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
Joe Green
Diving into the already overcrowded breakfast market on High St is a brave move and Joe Green have done it well. Joe Green’s position is nice because it is just off High St so you miss the hustle of eating on High St and the feel is just that bit more relaxed.
Joe Green has also done well with the menu it’s interesting and has great variety without trying too hard. Lauren and I got there early so helped ourselves to some delicious cauliflower fritters which were both creamy and salty.
Mimi had the scrambled eggs with thinly sliced bottarga (dried tuna roe from Sicily). The fish roe had a potent taste which was salty and fishy but worked well with the eggs.
Lauren had the Green Eggs – scrambled eggs on a Sicilian style tomato sauce with toast on the side. The bacon was cooked well and complimented the green eggs. The toast could have been crisper, but that’s a matter of taste.
I had the semolina pancakes with ricotta, honey and pistachio nuts. It was tasty and I always like some texture with my pancakes.
They also make a great chai and coffee to enjoy whilst you wait or whilst you eat.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? To take friends to relax just out of the Northcote hustle and bustle
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 8.5
- Atmosphere 8
- Service 8
- Food 8.5
- Coffee 8
Liar Liar
6/769 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn
I’d like to start today with a plea to selfish cafe goers everywhere, I have always supported children at cafes and think little people have a place in the world too. However if you have 6 kids and 3 double strollers as part of your breakfast entourage you probably shouldn’t try and squeeze yourself into a small cafe in Hawthorn.
Liar, Liar is brought to you by the people that brought you Apte and Three Bags Full. I have to say it’s lacks a little of the beauty of Apte or coolness of Three Bags Full but it is still a great place to breakfast. A converted warehouse with exposed plumbing, art deco furnishings and carpeted walls provides a great mixture of colour and texture. As in Three Bags Full there are some great lightshades, this time made from inverted steel bowls.
Hot tip – think before you speak when talking about carpeted walls or you’ll stop your breakfast table and those around you with a loud and exuberant statement of ‘I like the feel of carpet on my back.’
Mimi had the free range eggs poached and served on 5 grain toast with bacon. Unfortunately whilst the eggs were good, the bacon was like cardboard.
Lauren who used to moonlight as a juicer in the Daimaru juice bar back in the day gave a special mention to the fantastic mint, lime and apple juice. The fruit toast was better than usual with good quality marmalade.
I had French toast with poached plums, mascarpone and maple syrup. It was good but with no strong textural elements was lacking in a little something extra.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Maybe, if the people with double strollers find somewhere else to go
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 7
- Atmosphere 7.5
- Service 7
- Food 6.5
- Coffee 8
Blush Foodroom
43 Epsom Rd, Kensington
Last week it was forgotten herbs this week it’s forgotten suburbs. Another blog recently reviewed Blush and referred to Kensington as being in ‘woop woop’, at only 4 kms out from the city I’m not sure if the reviewer just got confused by the trees or just doesn’t like going west of the city. Either way Kensington isn’t in ‘woop woop’ and Blush Foodroom has a fantastic location, off the mainstreet of Kensington in an area surrounded by green.
What I really felt that Blush needs more than anything else is a massive overhaul. The location is great, the space is also a great size, but unfortunately currently uninspired and could easily be upgraded without too much expense.
To be fair I don’t think that Blush really focus their promotion on breakfast as the outside banner advertises ‘breakfast, lunch and dinner’ but it stilled lacked something.
Unfortunately the menu wasn’t very diverse and the service was also up and down. At the beginning it was great and they were keen to take our order but once our breakfast had come there was no extra water or a question about more coffee and tea. Considering Jef and I were there for about 2 hours and finished out first teas and coffees 45 minutes in it was a wasted opportunity to both make extra money and make a happy customer.
Jef had the poached eggs on sourdough with baked beans. Unfortunately the poached eggs had raw whites on the inside, and whilst the baked beans were great there weren’t enough. As for me I had the scrambled eggs with spinach. The eggs themselves were beautifully cooked but part of the spinach was yellow and clearly old. Then I was confronted with the most upsetting part of the meal – end crusts. My bread was not nice bread I could moosh together with the eggs but hard, toasted, cardboard end crusts – a food sin if there ever was one. I’ve never been a crust eater so this is not something I could cope with, even my parents couldn’t convince me with the old ‘if you eat your crusts you’ll get curly hair like Shirley Temple.’
