Baked eggs (caramelised onion, ham and gruyere) with toast
★★☆☆☆
Scrambled free range eggs with chorizo and toast
★★☆☆☆
Poached free range eggs with sausage and toast
★★☆☆☆
Chocolate French toast with honey, yogurt and pear compote
★★★☆☆
Overall:
Small cafe with a small menu that offered friendly service and reasonable food.
Note this place is closed on Sundays
Raspberry Fool
85 Bathurst St, Hobart, TAS
(03) 6231 1274
73 Jolimont Rd, Forest Hill 0438 333 595
Iced Chai
Sweet with a distinctive chai flavour
= ★★
Banana Milkshake
This brought to mind childhood memories of banana Nesquik
= ★★
Smashed avocado
(avocado, dill, lemon and feta cheese on seven grain sourdough, served with a fried egg)
= ★★
The Jolimont Platter
(antipasto platter with Chef’s selection of marinated vegetables, deli meats, cheese and bread)
= ★★
Overall:
This cosy suburban cafe serves up the usual breakfast/brunch items. Although nothing particularly stood out in terms of the food, service was great as the staff here were attentive, friendly and up for a chat.
Unit 2, 1-3 Bignell Rd, Moorabbin 9532 2749
Bartholomew’s Baked Eggs
Lamb, spinach and pine nut sausage, free range eggs, sautéed spinach, kalamata olives and feta cheese in a tomato and herb sauce, served with buttered sourdough toast
= ★★
Vegorama
Poached free range eggs, homemade hash brown, avocado, sautéed mushrooms, over roasted tomato and truffle hollandaise served with buttered multigrain toast
= ★★
Overall:
I loved the retro vibe that this garage-turned-cafe had going on! A small powder blue caravan served as a kitchen, industrial shelves and recycled furniture filled up the place, bright green artificial grass covered the floor, and there was Volkswagen memorabilia everywhere (which was expected as this place is named after the signature stuttering of the Volkswagen engines). Service was friendly although it took a while before our orders were taken, and then much longer for our food to arrive. This unexpected cafe (as is it located within Moorabbin’s industrial area) is a comfortable and quirky place to hang out, but they need to up their game a tad when it comes to service times.
50 Albert Rd, South Melbourne 9088 0721
House-made coconut yogurt with gluten-free grains, seeds and nuts, Toorak Station prickly pear, rhubarb, citrus powders, fruits and flowers
This beautifully presented dish was fresh, healthy and surprisingly filling
= ★★★
Hotcakes with house-made ricotta, blueberries, pure maple, double cream and seeds
I’ve previously had this dish at Top Paddock and was looking forward to ricotta hotcake heaven.
Regrettably I didn’t find the hotcake here to be as good as the ones I’ve had at Top Paddock. Don’t get me wrong, this hotcake was still sweet, fluffy and delicious. It’s just that comparatively the edges weren’t crispy, the centre was a little bit soggy and the strawberries still had their stems on (which I know you can eat, but I just prefer my strawberries to be stemless).
= ★★★
Overall:
Half located on the ground floor of a modern apartment building and half in a classic Victorian terrance, the decor here is a stylish combination of modern and homely. A noteworthy team of people own the place including Jesse McTavish (chef from Top Paddock), Nathan Coleman (Top Paddock owner), Ben Clark and Diamond Rozakeas (also from Top Paddock), Tim James (former manager of Two Birds One Stone) and Sam King (ex-Seven Seeds and Place Holder). The menu here is fresh and innovative and the staff are very welcoming. While I don’t think this place rivals Top Paddock, it is still worth stopping by if you happen to be in the area.
12 Eaton St, Oakleigh 9568 4668
Open Pork Yiros Plate with Greek salad, Pita bread, Tzatziki and Chips
Generous portions however the pork was slightly dry and salt needed to be added to the chips.
★★
Chicken Yiros Souvlaki (wrapped in lightly grilled pita)
The chicken was deliciously moist, the yogurt sauce was terrific and the fresh salad gave the souvlaki delightful crunch.
★★★
Overall:
Quick service, simple decor, tasty souvlakis. Note that orders here are taken at the counter.
