Aka Siro

Maguroni – simmered tuna, egg, soy, ginger

★★☆☆☆

Teriyaki Hamburg Teishoku – simmered ground beef and pork mince patty with teriyaki sauce, vegetables and grated daikon

Juicy flavourful hamburgs that practically melt in your mouth.

★★★★☆

Higawari Teishoku – deep fried chicken katsu with BBQ sauce, potato salad with JP mayo, simmered turnip and fried tofu with soy and dashi broth

This menu item changes daily and comprises of 3 different dishes on the one plate. I really enjoyed the chicken katsu as it had amazing crunch and the meat was very tender. The simmered turnip was also a standout: simple and delicious.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

As soon as we sat down we were given some menus and a pot lid that had the daily specials written on it. We didn’t have to wait long for our food to arrive and when it did, every dish was comforting and homely. Each teishoku menu item is served with a bowl of warming miso soup and unlimited rice. There is an authentic Japanese vibe to this place and I wouldn’t mind returning if I’m ever in the area.

Aka Siro

106 Cambridge St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9417 0886

Daniel Son

Corn Fritters with Chilli Con Carne aka ‘Mariachi El Brunch’

(two deep fried corn fritters with con carne, cheese, two fried eggs, guacamole, sour cream)

Good simple flavours, portions could have been a bit more generous.

★★★☆☆

The Inglorious Bastard Sandwich

(pulled pork fritters, ‘slaw, house made BBQ sauce)

I wasn’t a fan of these fritters as the pork was somewhat dry and insipid. I also didn’t like the fact that you had to deconstruct this sandwich in order to eat it.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I have never watched The Karate Kid and would not have made the connection between the name of this place and the film had it not been for the pictures of Mr Miyagi that were on our menus. Daniel Son is a bustling suburban cafe that offers a small menu and friendly service within a comfortable space. The dishes I sampled weren’t particularly amazing but perhaps some of their other menu items are.

Daniel Son

471-473 Neerim Rd, Murrumbeena, VIC

0497 690 628

ChiChi House

Spicy croquettes, smoked salmon, poached eggs, garden salad, tomato chutney

The eggs were well poached, the salmon standard, and the croquettes superb as they were crispy, creamy and had a delightful hint of spice.

★★★☆☆

Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and avocado on Turkish bread with freshly cooked spinach, cherry tomato, crumbled feta and apple

Light yet quite filling.

★★★☆☆

Fraus hot chocolate – Hazelnut Choc

With so many hot chocolate flavours to choose from, I struggled to pick one and decided to ask our waitress for a recommendation. This hazelnut hot chocolate was moderately rich and even had some small bits of hazelnuts within it.

★★★☆☆

Chai Latte

Creamy and not overly spicy.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located right next to Hughesdale station, this simple cosy cafe offers great food at reasonable prices, a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, and fantastic service.

ChiChi House

13 Willesden Rd, Hughesdale, VIC

(03) 9917 2194

http://www.chichihouse.net.au/

Cafe Lafayette

Matcha Hot Cakes with Berry Compote, Honeycomb, Vanilla Mascarpone, Red Bean Crème, Crushed Pistachio

These hot cakes were a bit on the soggy side however they had a lovely mild matcha flavour, and tasted terrific with the slightly tart berry compote and the sweet honeycomb, mascarpone and red bean crème.

★★★☆☆

Prawn Croquettes with Scallops, Crackers, Avo Puree, Tartar Dressing, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise and Black Sesame Seeds

These croquettes were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside but they lacked flavour and had to be eaten with the sauces. The crackers were a bit stale, the eggs were nicely poached, and the scallops were fantastic.

★★★☆☆

Tokyo Express Raindrop Cake (classic brown sugar with stone grounded soy bean)

★★★★☆

Match Lover Raindrop Cake (Japanese green tea with roasted pistachio)

★★★☆☆

These curious looking blobs are in fact water and agar, and when eaten on its own didn’t really taste like anything. But when it was eaten together with a sweet syrup and a nutty powder, it became a light and refreshing dessert.

Overall:

Tasty food, friendly service, laid back ambience with an awesome view of the beach. The raindrop cakes are on their specials menu at the moment, so try them soon before they disappear.

Cafe Lafayette

55 Beach St, Port Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9078 9808

http://cafelafayette.com.au/

Left Field

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Shoulder Benedict with Sourdough, Poached Eggs, Apple Cider Hollandaise, Pomegranate, Apple and Mint

Ample amount of tender flavourful pulled pork, perfectly poached eggs, delectable hollandaise.

★★★☆☆

Breaky Board – Wild Muesli with Honey and Cinnamon Yogurt, Roast Pumpkin Bruschetta, Poached Egg, Hummus, Feta and Dukkah, OJ

I really liked the Breaky Board at Tall Timber and was hoping that the Breaky Board here would be just as good or even better. While this was very tasty, I enjoyed Tall Timber’s version slightly more.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

I was super stoked when I heard that this place was being opened in Carnegie as the South East side of Melbourne is seriously lacking quality brunch-type cafes. With a team of people who are behind Tall Timber, Rustica Canteen, Short Straw and Touchwood, I was really looking forward to seeing what Left Field would offer.

