Coffee

Lemon, Middle and Orange

Corned beef hash, mustard piccalilli puree, kohlrabi sauerkraut, swiss cheese, bagel wafer & fried egg

Delicious except for the bagel wafer. Not sure whether or not it was meant to taste stale, but it did.

★★★☆☆

Slow cooked beef brisket, cabbage slaw, grilled onion, dijon mustard & gherkin on toasted sourdough

I was really hoping for melt in your mouth beef brisket but it was just regular beef brisket in a regular tasting sandwich.

★★☆☆☆

Orange Infused Hot Chocolate

I was really glad I took on our waiter’s recommendation to order this. This was absolutely delectable as the zesty orange flavour cut through and nicely complimented the rich hot chocolate.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Surrounded by industrial warehouses and factories, Lemon Middle and Orange is a bright hidden space that serves up classic breakfast and lunch foods with an Irish twist.

Lemon, Middle and Orange

25 Rokeby St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9415 1593

http://www.lemonmiddleandorange.com/

Code Black Coffee

Leek and goat’s cheese croquettes with crispy pancetta, carrot puree, snow peas, baby carrots, toasted almonds and a poached egg

I enjoyed every single bite! Delicious flavours and perfect for those who love goat’s cheese.

★★★★☆

The Brunswick Ploughman’s Lunch

(soft boiled egg, smoked eggplant, pickled fennel, house made feta, olives, fresh radish, pastourma, smoked yogurt and house made flatbread)

★★☆☆☆

House made crumpets with orange and cinnamon ricotta, toasted pistachio, poached berries and vanilla syrup

★★☆☆☆

Grilled roast mushroom sandwich with caramelised onion and gruyere cheese served with a mushroom broth

A great tasting sandwich however the broth was extremely salty and essentially tasted like soy sauce.

★★★★☆

Overall:

What can I say about Code Black Coffee? There was a lot of black: black building, black walls, black ceiling, black tables. This former warehouse offers high quality coffee and a wide variety elegantly presented food. I had my eye on the grilled banana bread before coming here and was a bit shattered when I found that it was no longer on the menu. It is meant to be amazing so I hope they bring it back in the future.

Code Black Coffee

15-17 Weston St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9381 2330

http://codeblackcoffee.com.au/

Ora Cafe

Spiced Tiffin Egg with Bombay hash, kasundi and cashew crumb

This distinctive dish comprised of fresh ingredients and delicate Indian flavours.

★★★★☆

Prawn Toast with sesame, avocado whip, lime, and egg

The toast was a bit too thick for my liking, while the vegetables reminded me of those you find in bánh mì (Vietnamese pork rolls).

★★★☆☆

Mork Hot Chocolate

Hard to go wrong with Mork.

★★★★☆

Chai Latte

Very milky, lacked flavour.

★☆☆☆☆

Overall:

Cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, small unique menu.

Ora Cafe

156 Pakington St, Kew, VIC

(03) 9855 2002

Baba Sus

Hong Kong Egg Waffles

(vanilla custard, green tea ice cream, berry compote, pistachio praline)

Although these were not like the egg waffles I’ve eaten in Hong Kong (which were distinctively crispy on the outside and very light on the inside), they were still undeniably good. These tasted more like pancakes…really delicious pancakes.

★★★★☆

Corn and Zucchini Croquettes

(house cured salmon, herb aioli, asparagus, frisee, poached egg)

★★★☆☆

Crispy and creamy croquettes, perfectly poached egg, not a lot of salmon.

Overall:

Deciding what to order here was no easy task. Every menu item sounded delicious with most of them having Asian influences. I really like places that have a unique menu, and when you add good food and good service onto that, Baba Sus makes for a place that is worth visiting over and over again.

Baba Sus

15-17 Bardolph St, Glen Iris

9939 6141

Servery & Spoon

Morning Super Salad

with kale, broccoli rice, toasted quinoa, beetroot, avocado, super seeds and a poached egg

Tasted healthy but lacked flavour and texture.

= ★★

Buttermilk French Toast

with quince, lemon curd labna, sugared pecans and date maple

= ★★★

Eggs

Crispy Dukkah Crusted Eggs

with smashed avocado, crumbled feta and grilled orange on sourdough

Not sure if the grilled orange was necessary but the rest of the dish was delicious!

= ★★★★

Overall:

Well presented food, friendly service, open inviting space. Be sure to try the Crispy Dukkah Crusted Eggs.

