Coffee

Chez Dré

Duck Sandwich – confit pulled duck, onion jam, red cabbage, grated apple, truffle mayonnaise and panini

A delicious combination of ingredients (including a considerable amount of duck) sandwiched between crispy panini bread. Seriously one of the best sandwiches that I’ve had in a long time.

★★★★★

Salmon Rillettes – beetroot relish, caperberries, poached eggs, beetroot crisps and toasted sourdough

Perfectly poached eggs, tasty salmon, piquant beetroot, briny caperberries.

★★★★☆

Prana Chai – masala blend with honey, black ceylon tea, spices and ginger

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

It’s been a few years since I last visited Chez Dré and my only regret from this visit was being too full to fit in any of their amazing desserts. I have to get an eclair the next time I come here! And a cheesecake…and a tart…possibly a macaron. Either way I must come back soon.

Chez Dré

Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9690 2688

http://www.chezdre.com.au/

Rudimentary

The Burger – soft shell crab, chili mayo, green apple, celery and mint

Flavoursome crab covered in crispy batter.

★★★☆☆

Organic Zeally Bay bun with smoked brisket, kimchi and asiago

Unexpected burger filling that would have been more enjoyable had the brisket been less salty.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Footscray is not the first suburb that springs to mind when it comes to coffee and brunch. The owners of Rudimentary have done an excellent job at creating this earthy hipster cafe that makes you forget that you are in Footscray (that is until you look up at the high steel fencing surrounding the place). The cafe itself is cheery and vibrant with large open windows and clean neutral tones. From inside you would never guess that the building is in fact a couple of shipping containers welded together. Service was very efficient and I loved the fact that we were able to leave a name and contact number and be called when our table was ready. The menu here is quite small and has clear Asian influences (crispy pig’s ear anyone?). Everyone on our table decided to get a burger and the first thing we noticed was how incredibly thick the burger buns were. Not only were they thick but they were also quite dense making it impossible to squish down and fit into your mouth. I don’t know about you, but a cut up burger to me doesn’t taste as good as a burger I am able to hold in my hands and bite into.

In any case Rudimentary is a great addition to Footscray and I really hope that they continue to do well.

Rudimentary

16-20 Leeds St, Footscray, VIC

0497 058 173

Burgled

The Sin Miedo (Mexico) – beef patty, jalapenos, smashed avocado, lettuce, cheese, tomato

Lacked a bit of flavor as there was no sauce and the beef patty was unseasoned

★★☆☆☆

The Gettysburger (USA) – beef patty, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onion, pickles, mustard, aioli, cheese, ketchup

★★☆☆☆

Chips with ketchup and aioli

Similar to Schnitz chips (which I LOVE), these were diamond cut and shaped like a thin wedge so were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

★★★☆☆

Ferrero Rocher milkshake

Sweet, milky, distinctive Ferrero Rocher taste.

★★★☆☆

Shortbread biscuit filled with nutella mousse, kiwifruit and strawberry

The lovely owner of Burgled actually gave this to us on the house. The filling was tasty however something less dense than shortbread would have been preferable.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Fantastic sports bar-like atmosphere, warm efficient staff, great chips, wide variety of tasty milkshakes (eg. Oreo, Cherry Ripe, Lychee & Vanilla, Butterscotch, Salted Caramel, Peach & Coconut and much more), average burgers. Soft white burger buns are used here which is a nice change from the sweet brioche buns found everywhere else. However the beef patties lacked flavour and the burgers themselves did not stand out.

Burgled

287 Huntingdale Rd, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9540 0355

http://burgled.com.au/

South of Johnston

SOJO Burger of the week (Pulled Pork Burger)

Satisfying burger filled with lots of juicy pulled pork

★★★☆☆

Pancakes topped with banana, butterscotch sauce, vanilla ice cream and toasted crushed hazelnuts

★★☆☆☆

Corn fritters with a poached egg, tomato relish, avocado, smoked salmon

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Funky eclectic decor, ordinary food, ordinary service. Might be worth your while exploring Collingwood’s many other eateries instead.