The decor inside was bright and simple, the staff helpful, and the food enjoyable. My only disappointment was that they had sold out of their ‘Cookies n Cream Donut Sliders’ so I will have to return to try them.

Left Field

358 Koornang Rd, Carnegie, VIC

(03) 9578 2043

Bawa

Potato rosti, slow braised pork, poached eggs, herb hollandaise

I enjoyed the pork and the herb hollandaise but not so much the potato rosti and the dehydrated apple. The portion size was also a bit underwhelming.

★★☆☆☆

Philly cheese steak ciabatta, braised short rib, peppercorn cheddar, dijon aioli, mushrooms, fennel, potato rosti

Not the prettiest looking sandwich, but definitely a darn tasty one. There was meant to be a side of fries with this, but the kitchen had run out so we were given potato rosti instead.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Innovative menu and decent service within a gorgeous open setting (think lots of greenery, wooden tones and natural light).

Bawa

248 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9819 6701

http://bawacafe.com/

Mr Scruff’s

Poutine Chips with Cheese, Gravy and Bacon

★★★★☆

Salt & Vinegar Onion Rings with Scruff’s Special Sauce

★★★☆☆

Beef Burger with American Cheese, Cos, Pickles, and Scruff’s Special Sauce

★★★☆☆

Crispy Chicken Burger with Pickled Ginger, Kewpie Mayo, Cos and BBQ Sauce

★★★☆☆

Snickers Waffle with Peanut Praline, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Ice Cream and Shaved Chocolate

This was a lot smaller than I anticipated.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

I can totally understand why this place is so popular. The vibe is great and the food is pretty damn tasty. The best thing about Mr Scruff’s is that every Wednesdays between 6pm – 10pm the food is HALF PRICE! And it’s not like the prices here are expensive to begin with, so it works out to be a seriously awesome deal.

Mr Scruff’s

60 Smith St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9995 3881

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Carnegie Korean BBQ

What’s better than Korean BBQ? The answer is all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ!

Pork Belly, Mushroom, Onion, Sweet Potato

Pasta Salad, Bean Sprouts, Kimchi, Fish Cake

Mandu

Beef Bibimbap

Soy Bean Soup

Green Tea and Black Sesame Ice Cream

Overall:

There are 2 all-you-can-eat options: the Standard Buffet ($31.90) and the Gourmet Buffet ($35.50). For a few dollars more the Gourmet Buffet offered a greater selection of meats, soups and dessert, so we ended up opting for this. We initially wanted to try all the different meats however this turned out to be impossible as there was simply too much food! The meats that we did manage to try included the LA Beef Ribs, Beef Brisket, Marinated Beef, Diced Beef, Non Spicy Chicken, Pork Belly, and Spicy Pork. The only meat that did not take our fancy was the Diced Beef as it was super tough and extremely difficult to chew. The staff were friendly however unlike some other Korean BBQ places, they don’t help out with any of the barbequing (which was fine with us). In any case, the all-you-can-eat options here are perfect for all you carnivores out there.

Carnegie Korean BBQ

Shop 2, 23 Koornang Rd, Carnegie, VIC

(03) 9563 6608

Mixed Business

Apple Pie Waffles

(buttermilk waffles, maple baked apples, pecan crumb, vanilla ice cream)

These waffles arrived piping hot which quickly melted the ice cream leading to soggy waffles. However everything still tasted good so it wasn’t a big deal.

★★☆☆☆

Sherry Roast Swiss Brown Mushrooms

(whipped Meredith chevre, hazelnut and herb salad on toast with a side of slow roast pork belly)

Thank goodness we ordered the side of pork belly (which was delicious) otherwise this dish would have been rather lacking.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

After reading so many positive reviews about this place, I felt a little let down with our experience. More precisely it was the food that failed to make an impression, as the staff here were terrific and the atmosphere pretty stock standard for a brunch-type place.

Mixed Business

486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill, VIC

(03) 9486 1606

http://www.mixedbusinesscafe.com/

Sir Charles

The Smash

(smashed avocado with dill oil, dukkah, goats cheese croquette, poached eggs on multigrain toast)

Crispy cheesy croquettes, perfectly poached eggs and an ample amount of smashed avocado that was a little salt heavy for me.

★★★☆☆

Salmon Benedict

(panko crumbed eggs with Sriracha hollandaise, smoked salmon rillette, baby spinach and burnt chilli on roti)

My first reaction was: WHOA LOOK AT THAT HUGE CUT OF LEMON! Who actually needs that much lemon squeezed onto their dish? Massive lemon aside, this Salmon Benedict was seriously amazing! The combination of delicious ingredients worked very well together and I loved how the Sriracha hollandaise and burnt chilli gave this dish some gentle heat.

★★★★★

Eton Mess Waffles

(Belgian waffle with crispy meringue, jelly tip ice cream, marshmallow and fresh berries)

This was without a doubt one of the most colourful brunch dishes I’ve ever had! The waffle itself was incredibly crispy and subtly salty which provided a wonderful balance to all the sweetness from the meringue, marshmallow and ice cream.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Excellent food, quick and friendly service, bright relaxing space. Sir Charles, I will see you again soon!

Sir Charles

121 Johnston St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9415 7077

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