Coffee

Mocha Green Cafe

361 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield 9532 9333

Funky water bottle

Chai latte

Thick foam layer, not particularly sweet

= Not bad

Vanilla milkshake

Made with two scoops of ice cream, great consistency

= Good

Eggs Benedict

Turkish toast topped with salmon, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce

= Not bad

Corn Fritters

Corn fritters served with an avocado salsa, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce

= Not bad

Overall:

I came here with a Groupon voucher and although the staff were friendly and the atmosphere cosy, the food was not so great. The portions were small, the hollandaise sauce tasted old and the poached eggs were tough and rubbery.

Little Big Sugar Salt

Guilt Free Hot Mess

Soft fluffy gluten free almond and berry pancakes, dairy free coconut ice cream, sugar free date syrup and fresh fruit

★★★★☆

Glutenfreekakes

Millet+sweet potato+currant cakes with cashew cream, chilli jam, wilted kale and fried eggs

★★★☆☆

Rainbow Roots

Baked beetroot, quinoa, seeds, radish, herbs and a soft boiled egg (with a side of free range bacon)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Inconspicuously located among Vietnamese dominated Victoria Street, LBSS is an ideal place for those who are health-conscious and are after dishes that don’t taste like cardboard but actually taste good. The menu is small and simple, and is divided in such a way that all you need to do is decide 1.whether you want a little or big dish and 2. whether you want a sweet or savoury dish (hence the name of this place). The atmosphere was cosy and inviting (it felt as though we were in someone’s house), the staff friendly and attentive, and the service a little bit slow (most likely due to the tiny kitchen that they have here).

Little Big Sugar Salt

385 Victoria St, Abbotsford, VIC

(03) 9427 8818

Home

The Grounds of Alexandria

7A/2 Huntley St, Alexandria NSW

We came on a beautiful sunny morning and was told that the wait was approximately 1.5 hours, which gave us ample opportunity to explore the gardens and the various stalls.

Where to begin?

We tried the home-made rose lemonade because 1. the stall looked so fresh and colourful and 2. every second person we saw in the gardens was sipping on some lemonade (so it had to be good right?) The verdict? So-so lemonade that was mildly rose scented.

These ice cream sandwiches looked so good and were packed full of ice cream!

We decided to try the salted caramel and it was oh-so-good! The chocolate biscuits were sweet and chewy with crispy edges, while the salted caramel ice cream was creamy and had a great balance between saltiness and sweetness.

Fresh home-made donuts with the choice of strawberry jam or Nutella filling.

We opted for strawberry jam. These freshly fried donuts were fantastic, although they could have been bigger.

The Grounds Bakery offered quite a few samples to try…

and the cakes and tarts looked amazing but we had to save our stomachs for the cafe.

They also have a small petting zoo here…

with this guy being the star attraction…

who has his very own house.

Meanwhile this little silkie was dozing in the enclosure next door.

After about an hour, the electric buzzer that was given to us went off so we headed for the cafe.

Banana and honey smoothie

= Excellent

The ‘Ground’ burger (ground beef brisket, cheese, lettuce, dill cornichon mayo on a toasted brioche bun) served with beer battered fries.

This was essentially a fancy Big Mac with crispy, well seasoned chips.

= Good

Grilled asparagus with a wild medley of mushrooms, crumbed egg, parmesan and lemon

= Good

Overall:

Be prepared to wait. But also be prepared for good food, a relaxed atmosphere, and a great experience.

The Dough Collective

Shop G5 614 George St, Sydney NSW

Similar to Breadtop and Bonbons Bakery, the way this place works is that you walk in, grab a tray, grab a pair of tongs and then select whatever your stomach desires from within the glass cabinets and from the shelves.

The difference with The Dough Collective is that they create their dough from scratch and offer a unique variety of freshly baked goods. There were buns that contained black glutinous rice, rolls that contained brown sugar mochi, baguettes that contained fish roe and wasabi, and toast that contained Belgian chocolate and red wine. You can even try before you buy as this place offers plenty of samples!

I seriously wanted to try one of everything…

However I finally decided on: Gangnam Crown (Korean kimchi, cream cheese, condensed milk), Multi-grain lychee roll (dried lychee, walnuts, almond slices, black and white sesame, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, rum), Tea bread (walnuts, raisins, malt, earl grey), Chocolate surprise (Belgian chocolate chips)

If only there was a store in Melbourne…

The Hardware Société

118-120 Hardware St, Melbourne 9078 5992

Fried brioche, French earl grey tea and rosewater panna cotta, raspberries, meringue

Rather pricey for the size of the dish. Ordinary brioche, sweet chewy meringue, tart raspberries (that balanced out the sweetness of everything else), delightfully smooth and subtly flavoured panna cotta.

