Dukes Coffee Roasters

Random Chapel Street wandering saw me stumble across this lovely cafe around brunch time.

Strong Soy Latte

Straight up I was given water (love this small attention to detail in cafes) and I ordered a strong soy latte, and damn, it was excellent. Without wanting to sound like a coffee wanker, it did taste like smoky cigars and chocolate wrapped up in a soft fluffy blanket. Yep. Fantastic coffee.

 I sat near a large, gorgeous recycled timber wall with shelves on it holding various coffee packets and coffee making paraphernalia. The whole back area is lovely and light, aided by a skylight cut into the roof near the exposed wooden beams. 


Bolstered by caffeine energy, I ordered the bircher museli for a healthy injection to my day.

This was great - yogurt covered oats and dried fruit, slivered almonds for crunch, and long, thin slices of apple on top. The addition of little bits of chewy, honey-filled granola on top was inspired, it was really delicious.

Bircher Museli

 A second strong soy latte was equally as excellent as the first, served by the friendly yet laidback staff.

A wonderful experience, I'll certainly be back for more of this excellent coffee.

8.9 out of 10 Dukes


Dukes Coffee Roasters
169 Chapel Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Ph 03 9521 4884

http://www.dukescoffee.com.au/

Hobba

Hobba Latte

The brunch adventures continue with me and LB, this time at Hobba in Malvern Road, Prahran.

I think the exposed wooden beams in the ceiling are brilliant - Hobba has such a welcoming vibe. It definitely has a modern warehouse feel to it, thankfully without being too sparse.
Cute wooden booths run through the centre of the massive space, with smaller tables and chairs scattered around the front area. We sat at the back of the cafe, at a big communal table set around a small tree. The table was spacious and I think suitable for singles or couples dining - it doesn't feel like you're going to put your elbow into your neighbour's food accidentally.  I like the steel stools and bench panelling around the barista area too.

LB's fantastic photography!

There's a twist to their eggs! Special poached eggs, strictly 62.5 degrees. LB had to try them, she had a poached egg with roasted tomato and avocado on multigrain toast.



The egg was very interesting to eat, it tasted so silky smooth. And strangely, although it looked translucent and a bit watery, it tasty more 'eggy' than any egg I've had in a long time. The egg flavour seemed very concentrated and strong.

Bizarro poached egg

Hobba Bircher

LB said the roasted tomato was a bit disappointing, it didn't taste at all roasted, but maybe just grilled quickly and lacking taste.

I went for the bircher muesli, which was very good. Healthy tasting and quite filling.

The coffee - (we had lattes) was not strong enough for our liking. The verdict: good, but not great.

I have to give special mention to the staff, they were great with water refills, very pleasant and friendly to deal with. I love cafes that seem to care like Hobba does!

7.2 out of 10 poached 62.5 degree eggs!


Hobba
428 Malvern Road
Prahran VIC 3181
Ph: 03 9510 8336

http://hobba.com.au/Hobba/Home.html

Cafe Gaia

Beautiful Coffee

Melbourne turned on another winter-in-spring day today, a dreary Sunday with grey skies, lots of wind and a bit of annoying rain. But Cute A and I were not to be deterred! Cafe visiting must go on!

And on we went to Cafe Gaia in South Yarra.

I had the impression South Yarra was a bit up-market and expensive, so I was worried about finding a snooty establishment. Not so with Cafe Gaia - for a start, the staff were friendly and attentive.

The space itself is lovely, light and airy, and large enough not to feel cramped while at the same time not too big and characterless.

We started with our favourite coffees: a skinny cappuccino (extra hot!) and a soy latte. The coffee was perfect temperature for both of us, and strong and smooth. Delicious!

Our food choices!

Blueberry & ricotta pancakes. With fairy floss on top!

I chose the pancakes which were nice and thin, not too fat and cakey. I love blueberries, so they were a good addition. The fairy floss was a little too sweet for me though, especially with the maple syrup.













Cute A went savoury, she chose pork belly with potato rosti and poached eggs. 

Pork belly with poached egg & potato rosti

The pork belly was not too fatty, it was really well-cooked. The relish was delicious, and the potato rosti was very tasty. Food win! And I was definitely jealous. Food envy ruled supreme this day!

I love that this cafe is in a little side street. It was very busy the day we went, being a Sunday that's understandable. But we only waited about 5 minutes for a table after arriving at 11, and our coffee and food came out quite quickly.

Our second round of coffee was equally as excellent as the first.

Overall, we were very happy with everything - the coffee, the food, the service. What a great place for Sunday brunch.

8.9 out of 10 potato rostis!

Cafe Gaia
Shop 3, 4 Avoca Street
South Yarra VIC 3141
Ph 03 9866 7522

http://www.cafegaia.com.au

Axil Coffee Roasters

On a cold, blustery Melbourne Sunday, what could be better than escaping the elements in the fine warehouse-style interior of Axil Coffee Roasters in Hawthorn?

Nothing! At least for these four breakfast brunching girls: LB, CoffeeBean, Cute A and me!

