La Paloma
Albert St, Brunswick (Just off Sydney Rd) - (03) 9380 8520
The first thing you need to know about La Paloma is that it is not open on a Sunday, the traditional breakfast day. But I promise you getting up early for a trip to La Paloma on a Saturday is more than worth it. Like most places in Brunswick, blink and you’ll miss the door opening that may lead you to your most enjoyable breakfast ever.
Whilst waiting I was entertained by jazz recordings and interviews playing on a turntable. Getting in early gives you a chance to read through some Wax Poetics magazines, which are a great read even if, like me, you know nothing about music construction or jazz but enjoy a little culture with breakfast.
To the food, I had empanadas with salad, mince, olives and cheese. Oh my such deliciousness, even though I have long been a fan of empanadas and they are one of my favourite South American foods.
Magister had the Tortilla with vegetable salad and bread, onion and spinach. It was delicious and the labna was a standout. Ms. Pseudonym had poached eggs with tomato and capsicum described as “smoky tomato deliciousness.”
But by far away the best thing about La Paloma is not the great food, service, music and vibe but the FOOSBALL table. Even though Magister managed to beat both Ms. Pseudonym and I with one hand literally held behind his back we could not get enough.
It is probably one of the most enjoyable breakfasts I’ve ever had. The atmosphere with jazz music and friendly staff coupled with some after breakfast foosball is a great way to enjoy a Saturday morning. I think everyone should get to La Paloma on the very next Saturday they have available.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Breakfast, music and foosball? Every Saturday if I could.
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 10
- Atmosphere 10
- Service 9.5
- Food 9.5
- Coffee 9
Chez Dre
285/287 Coventry St, South Melbourne
What a better way to restart my blog than with an Australia Day breakfast at Chez Dre. In true Australian fashion we embraced cultures from around the world by starting with a French breakfast with some Aussies, some Yanks and a Brazilian. A special shout out to the Caipirinha who celebrated her first Australia Day as an Australian Citizen.
Chez Dre is set in a converted warehouse down a laneway off Coventry St in South Melbourne, just walk down beside the furniture shop. Chez Dre combines a modern open kitchen with a warehouse feel that uses contrasting textures in a way that maintains a spacious feeling whist maintaining interest. Materials used include green and white tiling throughout he kitchen, contrasted with exposed aluminium tracking along the roof and concrete and patterned red linoleum flooring.
The food did not disappoint, the Badger had the ‘Moroccan Baked Eggs’ with spicy herb lamb sausages, minted yoghurt and warm baguette. The meal was slightly acidic overall and the sausages had a good flavour.
Gustavo tried the ‘Poached Eggs on Sourdough’ with house marinated smoked salmon and smashed avocado with goat’s cheese. It looked delicious and had a lemony zest, which he would definitely come back for.
I had the ‘Breakfast Platter’ a traditional French breakfast it has a little selection of everything on a wooden platter: Gruyère cheese, smoked ham, boiled egg, poached fruit, vanilla yoghurt with granola, raspberry jam, butter, croissant and baguette. It’s a filling breakfast that is an absolutely delightful mix of flavours and textures that you can combine in any way you please.
The coffee from ‘Mailing Room’ received rave reviews for having a slightly nutty flavour. However I found the ‘Larsen and Thompson’ tea a little bitter for my liking.
Before signing off I must give a quick mention to the toilets which send you back to the 70s with floral wallpaper and a hanging basket, but best of all they have a hook on the wall for your bag – genius. They are also disabled friendly, something we should see more of.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Oui, encore et encore
Ratings (out of 10):
- Overall 9
- Atmosphere 8
- Service 8
- Food 9
- Coffee 9
Rowena Parade Corner Store
44 Rowena Parade, Richmond
Rowena Parade Corner Store is lovely, going in the front you walk into a big corner store where you can buy tinned goods, newspapers, a variety of lollies and even homemade cakes. Delicious looking homemade cakes which I managed to resist, unlike at St. Ali.
