Cornershop - Yarraville

Happy Australia Day!

Who doesn't love mid-week public holidays? It's been a busy few weeks for me at work, with more busy weeks to come, so a break in the work week sure was welcomed with wide open arms. 

Instead of heading into the city or frequenting our usual suburbs, the boy decided to head out to Yarraville for brunch at the Cornershop. I always forget how suburbs look like outside of the CBD. As you head further out of the city the apartment buildings disappear, slowly replaced with level crossings, old single storey or two storey buildings, milk bars, the local cinema where families gather, family-run establishments....

It was packed when we arrived, however the wait for a table wasn't that long. I had my usual soy chai and it was served in a giant teapot (only half-pot though, phew). 

 Pro: Endless supply of chai; brewed with real chai spices, served with a pot of honey!

Con: Watered down :( I guess that's what you get when the pot's a lil too big.

Spanish baked beans with paprika and chorizo-  the one we had at Capital Kitchen was yummier.

Eggplant Kasundi Relish with Feta and Parsley- I had this and it was good. The eggplant was spicy (with spice, not chilli) and sweet, I can't quite pick what spices were used but they were familiar. The feta provided the savoury aspect this dish needed and the parsley I couldn't really taste- let's just assume it was there to look pretty lol. Once again I seem to have ordered food that comes in a skillet so that means you need toasted + buttered sourdough bread to mop it clean! Mmmm...

Capital Kitchen - Chadstone

The cafe in Elsternwick that was meant to open after 19th January (see my post *here*) was open today alright- it was open for renovations! Garh!

Since we were both hungry and I was planning to force the boy to head to Chaddy after brunch for a day of shopping (hee) I decided to kill two birds with one stone and have brunch in Chaddy instead. First place that came to mind was Capital Kitchen. I'm glad we didn't go anywhere else- the food was so yummy! I loved the layout and decor as well- high ceilings, exposed brick walls, light airy space, long communal tables, comfy sofas, big giant wall clock 20 times the size of my head.....The Iphone doesn't really capture the beauty of the decor, I felt like I was sitting in an industrial warehouse somewhere in health-conscious LA!

There weren't many choices on the breakfast menu, but what they had were tried & tested goodies. For the first time in brightcopperkettle brunch history, we both ordered the same thing.

Spanish eggs with tomato sugo, egg, chorizo and buttered sourdough. The sourdough was a tad crispier than I would've liked it to be but it was good for mopping up all that tomato goodness. I would have preferred the egg to be more runny too- the yolk was cooked through :( - but the chickpeas and kidney beans in the tomato sugo- they were so hearty. And I don't really like chickpeas OR kidney beans in the first place so you can imagine how tasty this was!

And the soy chai was so good, I believe it was made with true blue spices- the empty glass deserved a picture on its own to showcase the deliciousness that was the chai.

Mmmm- I was surprisingly very satisfied with Capital Kitchen overall. Next time we're in Chaddy we know where to head to for brunch! There's banana bread with maple mascarpone calling my name :)

Cafe Gaia - South Yarra

I once wrote about Dead Man Espresso, and Laurent Hoffarth who used to run the kitchen there and has since moved on to be head chef at Cafe Gaia, posted a comment and invited me to follow along on his food adventure at his new cafe. So I did just exactly that today :) The second time I visited Dead Man was disappointing- the pork belly sandwich was dry and for lack of a better word, uninspiring. It was time to move on to new cafes!

We were meant to visit another cafe in Elsternwick but it was closed till 19th Jan (today!)- just my luck huh? Anyways, since we were around that area we didn't want to travel back to the city or South Melbourne and were looking for cafes around the St Kilda/Prahran/Toorak/South Yarra area. A quick peek on Urbanspoon listed Cafe Gaia and I thought, 'Hang on a minute, this place sounds familar'....and the penny dropped! I read it in my comments once! And off we went to South Yarra, excited about the discovery of a new brunch place for us.

Soy chai- not sure if the syrup was used. If it was, real spices would have been way better.

Enjoying the weather (ok, I lie- it was chilly and cold that morning!). It's just that pictures look better in natural daylight :D

Haha I thought this picture was funny. Someone didn't look too happy with me, in fact, he looked like he was ready to stab me with the butter knife. But but but what did I doooo?