We arrived about 10.40am, and put our names on a waiting list. We were told we had a 20-30 minute waiting time. Lots of people were waiting in the charming little front alcove where various coffee paraphernalia was on offer for purchase. I was particularly taken with the idea of buying a 'Siphon' coffee contraption for something different. Some people had ordered coffees to drink while waiting here also, which was a nice touch - looking after waiting patrons, what a great idea.

Luckily we only had to wait about 15 minutes before a table for 4 became available.

The COFFEE!
We had two rounds of coffee, including skinny lattes, soy lattes, and skinny cappuccinos. My soy lattes were both incredibly smooth, chocolately and dense - I loved the coffee here. It was a real pleasure to drink slowly, savouring the taste fully. I usually ask for strong soy lattes, but here the standard shot was strong enough - very impressive. Everyone was very happy with their choices, the only minor variance being Cute A finding her second coffee a little bitter, and not quite as amazing as her first.


The FOOD!
LB went with buttermilk pancakes with chocolate, pear, praline and zabaglione gelato, Cute A chose the gluten free corn and haloumi fritters with avocado, poached egg and salsa rosso, CoffeeBean had smashed avocado and Meredith feta on multigrain toast with a poached egg, and I had scrambled eggs on multigrain, with avocado and tomato on the side.

Dish of the Day award has to go to those buttermilk pancakes circled in dark chocolate. Massive food envy ensued! The ball of gelato on top, the pear, the presentation - it was all going on here. Fantastic!

Cute A's corn fritters were light and tasty, with the avocado and salsa complementing the dish well. CoffeeBean's smashed avocado got the thumbs up, and a special mention has to go to that superb multigrain bread, it was delicious.

My scrambled eggs were done well, not overcooked or too runny. The avocado was excellent quality and just the right amount to spread over that incredibly tasty grainy bread, and the tomatoes cut through the creaminess of the other ingredients well with their acidic tang.

I like the feel of the cafe too. Although it is quite spacious and roomy, it doesn't feel like a soulless warehouse or a big cavernous space. The tasteful design - like cute, tiny pot-plant art and the combination of bench and table seats make the interior very welcoming. The big glass window looking out to the world is a nice reminder that all the people out there are missing out on fabulous coffee! It's perhaps an overused and possibly pretentious term, but 'industrial chic' really did spring into my mind while I was at Axil, especially when looking at the wall decorations, ceiling art and long mirrors.

To sum up: fantastic coffee, good food. I wish I lived closer so I could drink their coffee all the time. And apologies to the surrounding patrons if our raucous laughter sometimes rang out during our extremely fun catch-up!

8.9 out of 10 Neighbour's cats!


Avil Coffee Roasters
322 Burwood Road
Hawthorn 3122

Ph: 03 9819 0091

www.axilcoffee.com.au

St Edmonds

Sunday brunch again, this time St Edmonds in Prahran.

It was extremely busy with all tables taken this fine morning, and the staff promptly pulled back the overhead shading as the sun came out.

Me, Cute A, LB and CoffeeBean squinted in the blast of sunlight as we perused the substantial menu.

I was in a sweet mood, so of course I went for the orange blossom, sunflower seed and hazelnut bircher. It was nice, but something about the orange blossom flavour was a bit overpowering for me. CoffeeBean chose the excellent sounding potato rosti eggs served with sauteed spinach, d'Affinois cheese and thyme field mushrooms. Unfortunately, even at 11.30am on a Sunday morning, they had run out of potato rosti, so they offered sourdough toast. A travesty! No potato rosti?! A dish that had the potential to create food envy in the rest of us suddenly turned into a normal toast-and-eggs deal.

The exotic-sounding spanner crab and chilli omelette, roti and sesame crumble took Cute A's interest, and she reported that it was good, but perhaps not earth-shattering. LB went with the Istra ham, tomato and brique d'affinois toastie with poached free range eggs, which she said was nice, but again, in LB's words, it 'lacked the WOW factor'.

Perhaps like our whole experience 'lacking the wow factor' seemed to be the go at this cafe. Especially after two coffees each, and a big plate of food, we were admittedly lingering a little, laughing and catching up with fine stories, and the staff began eyeing us and urging us to move on. It's a pet hate of mine to have that happen, especially on a Sunday catch-up brunch. Of course I understand their reasoning, it was busy, and there was a lot of demand for our table for 4, but as we haven't experienced this anywhere else, even on busy days at other cafes, we felt a bit uncared for. And being the nice souls we are, as soon as we noticed we were being hurried, we quickly paid and left.

So, the verdict: the food was ok, but nothing special. The coffee was good. And the company was the best!

6.5 out of 10 WOW factor points

St Edmonds

Rear 154 Greville Street,

Prahran, 3181

Chez Dre

I love Sunday brunchy goodness... this time it was with Cute A and her lovely girlfriends LB (with the shiny friendly smile) and CoffeeBean (super stylish, confident gal) on a freezing Melbourne day.

Arriving before 11am, Cute A and LB managed to bag a comfortable table for 4. Half an hour later there was a sizeable queue forming back toward the cute wooden side door of this fabulously decorated space.

We were asked for our coffee orders straight up - Cute A's cappuccino with skinny milk 'and extra hot please' caused funny confusion with the server boy. Two soy lattes for me and LB made his life easier.

