Hot chocolate

Pavlov’s Duck

Lankan Frenchy

(organic croissant, soft boiled egg, chilli fried potatoes, Asian tabouli, fish and potato fritter)

★★★☆☆

Sweet and Savoury

(bircher muesli mixed berries, coconut chia pudding and clustered granola, boiled egg, sourdough toast)

★★★☆☆

Red Velvet Pancakes

(with lemon curd, grapes, banana, almond flakes, raspberry jelly, agave syrup and crispy bacon)

★★★☆☆

Milk Rice

(rice pudding with chilli chicken curry, spicy onion relish and an Asian pretzel)

★★☆☆☆

Kottu

(chopped roti, vegetables, spices, fried egg)

★★★☆☆

Hoppers

(three plain hoppers with dhal, coconut sambol and chilli onion)

★★★☆☆

Monsieur Truffe 70% Hot Chocolate

Rich and velvety, one of my favourite hot chocolates at the moment.

★★★★★

Overall:

If you are looking for a unique brunch menu, look no further than Pavlov’s Duck! The Sri Lankan inspired dishes here are bold, full of flavour and wonderfully plated. Service was down to earth, and the warehouse-like space is typical of a hipster brunch place. A hoppers making station can also be found at the front so you can watch your hoppers being freshly made. In any case, I’m coming back for the hot chocolate.

Pavlov’s Duck

401 Smith St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9416 4336

http://pavlovsduck.com.au/

Lemon, Middle and Orange

Corned beef hash, mustard piccalilli puree, kohlrabi sauerkraut, swiss cheese, bagel wafer & fried egg

Delicious except for the bagel wafer. Not sure whether or not it was meant to taste stale, but it did.

★★★☆☆

Slow cooked beef brisket, cabbage slaw, grilled onion, dijon mustard & gherkin on toasted sourdough

I was really hoping for melt in your mouth beef brisket but it was just regular beef brisket in a regular tasting sandwich.

★★☆☆☆

Orange Infused Hot Chocolate

I was really glad I took on our waiter’s recommendation to order this. This was absolutely delectable as the zesty orange flavour cut through and nicely complimented the rich hot chocolate.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Surrounded by industrial warehouses and factories, Lemon Middle and Orange is a bright hidden space that serves up classic breakfast and lunch foods with an Irish twist.

Lemon, Middle and Orange

25 Rokeby St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9415 1593

http://www.lemonmiddleandorange.com/

Ora Cafe

Spiced Tiffin Egg with Bombay hash, kasundi and cashew crumb

This distinctive dish comprised of fresh ingredients and delicate Indian flavours.

★★★★☆

Prawn Toast with sesame, avocado whip, lime, and egg

The toast was a bit too thick for my liking, while the vegetables reminded me of those you find in bánh mì (Vietnamese pork rolls).

★★★☆☆

Mork Hot Chocolate

Hard to go wrong with Mork.

★★★★☆

Chai Latte

Very milky, lacked flavour.

★☆☆☆☆

Overall:

Cosy atmosphere, friendly staff, small unique menu.

Ora Cafe

156 Pakington St, Kew, VIC

(03) 9855 2002

Mork Chocolate Brew House

Peanut Brittle Brownie Ball

Tremendously rich and decadent, with a fudge-like centre and a sweet crunchy exterior.

★★★☆☆

Original Dark Hot Chocolate (70% cacao)

Quality cocoa powder, thin slightly powdery drink.

★★☆☆☆

Layered Chocolate (chilled chocolate, warm orange zest and vanilla bean custard)

The chilled chocolate tasted like regular chocolate milk however the custard was simply amazing. Not only was it delicious but it was also light and airy which meant that it was able to sit on top of the chocolate layer. We were told not to mix the chocolate and custard together but to drink it as it was, allowing the chocolate to carry through the custard with each sip.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Expect to find quality chocolate drinks and rich desserts at this popular little place. We were told that the wait for a table was 40 minutes so decided to get takeaways instead (because who in their right mind would wait that long for a hot chocolate?) We were told that the Chocolate Soda, A Chocolate Bar and the Campfire Chocolate were not available as takeaways which was a shame because I really wanted to try the Campfire Chocolate as it is served with actual smoke. Service was friendly however due to the limited seating and pricey menu items, I won’t be in a rush to come back here any time soon. I’d rather buy some Mörk chocolate powder and enjoy it at home.

Mork Chocolate Brew House

150 Errol St, North Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9328 1386

Home

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/

Twenty & Six

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.

Einstein’s 251

251 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North 9939 5135

The water comes in a conical flask (!)

Soy Hot Chocolate

Latte

Brazilian Super Smoothie

Mumma’s Latkes

Kaz’s Japanese Teriyaki Burger

Egyptian Brekky

Braised Eggs

Thoughts:

Soy Hot Chocolate – not too rich, not too watery = Not bad

Latte – weak and tasted slightly burnt = Not bad

Brazilian Super Smoothie – THICK blend of acai berries, banana, granola, apple juice, yogurt, topped with coconut. This smoothie was almost a meal in itself = Good

Mumma’s Latkes – thin crispy potato and spring onion latkes served with smoked salmon, a poached egg, radish slithers and a horseradish sour cream = Good

Kaz’s Japanese Teriyaki Burger – wagyu beef burger with teriyaki aioli, tomato and lettuce on a challah roll, served with wasabi aioli drizzled crispy sweet potato = Not bad

Egyptian Brekky – baked eggs with eggplant, spinach, beetroot relish, feta, dukkah and green tahini. Best to get this dish with the spiced lamb otherwise it is quite ordinary = Not bad

Braised Eggs – baked eggs in a sour middle eastern tomato sauce, onion, capsicum, crispy zaatar mushrooms and goats cheese served with toasted seeded sourdough = Not bad

Overall:

If only the food here was as good as the decor.

Chocolate Mill

5451 Midland Hwy, Mount Franklin 5476 4208

Chocolate counter

Milk Hot Chocolate

Ice Chocolate

Thoughts:

Milk Hot Chocolate – although you cannot tell by simply looking at the contents of this egg shaped mug, this is in fact some of the BEST hot chocolate that I have ever tasted. Made with delicious Belgian Callebaut chocolate, this particular blend is smooth, rich and not overly sweet = Excellent

Ice Chocolate – rich and refreshing, with a generous amount of vanilla ice cream = Good

Overall:

What I like about this place is that all of their chocolate contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They even have chocolate that is vegan, coeliac and diabetic friendly. All of their products are made and sold on site and there is a viewing window that allows you to see what goes on behind the scenes. What I do not like about this place is that they do not offer tap water (as tank water is used here), and that the cafe area can sometimes be uncomfortable (draughty in winter and sweltering in summer). Nevertheless, the quality of the chocolate here is amazing and it is definitely worth stopping by.

Bowery to Williamsburg

16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne 9077 0162

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

Pastrami Hash

Thoughts:

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate – a terrific blend of peanut butter and chocolate. It even comes with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup! = Good

Pastrami Hash – 2 poached eggs with sweet potato, pastrami, corn and red pepper hash and wholemeal bread = Not Bad

Overall:

Tucked away in a small cobblestone lane, this place serves up American inspired food that ranges from bagels to mac and cheese. This place is quite small so seating can be an issue during busy periods. The breakfast menu comes on a postcard so you can imagine that the options here are quite limited. Service was average as was the food. If I ever decide to come here again, I think it’ll just be for drinks. Note that this place is cash only.