Smoked salmon

The Diplomat

Rolled oats, almond and mixed seed granola with chai panna cotta, berries, lychee, coconut yogurt and a mocha infused quinoa

Seriously good. Although a bit more yogurt would have made this even better.

★★★★☆

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Potato rosti with smoked salmon, yuzu mayonnaise, grilled asparagus spears, avocado and wasabi cream and a Japanese boiled egg

The yuzu mayonnaise and the avocado and wasabi cream really brought this dish to the next level.

★★★★☆

Green tea and mango smoothie

★★☆☆☆

Pear, honeydew and rhubarb mixed juice

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Comfortable bright open space, easy-going staff, colourful and well presented food. The menu here is unique in that every item (aside from the toast) has its own interesting and delicious twist. I must return soon to try their other dishes.

The Diplomat

4 Railway Parade, Highett, VIC

(03) 9939 6289

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/

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/

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.

Vincent the Dog

Green Tea Latte

★★☆☆☆

Poached eggs, smoked salmon, goats cheese and avocado on sourdough

First thing I noticed about the eggs were the cling wrap marks on them. Nothing wrong with that as long as the eggs are properly poached (which they were).

★★☆☆☆

Pulled pork shoulder open waffle sandwich with pickled red cabbage, coleslaw and chipotle aioli

Generous amount of pulled pork piled on top of a crispy waffle.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

This cosy little place offers more than your typical brunch menu items. Not only did they offer waffles and bagels, they also offered dishes such as Shanghai-style braised pork belly and Chinese donuts filled with melted cheese. The service and atmosphere were easy going however the limited seating deters me from coming here during the weekend. Note that this place is closed on Tuesdays.

Vincent the Dog

348 Drummond St, Carlton

(03) 9348 2068

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).

Two Birds One Stone

12 Claremont Street, South Yarra 9827 1228

Two birds – eggs on toast with mushroom, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, haloumi, avocado, house made sausage and bacon

Black Angus steak sandwich with bacon, beetroot chutney, horseradish cream, rocket and cheese

Corn fritters with house smoked salmon, avocado and snow pea tendrils

House smoked salmon omelette with beetroot relish, goats cheese and chervil on toast

Thoughts:

Two birds – a typical big breakfast dish = Not bad

Steak sandwich – the sweet beetroot chutney combined with the tangy horseradish made this a satisfying steak sandwich even though the steak was slightly overcooked = Not bad

Corn fritters – somewhat dry but the snow pea tendrils gave the fritters a fresh and unusual taste = Not bad

Salmon omelette – the omelette itself was nice however the toast that it came on was really thin and dry = Not bad

Overall:

Good atmosphere, average service and so-so food. Probably not a place that I would be rushing to go back to.

Bistro Guillaume

Crown Entertainment Complex, Southbank 9292 4651

In-house smoked salmon with dill cream and toasted brioche

Salad Niçoise with rare Yellow Fin Tuna

Barramundi with pea purée, tarragon butter and pommes allumettes

Steak frites with bearnaise sauce (Rangers Valley sirloin, 300 days grain fed)

Thoughts:

Salmon – fresh, tasty = Good

Tuna salad – simple, light, bit heavy on the salt that was on the tuna = Good

Barramundi – fish well cooked, lovely creamy pea purée = Good

Steak – good quality meat, sauce and sides were average = Good

Overall:

Atmosphere was pleasant, service was so-so (eg. I was sitting on a bar stool and had to ask someone to hang up my coat), great place to go to if you are in Crown and want to eat something french inspired. (Plus it’s in the entertainment book!)