Servery & Spoon

137 Waverley Rd, Malvern East

9571 7495

The Baker’s Wife

The Lamb

(crisp spiced lamb shoulder, pumpkin hummus, fried chickpeas, beetroot relish, paprika yogurt, cucumber and mint salad)

= ★★★

The Bubble and Squeak

(Bubble and squeak croquette, Italian sausage, roast tomato, fried egg, sourdough, house relish and house BBQ sauce)

I really enjoyed the croquette but the sourdough and the sausages were simply tough and dry.

= ★★

The French Toast

(The Baker’s Challah, rhubarb and strawberry compote, spiced ricotta and Canadian maple syrup)

= ★★

The Cheeseburger

(150g beef patty, Swiss cheese, brioche bun, pickled cucumbers, American mustard, lettuce, tomato and chips)

= ★★★

The Barramundi Roll

(crumbed barramundi fillet, brioche bun, fennel, apple and celery slaw, fried capers, dill aioli and chips)

Delicious combination of ingredients. Plus the barramundi fillet was very tasty and had great crunch.

= ★★★★

Nutella Donut, Hot Jam Donut, Raspberry and Custard Cruffin, Chocolate Cruffin

I definitely liked the cruffins more than the donuts…

= ★★★

Nutella Donut

…although the donut fillings were delightfully bounteous!

Overall:

Warm inviting atmosphere, average service, good selection of pastries and muffins (which are baked fresh on the premises).

The Baker’s Wife

414-418 Burke Rd, Camberwell

9809 1133

Fandango

French toast with bacon, cinnamon baked apple, maple butter and maple syrup

= ★★

Curried Eggs (fried eggs, Indian spiced chickpeas, brinjal vegetable pickle, minted yogurt cheese and roti)

Each bite needed a bit of yogurt with it otherwise it would have been a tad dry.

= ★★★

Beetroot Eggs (poached eggs, beetroot and feta relish, spinach, sourdough)

Simple and delicious!

= ★★★★

Overall:

Great portions, friendly service, and a homely retro vibe. There are only 12 seats in this small cafe but there are also seats available in their courtyard (which is only accessible through the alleyway behind the cafe). So if you ever feel that the wait is too long at Auction Rooms, travel a few metres down the street and give this charming place a go.

Fandango

97 Errol St, North Melbourne

9329 0693

http://www.fandangocafe.com.au

Little Rogue

Pandan Coconut Crepe Cake

I love crepes and I love cake so unsurprisingly I found this fusion to be AMAZING. The soft paper thin crepes were fantastic, and the combination of pandan and coconut is always a winner.

= ★★★★★

Salted Caramel Cookie Sandwich

Quality chocolate cookies with a deliciously smooth salted caramel filling.

= ★★★★

Overall:

Located down a small cobbled laneway, this tiny unassuming cafe offered some pretty terrific desserts that included Butterbing cookie sandwiches, Mille & B crepe cakes and Kwak scrolls. The staff were friendly, the decor funky and earthy, and atmosphere very laid back. A must visit for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Little Rogue

12 Drewery Lane, Melbourne

0433 739 148

Vincent the Dog

Green Tea Latte

★★☆☆☆

Poached eggs, smoked salmon, goats cheese and avocado on sourdough

First thing I noticed about the eggs were the cling wrap marks on them. Nothing wrong with that as long as the eggs are properly poached (which they were).

★★☆☆☆

Pulled pork shoulder open waffle sandwich with pickled red cabbage, coleslaw and chipotle aioli

Generous amount of pulled pork piled on top of a crispy waffle.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This cosy little place offers more than your typical brunch menu items. Not only did they offer waffles and bagels, they also offered dishes such as Shanghai-style braised pork belly and Chinese donuts filled with melted cheese. The service and atmosphere were easy going however the limited seating deters me from coming here during the weekend. Note that this place is closed on Tuesdays.

Vincent the Dog

348 Drummond St, Carlton

(03) 9348 2068

Journeyman

Latte

Aromatic, noticeably milky.

★★★☆☆

Almond and cornflake crispy chicken with red cabbage slaw, coriander, lime, corn and tomato salsa on a brioche bun

Talk about a good burger! The chicken was satisfyingly crunchy and the slaw was delicious. Plus it was decently sized and very filling. I can totally picture myself ordering this again.

★★★★☆

Pulled pork benedict with poached eggs, cider vinegar hollandaise, apple and spinach

Everything was tasty except for the hollandaise sauce. It was more like a butter sauce. It was so overpoweringly buttery that I had to scrape it all to one side in order to taste the rest of the dish.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Previously known as Dukes Coffee Roasters, Journeyman was renamed in 2014 to separate the cafe from their coffee roasting business. The menu as well as the decor have pretty much remained the same, and service was efficient. So give this place a go if you are after great coffee and/or a great chicken burger.

Journeyman

169 Chapel St, Windsor

9521 4884

http://www.journeymancafe.com.au/