Basically needs a big overhaul, there is a great base to work with, a few paintings, a bit more life and a modern breakfast menu could really make it a great place.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Not whilst end crusts are being served up with eggs
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 5
- Atmosphere 4
- Service 7
- Food 4
- Coffee 7
Cafe Rosamond
191 Smith St (at the rear) or just off Smith St on Charles St, Fitzroy/Collingwood
To start I would strongly recommend that you don’t take your kids to Cafe Rosamond, they have great food, lovely staff and a diverse and liberal range of magazines. These magazines featured a variety of scantily clad people performing a variety of tasks and a variety of other arty things. To be clear, it’s not pornography and not all of it was visual, but if members of your breakfast party choose to start reading the articles out loud you may be turned off your breakfast. Sufficed to say you don’t want your kiddies coming across these, might make for awkward times.
But filth masquerading as art, or art masquerading as filth, aside Cafe Rosamond is many kinds of wonderful. I got a bit over excited when organising breakfast and had 8 people coming to breakfast in the little Cafe Rosamond which is pretty much a hole in the wall type place on Charles St, just off Smith St.
Showing up half an hour early I spotted the one table that would accommodate us, spoke to the friendly staff and as soon as it vacated they let me sit down early and wait for everyone else to join me. The staff gave me tea and water while I waited and couldn’t have been more friendly.
The menu is limited but cheap and between us we tried:
Scrambled eggs with bacon – the scrambled eggs were nice and fluffy made with cream and butter with generous bacon.
House made baked beans on toasted organic sourdough with feta and a side of bacon. Reviewed by the bean aficionado who “tries to get around to check out the beans” they were spicy, with great feta but the bacon was too thick.
Muesli with fresh seasonal fruit, yoghurt and honey – it was wholesome and as good as muesli gets.
Egg and bacon roll – scrambled egg, bacon, dressed lettuce, fresh herbs and mayonnaise. A poor choice for breakfast as it is clearly a lunchtime choice it was very eggy, but with homemade mayonnaise it hit the spot.
Cafe Rosamond only let themselves down by forgetting about the extra teas and coffees ordered. Cafe Rosamond is extremely busy and the staff definitely got a bit overwhelmed, but with the little space I don’t think they could fit anymore staff in.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Absolutely, it might even get a little saucy (pardon the pun)
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 8
- Atmosphere 8
- Service 8 (extra points for helping with the table, lost points for forgetting coffees and teas)
- Food 8
- Coffee 7
Pope Joan
77-79 Nicholson St, East Brunswick
According to a semi-reliable source on the interweb rhubarb is a herbaceous plant which is botanically classified as a vegetable but in 1947 a United States court decided that as it was used as a fruit it was to be classified as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties.
It turns out that rhubarb is the food that is everything but is remembered by no one. Test my hypothesis out, ask around – everyone loves rhubarb but no one, except cafes, ever seems to buy it.
After tasting Pope Joan’s banana bread with Di’s rhubarb cream Miss Tea and I have concluded that rhubarb needs a higher profile in the world of food. Oh that rhubarb cream was wonderful, so good that I want to know who Di is and where she lives so I can track her down and steal her recipe.
Pope Joan has only been open for three weeks, but Pope Joan was packed. It is a great all rounder, it has an experimental but small menu which is relatively cheap for the grown ups accompanied by a children’s menu.
I really wanted the spaghetti on toast, but as I am an adult I got the boiled eggs with soldiers, herb salt and bacon. It was on the grown up menu but served in a ceramic egg container it was colourful and fun. A lovely light breakfast with the herb salt adding a burst of flavour to the egg.
Miss Tea had the baked eggs, tomonion and swiss chard with smoked yoghurt. It had subtle flavours but was a little liquidy although the toast really helps it go down.
Pope Joan itself is a converted old industrial shopfront with a large outdoor courtyard that makes great use of space. It combines simple wooden furniture to create an earthy feel contrasting with the white and brick walls. I feel that like many places that employ wood heavily (e.g. Min Lokal) that if it were empty it might feel cold but filled with people it is a great way of creating atmosphere without crowding people into tiny spaces.
We wanted to send a special thanks and kudos to the red headed waitress who was working her first day at Pope Joan. I suspect Pope Joan has been a bit overwhelmed but its own success because it took about 15 minutes just to find someone to get us a menu and had to ask at least two staff. But once red headed waitress took over our table she was all over it, took our orders for more tea and coped brilliantly amongst the madness. Kudos to her. We are sorry we forgot to ask what your name was.
If you would like another hit of Pope Joan inspired trivia – Pope Joan is a woman from European/Catholic legend who rose to the position of pope by disguising herself as a man, before giving birth on a horse and exposing herself as a woman.
