Poached egg

Dukes Coffee Roasters

169 Chapel St, Windsor 9521 4884

House cured ocean trout, heirloom beetroot, goats feta, poached egg, german rye

Avocado hummus toast, poached eggs, honey candied bacon and dukkah

Thoughts:

House cured ocean trout – ordinary trout, perfectly poached eggs, white/golden/red beetroot and slivers of apple added a nice sweetness, the german rye was extremely tough and chewy = Not bad

Avocado hummus toast – the avocado hummus spread and the honey candied bacon were delicious. However the toast itself was rock hard and impossible to cut! = Not bad

Overall:

I think my expectations for this place were just set too high. After hearing about how great this place was, I was left a little disappointed. The service was average, the food nothing extraordinary and the decor dark and offbeat.

Bent Espresso

2/385 Centre Rd, Bentleigh 9557 1339

Beetroot relish, avocado and goats cheese on toasted sourdough with poached eggs and dukkah

Sautéed garlic mushrooms, spinach and goats cheese on toasted sourdough with poached eggs and dukkah

Potato and herb cake topped with smoked salmon, asparagus, poached eggs, soft herbs and horseradish cream

Thoughts:

Beetroot relish – the combination of the sweet beetroot, the salty goats cheese and the creamy avocado made this dish quite enjoyable = Good

Sauteed garlic mushrooms – the fresh, buttery, garlic infused mushrooms were fantastic! The sourdough was a little bit over toasted but everything else on the plate was delicious = Excellent

Potato and herb cake – the potato cake itself was crispy and full of flavour while the horseradish cream added a mildly pungent element to the dish = Good

Overall:

I can’t imagine what this place would be like when it gets busy as they do not have a waiting list of any sort here. You simply loiter around and hope that the staff know who arrived first, or that the people who arrive after you follow the honour system and don’t jump the queue. The place itself is very small, with a funky huge mural along the back wall and bright red retro style chairs and tables. The staff are friendly and efficient, while the food here is delightful (perfectly poached eggs and all). On a side note, they do not have a toilet here so you have to use the public toilets located outside near Bentleigh Station (which were apparently revolting).

Porgie and Mr Jones

291 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn 9882 2955

Smashed avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms, marinated feta, basil and poached egg on wholegrain toast

Shakshuka – two eggs slow baked with spiced tomato, silver beet and feta

Toasted banana bread with maple syrup mascarpone, fresh banana, berry compote and crushed pistachio

Thoughts:

Smashed avocado – absolutely delicious! Mushrooms were bursting with flavour, egg was perfectly poached, the toast was thick and fresh, and the marinated feta added a slight sharpness which balanced out the creamy avocado = Excellent

Shakshuka – the slow baked eggs mean eggs that look poached, but are actually cooked all the way through. This dish was full of spices and went well with the warm pita bread = Good

Banana bread – more like banana cake than banana bread (was moist and light). I liked how they incorporated slices of banana in between the two slices of banana bread which made the whole thing taste a lot more fresh = Not bad

Overall:

A great place to have breakfast/brunch as the food here is fresh and tasty. There are three main dining areas: the quirky hipster room (wooden benches, funky artwork), the formal dining rooms (known as the “good rooms”) and the bright garden terrace. Service was average and note that this is a cash only place.

Auction Rooms

103-107 Errol St, North Melbourne 9326 7749

Flat white

“Shady deal” – shakshuka of stewed spiced tomato, eggplant, peppers, chickpeas, merguez sausage with meredith goats’ feta, dukkah, poached eggs and grilled flatbread

Twice cooked kurobuta pork belly with kohlrabi kimchi, fried egg and chicharron

Poached eggs on sourdough with quinoa potato hash and avocado

Tea-smoked salmon on quinoa potato hash with braised greens, poached egg and bernaise sauce

Chestnut and roasted garlic ricotta gnocchi with bacon, baby peas, seasonal mushrooms and shaved grana padano

House-made banana and walnut bread with espresso butter and maple syrup

Thoughts:

Coffee – I have to confess that I am not a coffee drinker so the thoughts to this are those of my friends. They found the coffee to be fresh, aromatic, well balanced, and of a high standard that never fails to impress = Excellent

Shady deal – rich tomato intense dish that was full of flavour = Good

Pork belly – Super crispy pork belly that came with a unbelievably thick layer of fat = Not bad

Poached eggs on sourdough – generous serving of sourdough and avocado, delicious quinoa potato hash = Good

Salmon – enjoyable salmon, eggs, buttered kale, creamy bernaise sauce, delicious quinoa potato hash = Good

Gnocchi – Amazingly fluffy gnocchi, a very tasty sauce, the chestnuts however seemed a bit out of place = Excellent

Banana and walnut bread – Best banana bread that I’ve had so far! I liked how it was soft and fluffy but was also slightly crunchy around the edges. It was fantastic on its own so it didn’t even need the espresso butter or the maple syrup. This is something best shared, as the sweetness of it could overwhelm you if you were to eat it all on your own = Excellent

Overall:

A popular place that is worth the wait in line . Good service, great ambience and layout (especially the funky open courtyard that they have at the back), and most importantly amazing food and coffee!