Poached egg

Le Petit Prince

Mushrooms and Chorizo

(with smashed avocado, beetroot hummus, poached egg and feta on quinoa and soya toast)

★★★☆☆

Green Bowl

(kale, kiwi, cucumber and coconut smoothie with black chia seeds, house granola, coconut flakes and seasonal fruits)

Simple, colourful, guilt-free.

★★★☆☆

Iced Matcha

Check out the huge clumps of undissolved matcha powder.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

I liked how the menu here was divided into 3 sections: ‘The Light’, ‘The Healthy’ and ‘The Rich’. Of course my eyes immediately went to ‘The Rich’ section and I had to convince myself that ordering from ‘The Healthy’ section would be just as good. Service was helpful and I really enjoyed sitting outside under the shade of the large leafy trees.

Le Petit Prince

1A Mercer Rd, Armadale, VIC

(03) 9824 6404

http://lpparmadale.com.au

Le Miel Et La Lune

House made grilled cured salmon – served with yuzu cucumber, salad, red onion, strawberries, blueberries, poached egg and toasted mulitgrain bread

Apart from the overly sweet salad, I really enjoyed this dish. The salmon was well cooked and the egg perfectly poached.

★★★☆☆

Pork belly potato hash – potato hash, sliced pork belly, enoki, shimeji mushrooms, capsicum, poached egg, creamy sesame sauce

Drowning in creamy sauce, this ordinary dish was extremely heavy and difficult to finish.

★★☆☆☆

Lamb burger – tzatziki, beetroot relish and cheddar cheese served with chips

Average burger, bland chips.

★★☆☆☆

Iced Hummingbird chai latte

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Korean fusion at a place with a French name. Although the service was good, the food was sadly nothing out of the ordinary.

Le Miel Et La Lune

330 Cardigan St, Carlton, VIC

(03) 9043 9767

http://www.lemiel.com.au/

Scarvelli Cafe

Wood Fired Salmon

Torn wood fired smoked salmon, caramelised onion, minted pea and caper frittata, rocket, avocado and tomato corn salsa, poached egg

Ample salmon, fresh ingredients and a perfectly poached egg made up this colourful dish.

★★★☆☆

Milawa Chicken

Poached Milawa free range chicken breast, organic soba noodle salad, nori sesame dressing

The chicken was slightly dry but overall this dish was light, fresh and very filling.

★★★☆☆

Orange, Watermelon and Apple Juice

★★★★☆

Iced Chocolate

★★★★☆

Overall:

A cheery comfortable cafe with flavoursome food and a newly revamped food menu. There wasn’t a drinks menu when we visited however the usual range of drinks were available along with a variety of juices that you can mix and match yourself. Service was friendly however we did have to wait a long time for our food to arrive (during a non busy period), so perhaps there are still some kinks in the kitchen that need to be worked out.

Scarvelli Cafe

143 Whitehorse Rd, Balwyn, VIC

(03) 9816 8887

http://scarvellicafe.com.au/

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

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/

Tall Timber

Slow Cooked Honey and BBQ Pork Ribs with Apple, Cabbage and Coriander Slaw, Sesame and Lime

Tender fall-off-the-bones ribs with a disappointingly average sauce.

★★★☆☆

Breaky Board – Dukkah Poached Egg on Pumpkin Loaf with Hummus and Smashed Avocado, Muesli with Berry Yoghurt and Seasonal Fruit, Small OJ

I love menu options that allow you to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And of course it’s even better when everything tastes great, like it did here!

★★★★☆

Overall:

Tall Timber is a popular cafe that offers great food and friendly service within a bright and comfortable space. Menu options are unique and delicious-sounding and I can easily see why this place is a favourite for so many people.

Tall Timber

60 Commercial Rd, Prahran, VIC

(03) 9510 4111

Proud Mary

Potato hash, double smoked bacon, poached egg, asparagus, bagna cauda (Italian sauce of anchovies and cream)

The shredded hash brown was wonderfully crispy and tasted fantastic with the bold bagna cauda and the warm golden yolk from the poached egg.

★★★★☆

Cotechino pork sausage, roasted mushrooms, poached egg, charred onion, zeally bay sourdough

This dish has definitely made me a fan of cotechino!

★★★★☆

Mork Hot Chocolate served with unrefined coconut blossom sugar

Not the best latte art in the world however the drink itself was rich and comforting.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Proud Mary is a place that I can always count on for a great experience. The food is delicious and filling, the service quick and friendly, and the atmosphere very laid back. Waiting times can be quite long during the weekend so these days I prefer to avoid the crowds and visit on a weekday.

Proud Mary

172 Oxford St, Collingwood, VIC

(03) 9417 5930

http://www.proudmarycoffee.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

Aunt Billies Cafe

Backyard Brekkie

(eggs anyway, garlic and thyme mushrooms, pumpkin, haloumi, kale, bean ragout)

Hearty and satisfying.

★★★★☆

Billie’s Bowl

(cauliflower, freekah, kale, avocado, seeds, almonds, grains, currants, poached egg)

A substantial salad that could have been improved with a wider variety of textures.

★★☆☆☆

Roasted Mushrooms

(mushrooms, kale, toasted hazelnuts, goats fetta, lemon, and a poached egg on grain toast)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Solid dishes, down to earth staff, welcoming and cheery atmosphere. No wonder this little suburban cafe was packed when we went. Note that this place takes bookings.

Aunt Billies Cafe

184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn, VIC

(03) 9894 7774

Code Black Coffee

Leek and goat’s cheese croquettes with crispy pancetta, carrot puree, snow peas, baby carrots, toasted almonds and a poached egg

I enjoyed every single bite! Delicious flavours and perfect for those who love goat’s cheese.

★★★★☆

The Brunswick Ploughman’s Lunch

(soft boiled egg, smoked eggplant, pickled fennel, house made feta, olives, fresh radish, pastourma, smoked yogurt and house made flatbread)

★★☆☆☆

House made crumpets with orange and cinnamon ricotta, toasted pistachio, poached berries and vanilla syrup

★★☆☆☆

Grilled roast mushroom sandwich with caramelised onion and gruyere cheese served with a mushroom broth

A great tasting sandwich however the broth was extremely salty and essentially tasted like soy sauce.

★★★★☆

Overall:

What can I say about Code Black Coffee? There was a lot of black: black building, black walls, black ceiling, black tables. This former warehouse offers high quality coffee and a wide variety elegantly presented food. I had my eye on the grilled banana bread before coming here and was a bit shattered when I found that it was no longer on the menu. It is meant to be amazing so I hope they bring it back in the future.

Code Black Coffee

15-17 Weston St, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9381 2330

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Baba Sus

Hong Kong Egg Waffles

(vanilla custard, green tea ice cream, berry compote, pistachio praline)

Although these were not like the egg waffles I’ve eaten in Hong Kong (which were distinctively crispy on the outside and very light on the inside), they were still undeniably good. These tasted more like pancakes…really delicious pancakes.

★★★★☆

Corn and Zucchini Croquettes

(house cured salmon, herb aioli, asparagus, frisee, poached egg)

★★★☆☆

Crispy and creamy croquettes, perfectly poached egg, not a lot of salmon.

Overall:

Deciding what to order here was no easy task. Every menu item sounded delicious with most of them having Asian influences. I really like places that have a unique menu, and when you add good food and good service onto that, Baba Sus makes for a place that is worth visiting over and over again.

Baba Sus

15-17 Bardolph St, Glen Iris

9939 6141