Fritters

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/

Rye Cafe

Dukkah poached eggs served with roast pumpkin, spinach and goats cheese

Tasty, wholesome, and very filling.

★★★☆☆

Corn and zucchini fritters served with poached eggs, homemade guacamole and tomato relish

These fritters were a bit burnt and woeful looking, and were unfortunately nothing out of the ordinary.

★★☆☆☆

Berry Sensation Smoothie

(strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, apple, low fat yogurt, ice)

★★★☆☆

Banana Bomb Smoothie

(banana, honey, skim milk, vanilla yogurt)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located in a quiet shadowy corner within the bustling Showgrounds Village, Rye Cafe is often overlooked by many people passing by. However new owners Alanna and Eddie are in the midst of a revamp, so it won’t be long before we see a new and improved Rye Cafe that will undoubtably be noticed by all.

Rye Cafe

320 Epsom Road, Flemington, VIC

(03) 9376 3863

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Rye Cafe.

Muharam Cafe

Golden Gaytime Shake

EXTREMELY SWEET and didn’t really taste like Golden Gaytime now that I think about it.

★★☆☆☆

Spiced Sweetcorn Fritters with red pepper salsa, avocado and haloumi

Crispy fritters with a hint of smokiness and spice.

★★★☆☆

Trio of Sliders: Chicken Schnitz and Slaw, Wagyu Beef, Mushroom and Haloumi and Pesto

The chicken and beef were dry, while the haloumi and pesto combination made for a significantly salty slider.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

After seeing heaps of Instagram photos of Muharam Cafe’s incredible Nut-tellin’ doughnut shake (which is essentially a Nutella doughnut on top of a Nutella milkshake), I knew I had to come here to try one. The only problem was that they had run out of doughnuts! At 12:30pm! On a weekday! Our friendly waitress told us that they could still make us the shake minus the doughnut, but who would want a doughnut-less doughnut shake? Now onto the food menu. I had already looked at the menu before coming here and knew that I wanted the Red Velvet Pancakes. You can only imagine how devastated I was when we were told that the Red Velvet Pancakes had sold out! My next choice would have been the crumpets but before I could even form the words in my mouth, our waitress told us that the crumpets had also sold out! Dammit.

After all that disappointment, I had my fingers crossed that what we ordered would have been great to justify coming back again for the Nut-tellin’ doughnut shake and Red Velvet Pancakes. Unfortunately it wasn’t so I don’t think I’ll be coming back here in a hurry.

Muharam Cafe

97 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9818 7722

http://www.muharam.com.au/

Legacy

Hokey Pokey hotcakes with honeycomb, orange, ricotta, vanilla bean crème fraîche, pomegranates and strawberries

These hotcakes had a nice crispy outer ring but had to be eaten with the crème fraîche as they were a bit dry. The pomegranates provided good texture and the sticky honeycomb added a great element of sweetness.

★★★☆☆

Sweet potato, kale and amaranth fritters served with goat’s cheese, Kaiser bacon, cherry vine tomato chutney and a poached egg

Delicious fritters, fantastic bacon, terrific chutney, perfectly poached egg.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Outstanding menu, tasty food, simple decor with a strong brick theme. We were originally seated at some bar stools along the large communal table that took up most of the place, but asked to move as soon as one of the smaller tables became free. I usually don’t mind bar stools but when there isn’t a hook for your bag or anywhere to put your coat, it can get tricky balancing everything on your lap.

Legacy

347 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell, VIC

(03) 9041 1796

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.

East of Everything

Level 3, 72 Auburn Parade, Camberwell 9882 4216

Cajun sweetcorn fritters with avocado salsa

Crispy fritters packed with juicy corn kernels and lightly drizzled with a spicy Cajun sauce. My only complaint with this dish was that there should have been more of the terrific avocado salsa!

= Good

Pulled pork quesadilla

Sweet smoky pork. Delicious!

= Good

The “Dom” – beef debris served on a bed of crispy chips with Cajun remoulade and pickles

If only this dish came with slightly more beef and slightly less chips it would have been perfect.

= Good

Southern fried chicken Po’Boy

Crispy tender chicken + fresh crunchy coleslaw = a winning combination

= Good

Peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake

Solid and difficult to cut through, this sweet homemade cheesecake was reminiscent of a Snickers bar.

= Not bad

Overall:

Quietly hidden away up a small flight of stairs, East of Everything know how to serve up some great Southern food. The menu is small and simple, the atmosphere relaxed and the staff friendly.

Crabapple Kitchen

659 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn 9078 5492

Sweet corn, coriander and chilli fritters with Cyprian Haloumi, avocado, tomato, cucumber, red onion, mint salad and a poached egg

= Not bad

Myrtleford buttermilk pancakes with pears in spiced sugar, pecan and pine nut praline, white chocolate mascarpone with pure Canadian maple syrup and a side of bacon

Enormous serving size! (I only managed to finish one pancake) These soft fluffy pancakes were sweet yet salty, and I probably didn’t need the side the bacon.

= Not bad

Overall:

I was a little disappointed in the food, but I liked the high energy atmosphere, the super friendly and efficient service, and the ‘Friday Night Flights’ menu (which changes fortnightly and inspired by food from around the world). Note that this place does take bookings.

Nshry

129a Beaconsfield Parade, Albert Park 9682 1077

Umami Burger

Corn and Zucchini Fritters

Coffee Syphon

Thoughts:

Umami Burger – 200g Wagyu and Angus beef (cooked medium rare unless otherwise specified), umami rub, brown mushroom sauce, gruyere, caramelised onions, oven roasted tomato and a parmesan crisp between a sweet brioche bun with a side of beer battered chips, coleslaw, cornichons, spicy chip dip, tomato sauce and wasabi kewpie. Don’t be fooled by the petite size of this burger as it is quite heavy and filling. The beef patty itself lacked flavour but the other ingredients made up for it. The chips were satisfying (crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside) and the selection of side dips were great. (I particularly enjoyed the wasabi kewpie) = Good

Corn and Zucchini Fritters – a generous serving of crunchy panko crumbed corn and zucchini fritters topped with smoked salmon, avocado, a perfectly poached egg and wasabi kewpie = Good

Overall:

Nshry (pronounced ‘noshery’) offers beautiful beachfront views and a tasty unique Japanese inspired menu. You have to work a little bit to get the attention from the staff but at least the food comes out quickly. This place is quite small and the tables inside can get a bit cramped on days when the weather isn’t so good so best to come along on a warm and pretty day.