Walking through the kitchen to get to the back, you will find wooden tables, including a long bench. Set up like a storeroom, it’s painted in a wonderful vibrant blue and you will find cook books, knick knacks and even an old fashioned orange juicing machine – get one of those cranking and you’ll give your arms a great workout.
I also need to mention the great staff who were friendly, efficient and kept coming back to check on us when we kept getting distracted with talk instead of looking through the menu.
The breakfast menu is very simple with a range of egg options and wraps. It would be good if the menu were a little more diverse and added a couple of sweet options. But if you are in the mood for something a bit different you can always try the items on the lunch menu which has a diverse range of Greek influenced options, such as spanakopita, if you aren’t in the mood for eggs.
Mimi had the marinated mushrooms, caramelised leek with ricotta on toast. It was absolutely delicious and whilst it didn’t photograph well it was creamy and wholesome.
I had the poached eggs on organic Turkish toast with avocado and spinach. The eggs were poached perfectly, wonderful runny eggs which combated the dryness of the toast well. It was simple but it was delicious.
There are a lot of similarities between Rowena Parade and Griggons and Orr in North Melbourne, but the staff informed me there was no connection between the two. They are both great, quirky places to have breakfast and being on opposite sides of the city you will be catered for on both the North and East sides of the city.
I’d like to finish with a lesson in social etiquette, if you have a big group of people and you want to have breakfast together then you should get a couple of people to arrive earlier and wait for an appropriate table to become free. It’s worked for me plenty of times, and if you even ask the staff they might even allocate the table to you when it becomes free.
What you can’t do is interrupt people mid conversation and ask them to move to the other side of the room because there are too many of you and you want to spread out. You wait for the table to be free, because waiting for tables is something you will have to live with when you go to small cafes with big groups.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Anytime I am in Richmond and next time I’ll try the lunch menu
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 8
- Atmosphere 9
- Service 9
- Food 8
- Coffee 8
Riverland
Vaults 1-9 Federation Wharf
I’m not a huge fan of Christmas crowds. If you want to escape the mayhem of thousands of people trying to vie for the latest gadget a week out from the big day then head down to the calm surrounds of Riverland.
Riverland sits on the banks of the Yarra, across the road from Flinders St Station, almost under the Princes St Bridge and just off Federation Square. Just follow those very clear instructions and you should have no problem finding it. With such a great location the atmosphere takes care of itself, and as long as you’ve got good company or a good book you can have a relaxing breakfast away from the Christmas rush. Unfortunately Riverland’s menu isn’t quite as good as it’s scenery.
The small menu primarily comprises rolls and jaffles – for those who don’t know jaffles are essentially a closed toasted sandwich, it’s a bit of menu trickery but a toasted sandwich by any other name still remains a toasted sandwich.
The breakfast highlight was the Moroccan Baked Eggs enjoyed by Rhymenocerous. The Baked Eggs are complimented by the tomato, onion, spinach, basil and Moroccan spices. He felt it was the best breakfast he’d had in quite a while and highly recommended it. Just quietly, I have also heard this from other Riverland frequenters who can’t get enough of these delicious eggs.
In contrast to the Baked Eggs, NSW Girl had the ciabbata breakfast roll with eggs, wilted spinach and pecorino. It was just that – a roll. It looked a little sad on the big white plate, and she also felt the pecorino was overwhelming and needed to be sliced thinner.
I had the mushrooms with thyme and feta on brioche, I was very disappointed. The mushrooms were thickly sliced, placed on an overly dry brioche and sprinkled with herbs. The taste was okay but the slabs of mushrooms overrode any flavour of the herbs after one bite. What’s disappointing is it could have been so much better if the mushrooms had been chopped and mixed with the herbs to allow the flavours to intermingle.
Riverland’s focus isn’t on creating Melbourne’s best breakfast venue, however they are using their great location to provide a casual coffee and breakfast for hungry joggers and those looking for a quiet morning.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? I wouldn’t rush back for breakfast, but would definitely head there for a quiet coffee by the river or after work drinks.
