Smoothie

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.

★★★★☆

img_20170204_134042

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

Three Williams

Duck Narnie

(peking duck, cucumber, shallots, fried onion, coriander, cabbage, orange hoisin)

★★★★☆

Wild Mushrooms

(lemon and garlic sautéed with wild mushrooms, mushroom and goats curd tapenade, fried egg, hazelnuts, truffle oil, parsley, sourdough)

★★★★☆

Golden Gaytime French Toast

(crunchy brioche french toast, vanilla ice cream rolled in a chocolate cookie crumb, chocolate crisps, fresh strawberry, toffee sauce)

★★★★☆

Splice Shake

(orange, apple and coconut blended with ice cream)

★★★☆☆

Banana smoothie with native honey, macadamia and wattleseed crumb

★★★★☆

Super Smoothie

(kale, apricot, apple, linseed, sunflower, almond, banana, ginger, cinnamon)

★★☆☆☆

Overall:

Terrific food, friendly service, minimalistic decor. There are often queues for this popular place during the weekend so we decided to visit on a weekday and were seated straightaway. It’s a place that’s definitely worthy of a return visit.

Three Williams

613A Elizabeth St, Redfern, NSW

(02) 9698 1111

http://threewilliamscafe.com/

Trei Cafe

Coconut Hotcakes

(vanilla ice cream, coconut nectar, toasted pistachios, blueberries)

One of the most popular items here at Trei Cafe. We were told that they were out of the vanilla and nutmeg co yo ice cream (coconut milk vegan ice cream) so we happily settled for plain old vanilla ice cream instead. Now I really liked the colourful presentation and the generous serving size, however these hotcakes were not as fluffy as they could have been and were also markedly salty.

★★☆☆☆

Mango Smoothie Bowl

(mango, coconut water, coyo, coconut milk, vanilla Proper protein, granola, macadamias, passionfruit)

Healthy, refreshing and very colourful.

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Simple bright decor, average service, ordinary food. The east side is desperately in need of good brunch places, and after my visit to Trei Cafe I still believe that this is the case.

Trei Cafe

232 Blackburn Rd, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9802 0960

Rye Cafe

Dukkah poached eggs served with roast pumpkin, spinach and goats cheese

Tasty, wholesome, and very filling.

★★★☆☆

Corn and zucchini fritters served with poached eggs, homemade guacamole and tomato relish

These fritters were a bit burnt and woeful looking, and were unfortunately nothing out of the ordinary.

★★☆☆☆

Berry Sensation Smoothie

(strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, apple, low fat yogurt, ice)

★★★☆☆

Banana Bomb Smoothie

(banana, honey, skim milk, vanilla yogurt)

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Located in a quiet shadowy corner within the bustling Showgrounds Village, Rye Cafe is often overlooked by many people passing by. However new owners Alanna and Eddie are in the midst of a revamp, so it won’t be long before we see a new and improved Rye Cafe that will undoubtably be noticed by all.

Rye Cafe

320 Epsom Road, Flemington, VIC

(03) 9376 3863

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

Einstein’s 251

251 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North 9939 5135

The water comes in a conical flask (!)

Soy Hot Chocolate

Latte

Brazilian Super Smoothie

Mumma’s Latkes

Kaz’s Japanese Teriyaki Burger

Egyptian Brekky

Braised Eggs

Thoughts:

Soy Hot Chocolate – not too rich, not too watery = Not bad

Latte – weak and tasted slightly burnt = Not bad

Brazilian Super Smoothie – THICK blend of acai berries, banana, granola, apple juice, yogurt, topped with coconut. This smoothie was almost a meal in itself = Good

Mumma’s Latkes – thin crispy potato and spring onion latkes served with smoked salmon, a poached egg, radish slithers and a horseradish sour cream = Good

Kaz’s Japanese Teriyaki Burger – wagyu beef burger with teriyaki aioli, tomato and lettuce on a challah roll, served with wasabi aioli drizzled crispy sweet potato = Not bad

Egyptian Brekky – baked eggs with eggplant, spinach, beetroot relish, feta, dukkah and green tahini. Best to get this dish with the spiced lamb otherwise it is quite ordinary = Not bad

Braised Eggs – baked eggs in a sour middle eastern tomato sauce, onion, capsicum, crispy zaatar mushrooms and goats cheese served with toasted seeded sourdough = Not bad

Overall:

If only the food here was as good as the decor.

Wombat Hill House

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford 4373 0099

Wombat smoothie

Herb and goat cheese tart with salad and relish

Cottage pie with salad and chutney

Thoughts:

Wombat smoothie – refreshing mix of blueberries, Jonesy’s milk, yoghurt and honey = Not bad

Herb and goat cheese tart – small servings of an okay tart = Not bad

Cottage pie – small servings = Not bad

Overall:

This large open cafe has a great relaxed feel. You can choose to sit amongst a charming vegetable garden out the back or at the cheerful side courtyard or perhaps inside where everything is neat and homely. It’s a shame that the food here is mediocre and rather expensive considering the serving sizes. Note that this place is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.