Roti

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/

Sir Charles

The Smash

(smashed avocado with dill oil, dukkah, goats cheese croquette, poached eggs on multigrain toast)

Crispy cheesy croquettes, perfectly poached eggs and an ample amount of smashed avocado that was a little salt heavy for me.

★★★☆☆

Salmon Benedict

(panko crumbed eggs with Sriracha hollandaise, smoked salmon rillette, baby spinach and burnt chilli on roti)

My first reaction was: WHOA LOOK AT THAT HUGE CUT OF LEMON! Who actually needs that much lemon squeezed onto their dish? Massive lemon aside, this Salmon Benedict was seriously amazing! The combination of delicious ingredients worked very well together and I loved how the Sriracha hollandaise and burnt chilli gave this dish some gentle heat.

★★★★★

Eton Mess Waffles

(Belgian waffle with crispy meringue, jelly tip ice cream, marshmallow and fresh berries)

This was without a doubt one of the most colourful brunch dishes I’ve ever had! The waffle itself was incredibly crispy and subtly salty which provided a wonderful balance to all the sweetness from the meringue, marshmallow and ice cream.

★★★★☆

Overall:

Excellent food, quick and friendly service, bright relaxing space. Sir Charles, I will see you again soon!

Sir Charles

121 Johnston St, Fitzroy, VIC

(03) 9415 7077

The Basics of SEO

Fandango

French toast with bacon, cinnamon baked apple, maple butter and maple syrup

= ★★

Curried Eggs (fried eggs, Indian spiced chickpeas, brinjal vegetable pickle, minted yogurt cheese and roti)

Each bite needed a bit of yogurt with it otherwise it would have been a tad dry.

= ★★★

Beetroot Eggs (poached eggs, beetroot and feta relish, spinach, sourdough)

Simple and delicious!

= ★★★★

Overall:

Great portions, friendly service, and a homely retro vibe. There are only 12 seats in this small cafe but there are also seats available in their courtyard (which is only accessible through the alleyway behind the cafe). So if you ever feel that the wait is too long at Auction Rooms, travel a few metres down the street and give this charming place a go.

Fandango

97 Errol St, North Melbourne

9329 0693

http://www.fandangocafe.com.au

Kong BBQ

Smoked Brisket with Ssamjang and Kimchi Bun

★★★★☆

Spicy Pork Belly with Pickled Cucumber and Kong Crazy Horse Chilli Bun

★★★☆☆

Korean Fried Wings with Honey, Garlic and Sesame

Super sticky, super sweet

★★☆☆☆

BBQ Corn with Chilli Salt and Miso Butter

★★☆☆☆

Kong Bossam BBQ Tray – Pulled Chicken and Pork, Pork Belly and Beef Brisket, Pickled Kimchi, Walnut Ssamjang and Lettuce

★★☆☆☆

Teriyaki Roast Ora King Salmon, Wok Fried Broccoli and Tomato Roti Roll

★★★☆☆

Pulled Pork with Slaw, Kimchi and Burnt Chilli Mayo Roti Roll

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

We came on a late Sunday afternoon (to avoid the queues) and were immediately seated. The place was bright and open with the kitchen being in plain view from the dining area, and the service was very efficient. The ‘Chin Chin’ cookbooks that were neatly lined up along one of the shelves remind you that Chris Lucas (the brains behind this place) is also the brains behind other restaurants such as Chin Chin on Flinders Lane and Baby pizzeria in Richmond.

The fusion of American, Korean and Japanese flavours create a very unique menu here at Kong BBQ. So if you are a fan of Asian fusion cuisine, this place is definitely for you.

Kong BBQ

599 Church St, Richmond, VIC

(03) 94271307

https://www.kongbbq.com.au/

De Clieu

187 Gertrude St, Fitzroy 9417 6498

Berkshire Pork Neck

Meltingly soft 24 hour slow cooked free range pork, crispy spring onion roti, house made BBQ sauce, yolky fried egg, roquette

= Good

Middle Eastern Eggs

Fried free range eggs, crispy roti bread, roquette, organic sausage which I found to be slightly dry, hummus, dukkah

Notice anything particular about the eggs? Do you see the massive piece of egg shell?!? I suppose having a big piece of egg shell is better than having lots of little pieces as you can at least pick the big piece out.