CoffeeBean arrived later and also went for a skinny cappuccino. All of us were very happy with the coffee situation here. Great taste, strong enough and yay for Bonsoy!

The food!

LB chose the brioche french toast - causing food envy from CoffeeBean who had poached eggs on sourdough with salmon and avocado, which she thought was ok, but nothing earth-shattering.

Cute A had the special that was scrambled eggs with smoked trout, which was great. And I went for granola with vanilla yogurt foam and fruit compote, with Bonsoy. The super sweetness of it ensured I had no need to try the delicious looking eclairs at the counter: that's definitely on the cards for next time.

I love the space and the feel of Chez Dre, it's so industrial yet chic at the same time. I can't wait to return for a go at those sweet treats screaming at me from behind their glass prison - "Free us.... eat me!"

9 out of 10 Croque Madames


Chez Dre:
(Rear of)
285-287 Coventry Street
South Melbourne, VIC, Australia 3205
Phone: +61 (0) 9690 2688

http://chezdre.com.au/

Tyranny of Distance

Today was brunch day at Windsor's Tyranny of Distance with my good friend Speedy Gonzales and Speedy's BF, Mr. T. As I was meeting Mr. T for the first time, it was great to be at a cafe where the music and noise weren't out of control so we could all chat comfortably.

It's a very interesting menu at Tyranny. I was interested to try the coconut-infused quinoa with yogurt and fruits, and it didn't disappoint. It tasted like pure health on a plate. The fruits were very fresh and delicious: kiwi fruit, strawberries, pear slices and little slivers of orange.

Speedy Gonzalez chose the chili scrambled eggs with house-made flatbread, and there was a good amount of chili in it.

Mr. T went with the excellent sounding potato rosti stack, with super fresh and tasty avocado, bacon and tomato. The poached egg on top could have been cooked less, it was quite well done.

My long black was strong without being bitter, and Speedy Gonzalez's coffee was good but she would have preferred it extra hot. Mr.T's hot chocolate was made with sweet syrup and lots of it.

The muffins on the counter, sweet and savoury offerings, looked fantastic and I wished I wasn't so full as I would have loved to try one.

The atmosphere is very inviting, alone or with a group, and the staff were friendly.

8 out of 10 brown chemist water bottles!




Tyranny of Distance
147 Union Street, Windsor, Melbourne
ph: 03 9525 1005

http://www.tyrannyofdistance.com.au/

Brunswick Flour Mill

I'm back with a bang!








After a promising start, then a three-year hiatus for this blog, I'm back.

The inspiration: a girly brunch at the Brunswick Flour Mill with my fabulous gal pals, Esmeralda and Cute A.

Cute A had bagged a table in the busy setting when I arrived - the bustle in this place was encouraging. I love a busy yet still-bag-a-table cafe on a Sunday.

It was nice that the staff did not bug us for our order even though we were still waiting on Esmeralda, but I would have liked to be asked if we wanted a coffee while we waited. My inner un-caffeinated monster was beckoning, yet I did not succumb to her grumblings...THIS time!

Esmeralda and I ordered the Vegetarian Breakfast (although I have recently become a certified meat-eater, after my 8 years of vegetarianism), and Cute A went for the chorizo omelet with slow roasted tomato haloumi and rocket.

Our coffees arrived first: One cappuccino, one strong soy latte, and one long black with milk on the side. My soy latte was creamy and smooth, nice and strong. Success! Cute A enjoyed her cappuccino ("I could drink buckets of this"), but Esme decided the long black was too bitter for her liking.

The food didn't take too long to arrive, in fact, it was a nice interlude between coffee finishing and food arriving. The size of the plates impressed! The vegetarian breakfasts, complete with eggs, mushrooms, grilled potatoes, sautéed spinach, grilled tomatoes & grilled halloumi were immense, and for $14.50, really good value.

My poached eggs had beautiful, vibrant yellow yolk and just the right amount of runny. There was a big field mushroom hiding under some sweet tomato, an intense slab of halloumi, very fresh, tasty spinach, and two generous slices of well toasted sourdough bread. The butter was in a little container on the side. The slices of potato were perfectly cooked and a nice addition to an already full meal. I had a minor moment when I didn't know what to eat first, then what to eat next, then what combination to put on my fork after that, but it was all delicious, and I think I managed to try every mouthful-combination at least once. Esmeralda asked Cute A at one point if she wanted to lick her plate clean! We all ate the large portions quite easily between chattering with our mouths full.

Esmeralda gave the food an 8/10 rating, and said it would have been a 10/10 if there was a vegetarian sausage in the mix as well. Cute A was also very happy with her omelet, her only suggestion was that the rocket was a little too bitter.

All up, we spent a leisurely 2 hours here, and the place was constantly busy with a good turnover. The lunch menu also looked very tempting, as did the varied loaves of bread and many sweet treats for sale behind the counter.

Brunswick Flour Mill, I will be back!

8 out of 10 Sourdough slices!


Brunswick Flour Mill
341 Sydney Rd
Brunswick, 3056
Ph: (03) 9078 0497
http://www.flourmill.net.au