= Not bad

Confit duck, spiced orange cous cous, chestnuts, pomegranate, crispy root vegetables

Flavourless reheated duck, sour pomegranate, average cous cous

= Not bad

Overall:

A bustling place that always has crowds of people waiting outside for a table (regardless of the weather). What impressed me the most was the staff organisation and teamwork. Everything ran very smoothly and service was quite fast considering how busy it was at the time. The décor was charming (butterfly wallpaper, quirky hanging lights) but the food was a let down. I’ve previously tried the baked eggs as well as the scrambled eggs, and found those dishes to be good but nothing I would ever crave. The Hardware Société isn’t on my favourite brunch places list, but kudos to them for remaining so popular for so long.

Liar Liar

Quinoa and potato rosti with smoked salmon, avocado, poached egg and hollandaise

Perfectly poached egg, decent serving of avocado and salmon, and deliciously crispy rosti with the quinoa providing great texture.

★★★★☆

Zucchini, herb and chilli fritters with smoked salmon, tomatoes, feta and yogurt dressing, and served with mixed leaves

The fritters were massive, and they were also quite moist and herby.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

A place worth visiting for breakfast/brunch/lunch if you happen to be in the Hawthorn area. The service is fast and everything on the menu looks delicious.

Liar Liar

90 Kinkora Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9818 8864

http://www.liarliarcafe.com.au/

Prospect Espresso

2a Prospect Hill Rd, Camberwell 9882 7359

Truffled Brioche, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, poached eggs and truffled hollandaise

Dry unpleasant brioche, not enough hollandaise sauce

= Not bad

Warm coconut rice with kiwifruit, lychee, lime air and puffed rice

I read the words ‘lime air’ and was very intrigued as to what it actually was. Turns out that it was like a lime flavoured meringue, and it tasted fantastic alongside the sweet kiwifruit, lychee and the creamy (but not too heavy) coconut rice. A very satisfying and filling dish that is perfect on a cold Melbourne day.

= Excellent

Overall:

A cosy little place where the menu is small, the staff are friendly and the warm coconut rice is delectable.

Top Paddock

658 Church St, Richmond 9429 4332

Latte

Well roasted, full-bodied with a toffee-like aroma

= Excellent

Chai latte

= Not bad

Gin and lime cured ocean trout fillet with pickled baby beetroots, potato galette, poached eggs, leaves, goats curd and toast

The presentation of this dish was rather peculiar as everything seemed to be randomly plopped onto a different part of the plate. The trout itself was crispy on the outside and rare on the inside, and went well with the other ingredients on the plate.

= Not bad

Pan fried local snapper with chilli-fried egg, avocado, tomato, lime and a corn tortilla

The snapper was tasty but there wasn’t much of it! I also wasn’t a fan of the super dry corn tortilla.

= Not bad

Blueberry and ricotta hotcake with berries, organic maple, seeds and double cream

OH SO AMAZING! (both in terms of looks and in terms of taste!) The berries added a lovely freshness and the seeds added a nice crunch. I could not get enough of this wonderfully sweet and fluffy hotcake.

= Excellent

And here’s another photo since this dish was so darn pretty:

Overall:

If you have a sweet tooth, you MUST try the blueberry and ricotta hotcake! Seriously. If not, there are many other interesting items available on the menu such as sticky black gingerbread and soft-shell crab rolls. The service here was average while the decor was simple and chic with plenty of greenery and flowers about which brightened up the whole place. Note that bookings for groups of 4 or more can be made on weekdays.

The Premises

202 Bellair St, Kensington 9376 7565

Slow roasted pulled pork with Nana Kath’s pineapple chutney, red cabbage slaw and a dill pickle

= Not bad

Two poached eggs, falafel, beetroot slaw and tahini yogurt on Lebanese flat bread

= Good

Overall:

Homely atmosphere, good service and your standard breakfast/brunch fare.

Pizza Religion

Pork Pizza

(pork sausage, chilli, fennel, apple and cabbage salad)

Quite enjoyable but there wasn’t enough pork sausage (many mouthfuls of this pizza were purely of cabbage salad)

★★★☆☆

Beef Cheek Pizza

(braised beef cheek, celeriac puree, caramelised onions and gremolta)

The pungent beef cheek tasted marvellous with the sweet caramelised onions.

★★★★☆

Overall:

There is a wide range of fresh gourmet pizza toppings available and they are all served on crispy thin crusts. The staff here are helpful and the atmosphere is truly family friendly.

Pizza Religion

493 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9882 2555

http://pizzareligion.com.au/