Nutella milkshake), I knew I had to come here to try one. The only problem was that they had run out of doughnuts! At 12:30pm! On a weekday! Our friendly waitress told us that they could still make us the shake minus the doughnut, but who would want a doughnut-less doughnut shake? Now onto the food menu. I had already looked at the menu before coming here and knew that I wanted the Red Velvet Pancakes. You can only imagine how devastated I was when we were told that the Red Velvet Pancakes had sold out! My next choice would have been the crumpets but before I could even form the words in my mouth, our waitress told us that the crumpets had also sold out! Dammit.

After all that disappointment, I had my fingers crossed that what we ordered would have been great to justify coming back again for the Nut-tellin’ doughnut shake and Red Velvet Pancakes. Unfortunately it wasn’t so I don’t think I’ll be coming back here in a hurry.

Muharam Cafe

97 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9818 7722

http://www.muharam.com.au/

Serotonin Eatery

Positive Pancakes

(three organic banana flour pancakes with house-made banana ice cream, mixed berries, yogurt balls covered in roasted almonds, organic agave)

★★★☆☆

Happy Zucchini Linguine

(raw zucchini spirals in red pesto with walnuts topped with fresh basil, mint and dill)

★★★☆☆

Super Smashed Avo

(smashed avocado topped with house-made beetroot relish, fresh chilli and poached eggs on organic sourdough)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

The menu at Serotonin Eatery simply screamed HEALTHY. The words ‘organic’, ‘raw’ and ‘house-made’ appeared everywhere, while the familiar words of ‘bacon’, ‘french toast’ and even ‘fried eggs’ were nowhere to be found. In fact everything on the menu is vegan or gluten free or both. Having said that, the food we tried offered great flavours and I left feeling wonderfully guilt-free. I can’t say that I also left feeling completely satisfied though as portions were a bit on the small side. The service was average, the atmosphere bright and cheery, and the decor simply unique with their shiny gold cutlery, comfortable Japanese style couches, and awesome swing chairs! The perfect place to head to for those who are health conscious or for those who just really like swings.

Serotonin Eatery

52 Madden Grove, Burnley, VIC

(03) 8658 3124

http://www.serotonindealer.com/

Legacy

Hokey Pokey hotcakes with honeycomb, orange, ricotta, vanilla bean crème fraîche, pomegranates and strawberries

These hotcakes had a nice crispy outer ring but had to be eaten with the crème fraîche as they were a bit dry. The pomegranates provided good texture and the sticky honeycomb added a great element of sweetness.

★★★☆☆

Sweet potato, kale and amaranth fritters served with goat’s cheese, Kaiser bacon, cherry vine tomato chutney and a poached egg

Delicious fritters, fantastic bacon, terrific chutney, perfectly poached egg.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Outstanding menu, tasty food, simple decor with a strong brick theme. We were originally seated at some bar stools along the large communal table that took up most of the place, but asked to move as soon as one of the smaller tables became free. I usually don’t mind bar stools but when there isn’t a hook for your bag or anywhere to put your coat, it can get tricky balancing everything on your lap.

Legacy

347 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell, VIC

(03) 9041 1796

Aunt Billies Cafe

Backyard Brekkie

(eggs anyway, garlic and thyme mushrooms, pumpkin, haloumi, kale, bean ragout)

Hearty and satisfying.

★★★★☆

Billie’s Bowl

(cauliflower, freekah, kale, avocado, seeds, almonds, grains, currants, poached egg)

A substantial salad that could have been improved with a wider variety of textures.

★★☆☆☆

Roasted Mushrooms

(mushrooms, kale, toasted hazelnuts, goats fetta, lemon, and a poached egg on grain toast)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Solid dishes, down to earth staff, welcoming and cheery atmosphere. No wonder this little suburban cafe was packed when we went. Note that this place takes bookings.

Aunt Billies Cafe

184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn, VIC

(03) 9894 7774

Axil Coffee Roasters

Red velvet pancakes with cream cheese ganache, raspberries and black sesame ice cream

A must try for all those with a sweet tooth! These glorious pancakes had fluffy centres and crispy edges, and were almost cake-like. The cream cheese ganache and black sesame ice cream were delicious accompaniments, while the raspberries provided some lovely tartness to this overall sweet dish.

★★★★☆

Beechwood smoked duck breast with fennel, blood orange, pistachio and vincotta

Well cooked duck breast served with a fresh zesty salad.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

An excellent place to head to for good food, friendly service, and of course quality coffee.

Axil Coffee Roasters

322 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9819 0091

http://axilcoffee.com.au/