That's better :)

I ordered the breakfast piadina- purely because the waiter told me it included bacon and after that all I could think about was bacon, bacon, bacon! This was so delicious! In between the toasted Italian flat bread is scrambled egg, bacon, relish and rocket leaves. Fresh tomato salsa sits on the top, as you can see. The first bite of this transported me back to when I was 13, back to when I was in Europe for a holiday and had ordered a flatbread sandwich to satisfy my hunger pangs. Just like how certain smells evoke a certain memory, the same goes for food. 

The boy ordered the potato and rosemary rosti, with crispy pork belly, tomato & chilli relish and poached eggs. This is another win for Cafe Gaia- absolutely yummy! The hint of chilli in the relish gave it just the kick it needed to differentiate itself from being an ordinary relish. The roast pork belly was so tender it literally fell apart on your fork. Only gripe was that the crackling wasn't crispy.

Ahhh- birthday brunch totally exceeded my expectations!

A quick glance at the specials board today listed french toast with chai mascarpone...if I wasn't so full and satisfied from my piadina I would've ordered that for dessert. Maybe next time ;) 

Three bags full - Richmond

Do you remember how the nursery rhyme goes?

'Baa, baa black sheep have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full'

Haha the name of the cafe just reminds me of that. Now you can't get the rhyme out of your head either, right? 

On the weekend the boy and I resumed our brunch outings and headed to Three Bags Full in Richmond. We were lucky to get a table inside (and we didn't have to wait! yay!) because halfway through our meal it started pouring and everyone sitting outside got drenched, or had rain-soaked food!

Supposedly famous for coffee- but the cappuccino the boy ordered was lukewarm. Is there a reason why coffee is sometimes served tepid? I like my beverages relatively hot.

Baghdad Omelette- potatoes, yoghurt, avocado, herbs. The boy loves potatoes (he could eat it all day everyday) and was disappointed there were only 2 pieces lurking in his omelette. Tastewise this was yummy though, can't go wrong with avocado and a surprisingly delicious sourish note from the yoghurt. 

The girl who enjoys life's little things ie. me went for the Parmesan. Poached eggs, prosciutto, parmesan, truffle oil, served with organic sourdough bread to mop it all up. Decadent? Yes. Indulgent? Yes. I finished this feeling like I had overindulged for my first meal of the day but I enjoyed it. Only complain was the poached eggs didn't have yolks that were runny enough; which meant this dish was a little on the dry side. More sauce or condiments might've lifted this dish up.

We were both still hungry after our egg breakfast so we ordered something sweet to share. Raspberry, coconut and fig bread with vanilla mascarpone, fresh strawberries and passionfruit sauce. The bread was warm and yummy, not overly sweet and was perfectly balanced by the sourness of the passionfruit and the neutral creamy taste of the mascarpone. Don't be fooled, it might look like a small portion but it sure did fill us up! We were too stuffed by the end of the meal and it was a struggle trying to finish this. All in the name of dessert :D

Quirky signs doubling up as table tops. The cafe itself has an industrial feel to it ala Seven Seeds, St Ali etc., with exposed bricks and steel.

Eagerly waiting for my brekkie!

Perfect weather one second, raining cats and dogs the next second. That's Melbourne for you, great coffee culture and famous indecisive weather. :)

Tom Phat - Brunswick

After weeks of having breakfast at home on the weekends, we decided to head out to Tom Phat with a couple of friends to check out the place. Never one to pick Asian cuisine over Western meals, I decided to go along with the boy for some fusion food ;) It took me a while though- oh let's say maybe....a couple of months- to agree to go? It was the perfect Saturday, sunny and warm, always a good excuse to try new things!

It's a cosy little place, complete with a communal table (which is where we sat that morning)

A splash of colour on the wall- the mural looks like its come straight out of a comic strip

Lonesome 'sifu' floating knowledgeably on a cloud :D

I wish I could say I finished it all but it was too big for one person! Roti omelette- roti and omelette with bacon, chives and tomato salsa. Very yummy mMMmmmm...heaps and heaps of bacon too, just what I like!

Omelette with spicy chorizo- tastes exactly like it sounds hahaha. The people who had this preferred it over my dish hmmph!

Uh oh I forgot what this was :( It was a very interesting combination! Not liking the maraschino cherries but the kaffir lime leaves and tamarind caramel were awesome possum! I never knew all these ingredients could work so well together.

I surprise myself sometimes...I liked what I had so much that this is going under the Stuff you HAVE to try label :D

"Parlez-vous français?"