There are several books at Pope Joan which can tell you in more detail about her legend.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Yes, for the eggs alone
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 8
- Atmosphere 8
- Service 8 (an extra point for red headed waitress’ awesome work under pressure)
- Food 9 (1.5 extra points for the rhubarb cream which I have talked up so much it will only disappoint you)
- Coffee 7
Three Bags Full
Three Bags Full – Corner Nicholson and Mollison Sts Abbotsford
Three Bags Full has a wonderfully efficient system for getting people seated and they need because it is incredibly busy. It’s also a great place to wait because inside the beautiful brick building you’ll find big communal tables and a great mix of recycled and chicly modern settings. Wonderful art deco lighting provides a well thought out compliment to the tables made of recycled road signs. You can also grab a newspaper to read whilst you wait.
The menu is diverse and wholesome ranging from Muesli to Salmon and onto Sticky Black Gingerbread. It also has a few different styles of eggs from Parmesan to classic Eggs Benedict.
If you are lucky enough to be there on a sunny morning you can sit outside under the umbrellas which they will happily put up for you if, like JP and I, you will burn in about 2 minutes of sun exposure.
JP started out her breakfast with a delicious apple, pineapple, strawberry and mint juice which is nicely chilled and served in a long glass. She followed it up with the ‘pretty damn good’ mushrooms. Which came on sourdough with fetta and dukkha plus sides of avocado and bacon.
I really enjoye my scrambled eggs with feta and herbs on sourdough, multigrain and spinach. The feta is blended well with the eggs to provide a saltiness and texture but also offsets the herbs. I love my herbs, so I was very happy to see them as a feature of the eggs rather than something sprinkled over the top as an afterthought.
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Yes, for the eggs alone
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 9
- Atmosphere 9
- Service 9
- Food 9
- Coffee 7
Min Lokal
Min Lokal – 422 Georges Rd Fitzroy
A few months ago I bought some sunglasses in fluoro blue and green which I thought were the sex. So I was feeling pretty fabulous until I got home and was greeted with the following: ‘those are the ugliest glasses I have ever seen. Seriously.’
I was crushed and hid the sunglasses away where they could be mocked no more.
But then I found a place that embraced my love of outrageous sunglass statements so much that my own sunglasses seemed positively conservative – Min Lokal. I have worn these sunglasses to Min Lokal several times safe in the knowledge that they are among their own kind and shan’t be mocked.
Min Lokal is very inner Fitzroy cool, but surprisingly, unlike other inner Fitzroy cafes (I’m looking at you Ici) there is no snobbery here. There is an egalitarian feel with incredibly helpful staff, a delicious and adventurous menu that is written in chalk on the chalkboard. And if you get there early enough you can even hide out the back on the big communal table.
When Miss V. Lante, Marmite Judderbar and I jumped on one of the big communal tables in the front a fellow breakfaster struck up a conversation about the previous night’s Regina Spektor concert. Min Lokal is friendly. The interior is low-key with sparse retro furnishings kind of like being in Grandma’s living room. Min Lokal has been designed with an emphasis on bringing people together to eat some great food, and it works.
Miss V. Lante had the BAT – scrambled eggs, avocado, and cherry tomato salad on toast. It was a delicious stack of complimentary flavours which tasted as good as it looked.
Marmite Judderbar had the Tallegio - with cauliflower, potato, roquette, caramalised onions, eggs, bacon and toast. I was very jealous of his choice and knew I had picked the wrong meal. The Taleggio was good, hearty baked eggs. We couldn’t work out if the cauliflower was hiding or just hadn’t been included but this didn’t detract from a satisfying breakfast.
I had the poached eggs on toast with tomato relish, mushrooms and feta marinated in lemon myrtle. I will admit it was a mistake to choose this to review, because it wasn’t a meal as such. And while it was tasty and all the elements worked well, it didn’t properly reflect what Min Lokal can do. However I can recommend the waffles with pear which I have eaten previously, they are definitely worth giving a try if you are after a sweet treat.
I must quickly acknowledge another blog of which I am a fan and who’s review of Min Lokal put me onto the wonder that is their waffles – Where’s the Beef? Check out the link below for a picture of the wonderful waffles that I did not order and their review.
http://herestheveg.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-15-2009-min-lokal-ii.html
And, do we want to stay for breakfast? Absolutely and wear your most outrageous sunnies, there is no judgement here
Ratings (out 0f 10):
- Overall 9
- Atmosphere 9.5
- Service 9
- Food 8.5
- Coffee 7 (good but not great)
