poached eggs

Cote Terra

Celeriac Fritters

(served with house smoked salmon, pickled fennel, dill aioli and poached eggs)

The fritters themselves were somewhat dry and bland, so had to be eaten together with the runny egg yolk and the dill aioli. But the standout of this dish was undoubtedly the house smoked salmon which was absolutely delicious!

★★★★☆

Miso Mushroom

(roast field mushrooms, crispy enoki, cassava, parsnip puree with poaches eggs on rye)

There was only one thing that stopped me from liking this dish, and that was the EXTREMELY salty mushrooms. Everything else was great though.

★★★☆☆

Chips with chipotle mayonnaise

Crunchy golden chips that really satisfied the chip craving I had.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Generous servings, friendly service and great coffee. It’s always particularly exciting to discover decent brunch places this side of town.

Cote Terra

17 Station St, Oakleigh, VIC

(03) 9939 6805

http://www.coteterra.com.au/

Alimentari

Toasted muesli, baked granny smith, lemon thyme yoghurt

The steaming hot apple was nicely unexpected however the muesli to yoghurt ratio could have been improved (more yoghurt, less muesli).

★★★☆☆

Fried eggs, harissa baked beans, braised greens, whipped feta, flat bread, olives, hash browns

Fantastic combination of flavours with the whipped feta being the highlight.

★★★★☆

Hash brown, baby spinach, poached eggs, bacon, hollandaise

A reasonable dish that could have been bigger in terms of portion size.

★★★☆☆

Spanikopita, ricotta, mixed greens, dill, feta, poached egg, with hash browns on the side

With flakey delicate pastry and a tasty ricotta filling, there was a lovely homemade quality about the spanikopita.

★★★★☆

Pan fried ricotta gnocchi, broccolini, garden peas, lemon, fresh ricotta, chilli

Fresh and zesty with delicious light clouds of gnocchi.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Pleasant staff, warm atmosphere and quality food with a beautiful deli at the front. Whatever you decide to order, make sure you get a side of their fantastic hash browns!

Alimentari

251 Brunswick St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9416 2001

http://www.alimentari.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

Percy’s Aeroplane Cafe

Matcha Hotcakes

(green tea hotcakes sandwiched between a Nutella brioche donut drizzled with chocolate ganache, pistachio and a dollop of whipped cream served with fresh and reduced red berries)

Deliciously decadent without being excessively sweet.

★★★★☆

Percy Thyme

(roasted mushrooms infused with thyme and garlic, tossed through baby spinach and served on smashed avocado and multigrain toast, served with dukkah, goats curd and a poached egg)

A good solid dish however the serving size of this used to be larger.

★★★☆☆

Pulled Pork Benedict

(poached eggs smothered in apple cider hollandaise, apple, roast pumpkin, onion, garlic and carrot, resting on a toasted pan de mie bun)

The toasted bun was surprisingly incredible! Generously buttered, soft in the middle and ultra crispy around the edges. The rest of the dish was also quite tasty however the rubbery overcooked eggs were a disappointing let down.

★★★☆☆

Matcha latte

Weak and watery.

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

A friend of mine suggested this place for a recent catchup and I was pleasantly surprised with our experience. The atmosphere was comfortable and although we were seated by ourselves all the way in the back room, the service was great as the wait staff continually checked up on us to refill our water and ask if we needed anything. What I also liked about this place was the staff’s interest on customer feedback. Apart from asking the usual question of whether or not we enjoyed our meals, we were asked about our thoughts on the Matcha Hotcakes, which were a new menu item (eg. Was the serving size adequate? Was the dish sweet enough?). Serving sizes in general could be improved, but I’d still return if I was in the area.

Percy’s Aeroplane Cafe

96 Denmark Street, Kew, VIC

(03) 9939 7642

Two Little Piggies

Pea & Ham – crisp roasted pork belly, poached free range eggs, green pea veloute, sourdough toast

Heavenly succulent pork with a beautiful crispy crackling. The pea veloute was also superb and the eggs were well poached.

★★★★☆

Little Pig Cubano – Mojo pulled pork, Grandmother ham, Blackjack cheddar, pickles, dijon mustard

A wonderful union of delicious ingredients made this a very enjoyable (and very filling) sandwich.

★★★★☆

Majestic Fries – duck fat and mustard aioli

Generous serving of light crispy fries.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Relaxed vibe, simple decor, easy going service. With a porcine influenced menu and an enticing charcuterie selection, the owners of this place are clearly passionate about meat. Choosing what to order was extremely difficult as everything sounded absolutely amazing. In the end I really enjoyed what we had picked out and will certainly return to sample some more dishes.