21-25 Heatherdale Rd, Ringwood 9873 7079
Prosciutto Wood Fire Pizza
(garlic and herb base, fresh fior di latte cheese, fresh rocket, prosciutto crudo, olive oil, grana parmesan)
Generous toppings (especially the prosciutto!) served on a delicious garlic and herb base
★★★
Spaghetti Marinara
(selection of seafood pan fried in garlic oil in Napoli sauce)
Well cooked spaghetti, watery sauce
★★
Overall:
Great pizza, speedy service, simple and relaxed atmosphere.
RHCL grilled cheesy toast with eggplant & chilli pickle
I simply cannot describe how amazing this was! The toast was perfect, the cheese was unbelievable, while the eggplant and chilli pickle added delicious zing and was a fantastic contrast to the heavy cheese.
★★★★★
The Lot
(two eggs any way with toast, bacon, baked beans, mushrooms & roasted
tomatoes)
★★☆☆☆
Potato & spring onion rosti with smoked salmon, two poached eggs, spinach pistou sauce, Cantalet cheese fondue & grain mustard
The crispy rosti was tasty but could have been finished within two bites. Okay maybe three bites.
★★★☆☆
Baked Eggs
(two baked eggs with RHCL sausage ragu, toasted pinenuts, feta & fresh coriander)
The feta was fantastic! If only there had been more!
★★☆☆☆
Baghdad Eggs
(two fried eggs with lemon & garlic, sprinkled with cumin & mint on homemade flat bread)
Super simple, super marvellous!
★★★★★
Overall:
Terrific food, warm atmosphere, prompt service (although we did feel a bit rushed when our bill was presented as soon as we had finished eating and before we had even asked for it). Richmond Hill Café and Larder even have their very own cheese room which offers an impressive selection of local and imported cheeses, many of which they mature in-house. I am so looking forward to my next visit. I already have my eye on the cheese platter…
Note that this place takes bookings.
Richmond Hill Café and Larder
48-50 Bridge Rd, Richmond, VIC
(03) 9421 2808
594 Queensberry St, North Melbourne 9329 0298
Bounty Bar Hot Chocolate with Mörk, coconut and almond milk (left)
The almond milk ruined this potentially terrific drink, making it extremely thin and watery
★★
Mörk Hot Chocolate (right)
Balanced and full of flavour, not exceedingly sweet
★★★
Brioche roll with beef brisket, kaiserfleisch, chilli, cabbage slaw, Swiss cheese and seeded mustard aioli, served with hand cut chips and rosemary salt
★★
Wild mushrooms with soft polenta, roasted shallots, endive, two poached eggs, parmesan and pomegranate molasses
★★
Overall:
The only thing impressive about this place was the outhouse they had at the back. Food was average and portions were small, while the service was so-so. The staff here were very strict about their menu and refused to serve us chips on their own as it wasn’t on the menu. To be honest I’d much rather head around the corner to Auction Rooms for a bite to eat.
Shop 9, Degraves St Melbourne 0401 408 168
Canadienne Waffle
Overall:
I had a massive waffle craving the other day so headed to Waffle On to grab one of their delicious waffles. The light crispy Canadienne waffle was served with cold vanilla ice cream, maple syrup and icing sugar. Service was quick but seating very limited (there are only two). We also noticed that the baguettes were very popular here. Something for me to try next time.
742 Waverley Rd, Malvern East 9939 4061
Okonomiyaki
Japanese savoury pancake with special BBQ sauce, Japanese mayo and shaved bonito
= Not bad
Spicy Korean Chicken
Pan grilled chicken in a spicy marinade with cabbage
= Not bad
Bibimbap
A not so typical combination of rice, fried egg, chilli paste, sesame oil, minced beef, garlic sprouts, bean sprouts, alfalfa and lotus root
= Not bad
Overall:
Cute little place with friendly staff but extremely slow service. We were one of three tables and had to wait 45 minutes for our food, and even then one of our dishes was missing as they had forgotten to put the order through. The dishes we tried were quite ordinary and I doubt I would return here in the future.
DAMMIT JANET I LOVE FOOD 