= Not bad

BLAT

Double smoked bacon, avocado, roast garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, quinoa & soy sourdough, roquette

What made this sandwich enjoyable was the amazing quinoa & soy sourdough that added a little crunch and the terrific roast garlic aioli.

= Good

Overall:

Small menu, small portions, average service, relaxed atmosphere.

Palms Restaurant

213-215 Blackburn Rd, Mount Waverley 9803 9668

Cheese roti

Paneer Masala Thosai

Chappathi and Thosai

Garlic Naan, Paneer Naan, Aloo Paratha

Beef masala curry

Thoughts:

Cheese roti – simple and scrumptious = Good

Paneer Masala Thosai – savoury pancake with a paneer, potato masala and vegetable filling = Good

Chappathi and Thosai – two chappathi, one plain thosai, one delicious vegetable curry, sambar, chutney and vadai (an interesting savoury doughnut made from ground lentils) = Good

Garlic Naan = Not bad

Paneer Naan = Good

Aloo Paratha – wholemeal bread stuffed with spicy potatoes and peas = Not bad

Beef masala curry – tender pieces of beef cooked with capsicum, onion, tomato, ginger and spices, topped with coriander = Not bad

Overall:

Four different types of cuisine are offered at this restaurant: Malaysian, Chinese, South Indian and North Indian. Once you have perused through the extensive menu, you head up to either the Chinese/Malaysian ordering station at one end of the room, or to the North Indian/South Indian ordering station at the other end of the room to place your order (Make sure to remember your table number, as the food is served to your table when it is ready). This place is set out like a food court in terms of appearance but don’t let that fool you. The service is good but more importantly the food is delightful and is great value for money.

India Delights

59 Mahoneys Rd, Forest Hill 9877 7593

Masala Dosa

Egg roti with dhal and curry sauce

Hor Fun

Keow Teow Goreng

Aloo Ghobi

Butter Chicken

Nasi Goreng

Chicken Nasi Briyani

Curry Laska

Roti Bomb

Roti Tissue

Thoughts:

Masala Dosa – thin indian pancake with a curry, potato and onion filling, served with coconut chutney, sambar and curry = Good

Egg roti – generous serving = Not bad

Hor Fun – soft flat rice noodles, chicken, prawns, squid, fish cake and shallots all covered in a delicious egg gravy = Excellent

Keow Teow Goreng – smoky flat rice noodles wok fried with egg, chicken, prawns, vegetables and bean shoots = Good

Aloo Ghobi – a rich creamy curry of potato and cauliflower = Good

Butter chicken – chicken cooked with tandoori, onion, sweet chilli, tomato and of course butter = Not bad

Nasi Goreng – generous serving, rice was a bit too dry = Not bad

Chicken Nasi Briyani – saffron rice served with chicken curry = Good

Curry Laksa – combination of hokkien and rice vermicelli noodles in a rich spicy coconut curry soup served with chicken, prawns, fish cakes and fried tofu (my favourite as they are able to soak up lots of the soup!) = Good

Roti Bomb – sickly sweet thick round roti = Not bad

Roti Tussue – crisp paper thin roti drizzled with condensed milk, sprinkled with sugar and chocolate powder. Yum! = Excellent

Overall:

Although named India Delights, this is in fact a Malaysian/Indian restaurant. While the decor is not the best (eg. giant asian folding fans hung up on the walls next to posters advertising Pepsi), the food here is cheap and very tasty. I’ve noticed that a lot of Malaysians and Singaporeans eat here so I’m guessing that they find the food to be quite authentic. Service here is fantastic with lovely staff who are friendly and very accommodating.