Two Little Pigs

146 Sydney Rd, Brunswick, VIC

(03) 9939 4042

The General Food Store

Arabesque

(poached eggs, grilled halloumi, beetroot relish, hazelnut dukkah, baby spinach, toasted sourdough)

★★★☆☆

El Capitan

(pan fried chorizo, spring onion, pea and chard, white bean puree, poached eggs, toasted sourdough)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This cosy cafe has a teeny-tiny kitchen so it was understandable as to why it took some time for our food to come out. The menu is small and changes monthly as they use seasonal ingredients that are mainly sourced from local and greater Victorian food regions. Note that this place doesn’t take bookings but if you call up 20 minutes before you arrive, they will reserve a table for you.

The General Food Store

377 Belgrave-Gembrook Rd, Emerald, VIC

(03) 5968 3580

http://www.thegeneralfoodstore.com.au/

ChiChi House

Spicy croquettes, smoked salmon, poached eggs, garden salad, tomato chutney

The eggs were well poached, the salmon standard, and the croquettes superb as they were crispy, creamy and had a delightful hint of spice.

★★★☆☆

Scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and avocado on Turkish bread with freshly cooked spinach, cherry tomato, crumbled feta and apple

Light yet quite filling.

★★★☆☆

Fraus hot chocolate – Hazelnut Choc

With so many hot chocolate flavours to choose from, I struggled to pick one and decided to ask our waitress for a recommendation. This hazelnut hot chocolate was moderately rich and even had some small bits of hazelnuts within it.

★★★☆☆

Chai Latte

Creamy and not overly spicy.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located right next to Hughesdale station, this simple cosy cafe offers great food at reasonable prices, a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, and fantastic service.

ChiChi House

13 Willesden Rd, Hughesdale, VIC

(03) 9917 2194

http://www.chichihouse.net.au/

Cafe Lafayette

Matcha Hot Cakes with Berry Compote, Honeycomb, Vanilla Mascarpone, Red Bean Crème, Crushed Pistachio

These hot cakes were a bit on the soggy side however they had a lovely mild matcha flavour, and tasted terrific with the slightly tart berry compote and the sweet honeycomb, mascarpone and red bean crème.

★★★☆☆

Prawn Croquettes with Scallops, Crackers, Avo Puree, Tartar Dressing, Poached Eggs, Hollandaise and Black Sesame Seeds

These croquettes were crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside but they lacked flavour and had to be eaten with the sauces. The crackers were a bit stale, the eggs were nicely poached, and the scallops were fantastic.

★★★☆☆

Tokyo Express Raindrop Cake (classic brown sugar with stone grounded soy bean)

★★★★☆

Match Lover Raindrop Cake (Japanese green tea with roasted pistachio)

★★★☆☆

These curious looking blobs are in fact water and agar, and when eaten on its own didn’t really taste like anything. But when it was eaten together with a sweet syrup and a nutty powder, it became a light and refreshing dessert.

Overall:

Tasty food, friendly service, laid back ambience with an awesome view of the beach. The raindrop cakes are on their specials menu at the moment, so try them soon before they disappear.

Cafe Lafayette

55 Beach St, Port Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9078 9808

http://cafelafayette.com.au/

Left Field

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Shoulder Benedict with Sourdough, Poached Eggs, Apple Cider Hollandaise, Pomegranate, Apple and Mint

Ample amount of tender flavourful pulled pork, perfectly poached eggs, delectable hollandaise.

★★★☆☆

Breaky Board – Wild Muesli with Honey and Cinnamon Yogurt, Roast Pumpkin Bruschetta, Poached Egg, Hummus, Feta and Dukkah, OJ

I really liked the Breaky Board at Tall Timber and was hoping that the Breaky Board here would be just as good or even better. While this was very tasty, I enjoyed Tall Timber’s version slightly more.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

I was super stoked when I heard that this place was being opened in Carnegie as the South East side of Melbourne is seriously lacking quality brunch-type cafes. With a team of people who are behind Tall Timber, Rustica Canteen, Short Straw and Touchwood, I was really looking forward to seeing what Left Field would offer.

The decor inside was bright and simple, the staff helpful, and the food enjoyable. My only disappointment was that they had sold out of their ‘Cookies n Cream Donut Sliders’ so I will have to return to try them.

Left Field

358 Koornang Rd, Carnegie, VIC

(03) 9578 2043

Bawa

Potato rosti, slow braised pork, poached eggs, herb hollandaise

I enjoyed the pork and the herb hollandaise but not so much the potato rosti and the dehydrated apple. The portion size was also a bit underwhelming.

★★☆☆☆

Philly cheese steak ciabatta, braised short rib, peppercorn cheddar, dijon aioli, mushrooms, fennel, potato rosti

Not the prettiest looking sandwich, but definitely a darn tasty one. There was meant to be a side of fries with this, but the kitchen had run out so we were given potato rosti instead.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Innovative menu and decent service within a gorgeous open setting (think lots of greenery, wooden tones and natural light).

Bawa

248 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn, VIC

(03) 9819 6701

http://bawacafe.com/