South ofJohnston

46 Oxford St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9417 2741

http://southofjohnston.com.au/

The Parlor

The Parlor Tasting Board

An ample selection of lunch times dishes which included hommus, house made polenta chips, pork belly,prosciutto, steamed broccoli, roasted capsicum, cured salmon, calamari, roast chicken, and ciabatta. Sharing this huge tasting board is definitely recommended.

★★☆☆☆

Ricotta Hot Cakes

Creamy ricotta hot cakes served with berry compote, poached pear, maple syrup and mascarpone.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Random location (on a suburban street surrounded by houses), charming decor, friendly service, ordinary food.

The Parlor

40 Weatherall Rd, Beaumaris, VIC

(03) 9515 4514

http://www.theparlorkitchen.com/

A La Folie

Raspberry vanilla macaron

Praline petits choux, Rose delight macaron, White peach and blood peach petits choux, Salted caramel macaron

Chai latte & Soy latte

Overall:

A delightful French patisserie that specialises in macarons and petits choux. The macarons were good however the petits choux were simply marvellous. Light and delicate choux pastry filled with delicious crème patissière and topped with a colourful fondant. My favourite was the praline petits choux. Unfortunately the drinks we had were very watery so I suggest that you stick to the pastries. Definitely try one of their petits choux the next time you are on Chapel St.

A La Folie 2

A La Folie

589 Chapel St, South Yarra, VIC

(03) 9827 3337

http://www.alafolie.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of A La Folie.

Demitri’s Feast

European style thick hot chocolate

Thick and decadent without being overly sweet.

★★★★☆

Latte

Strong and aromatic.

★★★☆☆

Ouzo Cured Salmon with dill, crème fraiche, spinach & poached free range eggs

Well poached eggs, tasty salmon, however the bread was extremely hard and difficult to cut through.

★★☆☆☆

Maria’s Eggs Saganaki with confit cherry tomato sauce, basil, feta & chilli

Slightly sharp sauce but otherwise a nice dish.

★★☆☆☆

Baklava French Toast with walnut praline, sweet yoghurt & orange blossom syrup

Fantastic! I would have rated this as 5 stars however towards the end, the taste of egg took over this dish.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Relaxed atmosphere, good service, and an exciting Greek inspired menu. Note that this place does not take bookings.

Demitri’s Feast

141 Swan St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 9428 8659

http://www.demitrisfeast.com.au/

Blue Cafe Bar

Salmon tartare, seasoned nori, radish, ginger and soy dressing, avocado puree, bonito

Very small serving, tasty combination of ingredients.

★★☆☆☆

Flinders Island lamb rump, baby carrots, eggplant and chickpea tagine, almonds, poppy seed labneh

Deliciously succulent lamb.

★★★☆☆

Crispy duck, green papaya, pineapple, mango, tomato, cucumber, cashews, coriander, bean shoots, nahm jim

This was more like a pineapple salad with a few other ingredients tossed in.

★★☆☆☆

Cold drunken chicken, tiger prawns, roasted chilli and sesame mayu, soba noodles, cucumber, kohlrabi, spring onion and ginger dressing

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located in a converted tram pay station, this laid-back cafe has an interesting Asian influenced menu.

Blue Cafe Bar

Inveresk Railyards, Launceston, TAS

(03) 6334 3133

http://www.bluecafebar.com.au/

Jackman & McRoss

Everything looked delicious and it took us a little while to decide what to get.

Blueberry Coconut Cheesecake, Lemon and Ricotta Crumble Cake, Hot Jam Donut

★★★☆☆

Apple and Raisin Danish

★★★☆☆

Scrambled egg, bacon, tomato and avocado panini

★★★★★

Scallop & wakame pie

★★★☆☆

Pork, Sage and apple sausage roll

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

We grabbed some takeaway and found the food to be delightful. This place is well worth stopping by.

Jackman & McRoss

59 Hampden Rd, Battery Point, TAS

(03) 6223 3186

Cafe Mondello

Smashed Avocado (Persian feta, toast, poached eggs, dukka, relish)

★★★☆☆

Eggs SS (smoked salmon, toast, spinach, hollandaise)

★★☆☆☆

Eggs Benedict (leg ham, toast, hollandaise)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Good solid breakfast fare can be found at this comfortable little cafe. Service is friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed, making it a great place to drop by before you start your day.

Cafe Mondello

242 Charles St, Launceston, TAS

0408 326 848