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 7
- Atmosphere 9
- Service 7
- Food 5
- Coffee 7
St. Ali
12-18 Yarra Place, South Melbourne
When I arrived at St. Ali I was prepared for disappointment, I had heard so many good things about St. Ali and how it has the best coffee in Melbourne, great breakfast and friendly staff that it was bound to let me down.
After my St. Ali experience I am going to finally make the call I’ve never before been prepared to make – St Ali is Melbourne’s best breakfast venue. Or, as Rhymenocerous eloquently said, “Just give it 10s all around mate.”
You’ll find St. Ali located in a shed hiding down the end of Yarra Place in South Melbourne. St. Ali is industrial chic done just right, with cables and electrical fittings exposed whilst you eat surrounded by coffee machines large and small. St Ali grind their own coffee and you can take home your own St Ali coffee from around the world, Costa Rica, Tanzania, El Salvador and so on.
Before I tell you about breakfast you should know that you should just pop by for a cake if you are there during the day. The cakes by Phillipa Sibley and Ange Whittaker will keep you coming back for me. I can personally vouch for the deliciousness of the carrot cake.
As for breakfast, Joey Broughy and the Rhymenocerous had smoked salmon, artichoke salsa, rocket and poached egg on sourdough. It looked as beautiful as it tasted. Deceptively filling they were unable to be finished by Joey Broughy, a terrible waste of delicious smoked salmon.
Spanish Cat had My Mexican Cousin which is a secret recipe corn fritters, baby spinach, haloumi and kasundi with poached eggs. The corn fritters were amazing, the kasundi recommended and the poached eggs cooked perfectly.
I went the Eggs Your Style with house made kasundi, toasted pide and spinach. I chose scrambled and are the best straight up scrambled eggs I have had. The overall winner is still from Three Bags Full – scrambled eggs with feta and herbs, but these were definitely the best scrambled eggs sans extras.
What delighted me the most, and the reason for the unprecedented rating of 10 was the service. Often when places are busy the service falls over, but not at St Ali. We were immediately asked if we would like drinks, our order was taken as soon as we were ready and our food was out in 15 minutes. When we finished there was no bum’s rush or hovering staff trying to get us out, we actually got time to review the surrounds and enjoy our coffees.
Rhymenocerous wanted me to write a bad review so people wouldn’t catch on, but as I pointed out we are latecomers to this bandwagon, it’s already packed and you will need be put on a waiting list. But I’m telling you it’s worth the wait. Just do it.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? If I lived in South Melbourne I would go there every week
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 10
- Atmosphere 10
- Service 10
- Food 10
- Coffee 10
Cafe Enni
915 High St, Thornbury
The re-run of the Grand Final a few weeks ago affected many people and events around Victoria. It also affected our breakfast plans, changing our plans at the last minute to make sure we could all get to our various Grand Final events. Unfortunately for Thornbury it also meant that it was very quiet and everyone was hiding inside, and, as a consequence, Cafe Enni was also very quiet. However Blue Eyes comes here regularly and assured us it is normally packed.
The layout is simple and decorated in yellows and greens, the main focus is the delicious cake cabinet. Even if you don’t feel like breakfast duck in anyway and get some of their housemade cakes, biscuits or jams. Blue Eyes 18 month old baby boy, woke up from his nap and loved the sight of them so much he walked over to push his face up against the glass, stare and talk to them.
Egyptologist had the Indian Eggs – creamy eggs scrambled with their own blend of curry powder and spring onions. It was served with crispy bacon, yoghurt and coriander. Not too spicy with great texture and blend of flavours.
Blue Eyes ordered something she could share with her young one and had the Bircher Muesli – Swiss style rolled oats with Greek yoghurt, sultanas, dried apricots, honey and roasted almonds with freshly grated apple. Bircher often looks so boring and uninspired but Cafe Enni reinvented to make it look appealing, delicious and taste the same.
Lost Girl tried the dukkah eggs – soft poached eggs with sautéed mushrooms, spinach and feta on lightly toasted Turkish bread, finished with housemade Egyptian spice blend. It was filling, with nice touches of spice. And, as is always the test with poached eggs, the eggs were nice and runny.