We made a little trip to the CBD for brekkie this weekend with every intention of paying Roule Galette a visit. It's an authentic French Creperie that serves up amazing crepes, both savoury and sweet...whatever your tastebuds desire.

 

Everything- from the chef, waitr(esses), decor down to the songs wafting through the air were uniquely French. The boy opted for your typical Aussie breakfast- baked beans, shredded bacon and an egg perfectly wrapped in a crepe, with a dollop of butter to smear on your crepe.

And what did I have? Well you know the saying, when in France....;) So I got the Escargots! Haha, I know what you're thinking. Escargots for breakfast? I disagree- it was brunch :D

 

They were cooked in a creamy sauce with parsley and garlic- always the perfect two ingredients for escargots.

I highly recommend ducking in for a bite when you have the time (crepes are made individually from scratch so the wait is a little longer than usual but always worth it). We are already planning another trip to this quaint little joint- this time for some sweet crepes.

Cafe Sweethearts - South Melbourne

Cafe Sweethearts is my failsafe choice for a satisfying breakfast. This place has certainly gotten more popular over the years, up to the point where it's better to make a reservation so that you're guaranteed a table, and this is something that I don't really like. I mean, how often do you call ahead to make a booking for breakfast? When I go to sleep the night before, I don't even know if I'll be heading out the next day, or spending all day at home watching shows on my computer hibernating under the doona.

But I guess they've got to do what they've got to do to control the crowd that keeps pouring in through their double doors. Hmm, make that revolving doors, since there's always people coming and going har har. You can always take a chance and rock up without a reservation, but be prepared to wait or be turned away if they are REALLY busy and can't accommodate you. Their Eggs Benedict section of the menu is extensive and they have many variants...maybe a gazillion, ok I lie but it sure looked like that many. 

I had the Eggs Atlantic (?)- toasted english muffins with smoked salmon and delicious hollandaise sauce, topped with fresh dill. Mmm, the sauce is perfect and the eggs are beautifully poached.

Bf opted for Eggs Benedict with mushrooms- can't go wrong there!

The previous time we went (oh, maybe over a year ago now) we shared a blueberry pancake between the 2 of us and it was just divine. I highly recommend it since the pancake is packed full of juicy blueberries. They also do a proper chai latte (with the spices and tea- not the syrup rubbish) so if you like your chai like I like mine, give it go... you won't regret it ;)

Quick post this time around- I am officially joining the working world once again come tomorrow! 

Parisian Patisserie - Moonee Valley

The bf was sweet enough to take me to Parisian Patisserie on Keilor Road today after a disappointing outing to a cafe in the CBD where I missed out on crazily hyped macarons by mere seconds. I didn't plan on taking him up on his offer as I don't really eat pastries and don't really have a sweet tooth (really!) but at his insistence we set off in search of this place famous for its Almond Croissants.

It was packed when we got there around 11.30am on a Friday morning, so we settled on a table outside. Good thing the sun was out and the weather was warm enough. 

Yummy goodies on display in the window.

Quaint deco littered the pathway outside

I had the Egg & Prosciutto Brioche. I liked this as it was 1) savoury 2) had some meat and protein in it. My two faves in every dish :) I thought the brioche itself was a letdown and somewhat underwhelming as it wasn't as buttery as I would've liked it to be. Behold the magnificence of gooey, runny egg yolk ... mmmm....

We also had a couple of other brioche pastries:

Mixed berry brioche- again, was let down by the brioche, but the mixed berry filling was tart and lovely.

Almond & Apricot brioche- I thought this was so-so.

Buttery Almond Croissant- This is absolutely amazing. It's flaky and buttery on the outside, and takes on a semi-cake like texture on the inside so it's different from your typical croissants which are usually lighter on the inside. This would taste absolutely delicious paired with a cup of good coffee.

Brownie for breakfast? Hmm, I wasn't so sure about having something so chocolatey and heavy for breakfast but the boy seemed to enjoy this very much. I'm sure this would make a delectable treat for afternoon tea.

We also took away some food for later (ie. right now! yay!)- Pecan & Macadamia Tart, Cheese Twist (I just had this, it's so buttery and flaky yummm), and a couple of macarons (a little too sweet for me: Raspberry, Blackcurrant, Pistachio and Rose Water).

Definitely a place to return to for its heavenly almond croissants, and next time I'll make sure to try some of their sandwich offerings!