French toast

Devon Cafe

Eggs Blini

(buckwheat blini, citrus cured salmon, asparagus, chives, salmon caviar, maltaise sauce)

★★★☆☆

Breakfast with the Sakumas’s

(miso grilled king salmon, smoked eel croquette, 63° egg, radish petit salad, kewpie mayonnaise)

★★★★☆

Lost In Devonshire

(Devon’s style French toast, peanut butter, raspberry jelly, vanilla cream, chantilly, peanut butter cookies, freeze dried strawberry and maple ice cream)

★★★☆☆

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Ruby Heart Berry

(juniper berry, rosehip, hibiscus flowers)

★★★★☆

Overall:

Good service, nicely presented food, normal looking cafe in the front area, odd army-like decor and graffitied walls in the back area.

Devon Cafe

76 Devonshire St, Surry Hills, NSW

(02) 9211 8777

http://www.devoncafe.com.au

Cheerio

Baked eggs with spicy beans and lentils, fresh herb salad, lemon labne and dukkah served with toasted sourdough

The fresh chilli gave this dish a nice kick!

★★★☆☆

Quinoa, charred corn and zucchini fritters, shaved fennel, watercress, fresh herbs, sumac dressing, dukkah, poached egg

The fritters were good but the real highlight was the amazing salad and dressing.

★★★★☆

Sticky ham hock, fresh Asian herbs, chilli, black vinegar, tamarind hollandaise, and poached eggs on toasted sourdough

The ham hock was fall-apart-tender and the hollandaise extremely delectable, however this was quite a heavy dish and was a struggle to finish.

★★★★☆

One quarter of the brioche french toast special

We were too full to order individual desserts so we decided to share the french toast amongst the four of us. What came as a surprise was that the chef took the time and effort to divide up the dish and had plated it up on four separate plates! Thoughtful service aside, this dish was delicious!

★★★★☆

Overall:

A delightful gem of a place that stood out not only because of the food, but also the terrific service. The staff were super friendly and we felt very welcome right from the get-go. The only downside about Cheerio is its tiny size and limited seating, so there may be a bit of a wait during peak times.

Cheerio

323 Lennox St, Richmond, VIC

0456 925 659

Street Talk Espresso

The Boss Of All Challah

(Challah French toast squares, stewed apple, seasonal fruits, mascarpone, Tim Tam sand, espresso caviar)

★★★★☆

The Mighty Ducks

(zucchini, cauliflower and haloumi fritters, 5 spice duck breast, lemon tahini yogurt, soft herb salad, toffee glass shards, butter and sage jus)

★★★★☆

Overall:

Friendly service, casual atmosphere, and delicious food that was beautifully presented. Well worth a visit for all you brunch lovers out there.

Street Talk Espresso

710 High St, Armadale, VIC

(03) 9509 9687

https://www.streettalkcafe.com.au/

Wide Open Road

Thick cut bacon with gruyere cheese potato cake, poached eggs, beetroot relish, rocket, chipotle mayo

The thick cut bacon was delicious and had a lovely hint of sweetness. If only there had been more of it!

★★★★☆

Corn, black bean and smoked mozzarella tortilla with chipotle lime creme fraiche, fried eggs and pork belly

I would have preferred less beans however the pork belly was quite enjoyable.

★★★☆☆

Caramelised tiramisu french toast with espresso mascarpone, poached plums and a cocoa nib, cinnamon and nut dukkah

The sugar crust on the french toast was a nice touch, while the espresso mascarpone and poached plums made for an interestingly delightful combination of flavours.

★★★★☆

Chai latte

★★★★☆

Overall:

Great food, average service, definite hipster vibe.

Wide Open Road

274 Barkly St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9387 6079

http://wideopenroad.com.au/

Friends of Ours

Stack It Up

Veggie fritter, spinach, smoked trout, avocado, poached egg, homemade hollandaise

★★☆☆☆

French Kiss

French toast, fresh strawberries, strawberry coulis, vanilla ice cream

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Portions were generous however the food we sampled was nothing out of the ordinary. The atmosphere was relaxed and the service was average. What’s great about this place however is that $1 from every meal is donated to the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Friends of Ours

1097 Mount Alexander Rd, Essendon, VIC

(03) 9374 2610

http://www.friendsofours.com.au/

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

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/

Raspberry Fool

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

Miam Miam Restaurant

Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Rd, Chadstone 9569 4499

Iced matcha latte with matcha softee

Peanut butter and banana milkshake

Lobster bisque pasta

Mac and cheese

Famous French toast

Vanilla souffle

Thoughts:

Iced matcha latte with matcha softee – milky green tea latte that contained lots of ice, topped with a swirl of green tea soft serve = Not bad

Peanut butter and banana milkshake – thick, sweet, had small chunks of peanut added to it which gave the milkshake an interesting crunch = Not bad

Lobster bisque pasta – the soup base tasted purely of prawns (I did not detect any lobster), the pasta was well cooked and the dish was topped with parmesan cheese and a grilled tiger prawn = Not bad

Mac and cheese – strong cheese aroma, had a nice crunchy top from the Japanese breadcrumbs = Good

Famous French toast – thick slices of delicious classic French toast served with a dollop of cream and a small jar of maple syrup on the side (which is fabulous because it lets you control how sweet you want your dish to be) = Excellent

Vanilla souffle – reminiscent of Asian sponge cake, this souffle was light yet a little bit wet and distinctively eggy. I also managed to taste a bit of salt with every second or third bite = Not bad

Overall:

This French-Japanese restaurant is one of those places that has such an intriguing menu that it makes choosing what you want quite a difficult task. The atmosphere is very casual and the decor somehow reminded me of a country farm house (red bricks, wood chip walls, white window shutters, simple wooden tables and chairs). The service was friendly however the arrival of our food was very staggered. Hopefully that won’t be the case the next time I dine here (as there are still other dishes that I want to try).