The only let down was watching the staff serve everyone wanting take away coffees whilst we waited for our drinks. Then when the cafe was empty they had to be asked twice before they remembered to bring over our drinks. Cafe Enni is one of those places that is so close to being great, a better system for managing the food and coffee orders and you’d be back here every week.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Come for the cakes, stay for the breakfast
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 7
- Atmosphere 7
- Service 5
- Food 8
- Coffee 7
Each Peach
506 Lygon St, Brunswick
I really enjoyed my experience at Each Peach. It’s probably been one of the nicest places I’ve been to breakfast and I think the secret is the lovely staff and because even though it’s been around for 2 years it felt undiscovered. There were only a few people around and we didn’t feel cramped, rushed or have to wait 45 minutes or a meal. I have a theory that its location at the end of Lygon St out of the way of traffic and other shops makes people forget it’s there. Which is a shame because Each Peach was a great breakfast experience.
Set up with 60s Australian Childhood Chic there are gumleaves hanging against the window, a giant Australian themed quilt covering a wall and a case of collector edition spoons. The spacious upstairs also features a couch with a crocheted rug.
Finally, for those with kids, there is a back room filled with old school kids toys including a doll house and knitted dolls. There is even wallpaper displaying a variety of colourful fruits, a touch reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s lickable wallpaper. However, a warning to you all, if you choose to sit in the back room like Egyptologist and I you may be asked to look after people’s children whilst they go to the bathroom. No jokes, there were 2 of them and they liked to scream.
Each Peach makes all its own food on site and you can buy a variety of organic, preservative free jams, breads, tarts and biscuits. The menu also contains a range of Vegan options. In keeping with the natural, environmentally friendly ethos you should know that the milk used in unhomogenised, so don’t be frightened when it comes out with lumpy bits in it.
As for breakfast I had the parmesan scrambled eggs with avocado on toast. They were perfection and the best eggs I’ve had in ages. The great thing about the bread was that it wasn’t overcooked. Often preservative free bread is overcooked and this leads to hard crusts and difficult eating. Not at Each Peach it was soft, yummy and the eggs were perfect.
Egyptologist had the organic oats and walnut seasonal fruit crumble with deliciously thick yoghurt. It was a little fiddly to eat out of the tray. but it was yummy and the yoghurt delicious, which is good otherwise they would have been telling a lie in their menu. She also noted that it was more of a snack and wouldn’t recommend it if you were really hungry. I also thought it looked like a perfect afternoon tea option.
The only drawback with Each Peach is that even though it was quiet and there were a few staff about it took a long time for tables to get cleared and the table we sat at was sticky because it wasn’t wiped down after they picked up the plates. When you add this to the fact that you order at the counter and the same person making coffees is also trying to take your order it just leaves them lacking in the service department. If they could fix up this little niggle it might just be the perfect place to breakfast.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? To immerse myself in 60s Australian Childhood Chic and play with the doll house (when no one was watching)
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 8
- Atmosphere 8.5
- Service 7
- Food 9
- Coffee 7
Red Star Cafe
315 Coventry St, South Melbourne
Found directly across from South Melbourne Markets the Red Star Cafe is a great place to meet a group of friends for breakfast. Then when you finish at breakfast you can wander through the markets or up Coventry St and admire all the beautiful things you shouldn’t/can’t afford to buy.
Red Star Cafe is open and spacious which made it a great place for eight of us to get together. Rhymenocerous got there early to hold the courtyard which is the perfect size for a big group but small enough to let us selfishly keep it for ourselves. Not surprisingly the Red Star Cafe uses touches of Asian influence to create atmosphere with my favourite being the bamboo placemats and paper cranes.
The thing that lets Red Star Cafe down is attention to detail. When my tea came out the cup was filthy and not at all appealing, the “relish” that came out with Tiny Cups Big Red Star Brekkie was tomato sauce and the coffee was so weak it got the worst rating yet.
The food itself was actually quite good so the base is there and Rhymenocerous organised the location because it is one of his favourite places in South Melbourne. His Eggs Montreal – English muffins, Tasmanian smoked salmon, poached eggs, hollandaise, tomato and mushrooms were perfectly cooked and his regular choice at Red Star.
St. Istivan had the Spanish Omelette with chorizo, capsicum, Spanish onion, semi-dried tomatoes and feta. The good balance of eggs with lots of “yummy” cheese and veggies made him very happy. Tiny Cup’s Big Red Star Brekky – eggs with bacon, chipolata sausages, hash brown, tomatoes, mushrooms and Schwob’s toast was great except for the aforementioned tomato sauce masquerading as relish.
Overall Red Star Cafe has a lot going for it but is let down in the detail, I would go back but would give it some time between visits.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? When the cups have been cleaned and the coffee strengthened
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 7
- Atmosphere 7
- Service 7.5
- Food 7.5
- Coffee 4.5
The Social Roasting Cafe
307 Racecourse Road, Flemington
Get yourself to the Social Roasting Cafe, not only do they make a great breakfast they also do great things for the community. Social Roasting is a not profit business which tries where possible to employee refugees from Asia and Africa and at only 18 months old the place is absolutely hectic.
The stream of people coming through the door to get takeaway coffee can only mean that the coffee they roast and sell is something special and Mildura Man agreed. Social Roasting is cosy and the wooden tables and wood panelled bar give it a touch of colonial Africa feel.
Social Roasting has a great menu which uses unusual ingredients; kasoundi, rosewater, cardamom poached rhubarb and beetroot relish. There are however no sweet choices but the big range of eggs should provide something for everyone.
Mildura Man had poached eggs with kasoundi and avocado on toast with bacon and feta. They were delicious with the feta providing a nice touch. However the kasoundi (Indian spice relish) was “like a festival of flavour” and went particularly well with the avocado.
I wanted something simple and went down the route of scrambled eggs with avocado and feta which was delicious – I am often surprised by how easy it is to get wrong.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Definitely, to have a great breakfast and support a great business
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 8.5
- Atmosphere 8.5
- Service 8
- Food 9
- Coffee 9
Pearl Oyster
114 Miller St, Thornbury
I couldn’t quite make my peace with the name Pearl Oyster, something about it just puts me off so I was very hesitant walking up to Pearl Oyster with Magister and Ms. Pseudonym. But that is just me and it turns out that Pearl Oyster was a wonderful breakfast experience.
Pearl Oyster is quirky, it’s best described as ‘60s Grandma Chic’ with collector spoons accompanying your pyrex cups, saucers and bowls. There are even bamboo light shades and for those that venture into the toilets a decorative choice between a picture of Elvis and pink lighting or plastic toys and an imposing wooden cobra ready to strike. The big, smoke free outdoor space is even covered in succulent plants and plastic coloured chairs.
The best part are the menus which come attached to ‘Pictorial Social Studies’ books which tell you various stories about the history of Australia. The history of Tasmania was relatively graphic and featured pictures of convicts being tied up and whipped. This did not go well with eating breakfast so I swapped it for one which tells the story of Dutch explorers who look like the Three Musketeers – great for the kids or adults who enjoy being entertained by pictorial history.
Ms. Pseudonym had the creamy scrambled eggs with spring onions on toasted sourdough. The pistachio dukkha on the avocado was excellent, the eggs creamy and interesting.
Magister had the almond granola which apparently was ‘radical’ and simple but was just right.
I had a pot of tea that came with lots of milk. It was the best breakfast tea experience I’ve had. The pot was enough to drink throughout breakfast and there was plenty of milk to keep enjoying it just as I like it.
Along with my tea I had French Toast with orange blossom honey, boysenberries, toasted almond flakes and double cream. It was absolutely delicious and even though I was initially jealous of Ms. Pseudonym’s eggs I was delighted with my French toast.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? To learn more about Australian Studies in pictorial form
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 9
- Atmosphere 9
- Service 8.5
- Food 9
- Coffee 8.5
