Mr Ed Cafe - Flemington

Flemington has changed a lot over the years. In recent times we've seen an explosion of laksa joints, Japanese restaurants and dumpling houses squeezed in between kebab joints and fish and chip places; now Flemington can add a trendy new brunch place to its list.

Mr Ed Cafe, located on racecourse road is the latest addition to the Western suburbs growing brunch scene. It's a relatively large space decorated with Dom Sowersby artwork but the large display case is equally beautiful in comparison with lots of pies, cakes and other treats to choose from.

I ordered Braised pulled pork with a potato and feta hash cake and a fried duck egg whilst my friend had the bubble & squeak from their breakfast menu. I was really impressed by their bubble & squeak, it's a lighter, more attractive take on your traditional fry up. My only complaint is that there was a lot of pork on my plate for such a small hash cake, a piece of toast would've been great.

A sweet treat from their cabinet is of course hard to resist. I'm still so intrigued by their Cranberry, hazelnut, meringue cupcake. The outside is crispy and sweet like a meringue but fluffy on the inside, it's not really like anything I've had before.

285 Racecourse Road, Kensington, Victoria, 3031

Phone - (03)9376 6444

Email - info@mredcafe.com.au

Trading hours: Mon-Fri 7am-4:30pm Sat-Sun 8-4pm

Cobb Lane Cafe & Bakery

Matt Forbes, an enthusiast pastry chef from the UK who is quickly dominating the Melbourne sweets and pastry scene. Having been trained by Culinary royalty such as Raymond Blanc and Michel Roux, it wasn't a surprise that Vue de Monde, Maze and Mr Hive all wanted him in their kitchens.

Finally in 2013 Forbes opened up Cobb Lane bakery which has been delighting Melbourne with his freshly baked bread and heavenly sweets.

A quaint little cafe in Yarraville adorned with gorgeous blue tiling, it is the best place to finally enjoy Forbes' treats made fresh.

With lots of unique and extraordinary flavours such as Earl grey, passion fruit and chocolate or Ginger and Toffee there's a little something for everyone. You can also come in early for a delicious savoury weekend brekky.

If you can't make it to Yarraville, Forbes' products are stocked in 16 different cafes all around Melbourne so there's no excuse not to get your hands on his cookies, cakes or doughnuts.

Alice Nivens Cafe

Take a step into wonderland and join Alice Nivens for afternoon tea.

Janet Wong's alter ego has manifested itself into the hidden gem that is her cafe. Tucked away in Port Phillip Arcade, Alice Nivens bakes delicious new treats everyday that are served alongside lovingly made coffee and tea (from Storm in a Teacup). 

The cupcakes, muffins and cakes change on a daily basis so there's always an excuse to come back and try something new.

If the sweets aren't enough to lure you in, simply popping by to chat with owner, Janet is as good a pick me up than any coffee will ever be. Her energy and passion is simply remarkable.

Open Monday to Friday, it's perfect for your early morning coffee or for a bit of afternoon tea.

Waffee - CBD Opening

Once hidden away in Altona, Waffee is finally opening in the CBD!

There's nothing better than an authentic handmade Belgian waffle and a nice cuppa.

They have a gorgeous selection of waffles, my favourite is chocolate stick.

I can't wait until they're open so I can try them all.

They open on the 2nd of November. Go in and enjoy a waffle!

Storm in a Teacup.

Hello There,

I recently took a trip down Smith St for a long overdue visit to Storm in a Teacup. Storm in a Teacup is the baby of Sarah Cowell former tea sommelier at Vue de Monde, whom I had the pleasure of meeting when I had dinner there. Her tea knowledge and passion is inspirational and I am glad she could share her love of tea with all of Melbourne now.

Basically Storm in a Teacup is a Tea bar, so they are a bar but specialize in brewing tea as well. A place like this was a heaven sent for me, there are very few places in Melbourne that do their tea justice. Most 'tea drinkers' are happy sipping from a teapot crammed with too many leaves, filled with boiling water, steeping for much too long. At Storm in a Teacup, no matter which tea you select from their extensive list, you can be sure that the tea you are drinking is brewed with the utmost respect and care. The water temperature is perfect, the steeping time is exact and the ratio of tea and leaves is well balanced.

photo courtesy of: http://storminateacup.com.au

In simpler words, they do tea RIGHT.

They also do some pretty damn good cocktails as well. ;)

*******************************************************

I, of course could not resist their little food menu. I shared a charcuterie board and a vegie smash plate with my friend. Charcuterie boards are always great but what surprised me was the vegie smash. I really really enjoyed the flavours; there was an eggplant, beetroot and pumpkin vegie smash. Just really good simple flavours that I polished off in no time. All the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly so they can really help you decide on a tea as well as tempt you to try their selection of cakes.

They're always baking something new so pop in and have a look. 

**************************************************

If you're a true lover of tea, you'll love this place. It's just amazing that a place like this has opened, it's a reflection of Melbourne's growing tea community and the recognition of tea's importance in culinary society. 

I sincerely hope you guys check this place out, it's doing some great things.

Address:  

  48A Smith Street

  Collingwood, Vic. 3066

Telephone: (03) 9415 9593

Opening Hours:  Tues & Wed 10am-6pm

                                  Thurs 10am-9pm

                                Fri & Sat 10am-11pm

                                    Sun 10am-6pm

                                    Closed Monday

Top Paddock

After walking past the construction site 3 times a week for about 9 months now, Top Paddock has finally arrived. Proudly brought to you by the same masterminds behind Three Bags Full and Two Birds One stone, Top Paddock is their new baby located in Richmond (and fortunately next door to my work)

My first visit was unfortunately after 3 o'clock so their kitchen was already closed but I was able to order from their tapas menu. I went for White Anchovies on Toast.

An extremely simple dish that packs a punch. The anchovies were delicate and flavorsome and just a dash of oil gave it a real zing!

Soon after, the cakes cabinet beckoned my name and before I knew it a gorgeous Vanilla and Lemon curd cupcake was placed before me. The fluffy vanilla and lemon curd center was the perfect treat with the addition of an incredibly light and creamy frosting on top.

*************************************************************

For my second visit I made sure I came before 3 o'clock, with a few girlfriends and starving! 

We had such an pleasant time sitting outside and enjoying the sunshine all whilst having a fantastic lunch.

I decided to try their Soft Shell QLD Mud Crab with dill, fennel and lime mayonnaise on Brioche. I've heard a lot of good things about this dish and thankfully it did not disappoint. A very unique but tasty burger made with brioche from MoVida Bakery that is to die for. A fluffy and buttery heaven!

Photo courtesy of  Carmen

My sister ordered Gin and lime cured trout, poached eggs, potato galette with a feta and beetroot relish. I got a serious case of food envy when this was brought out. I of course stole a bite and it was divine, such simple and clean flavours. A very refreshing and suitable lunch for such a hot and sunny day.

Photo Courtesy of  Ngoc

My friend had their signature Top Paddock breakfast. It looked so beautiful, I'm definitely getting one ALL to myself next time. 

**********************************************

After some gossip and drinks, we decided it was dessert time.

I chose their Chocolate Ganache tart with Raspberries. A gorgeous and rich tart with the bonus of being gluten free for the celiacs reading this blog! 

Photo Courtesy of Ngoc

My friend had this revelation of a Chocolate cheesecake brownie! It was highly recommended by all the staff and our waiter couldn't help but mention it was "life changing" as he placed it down and boy, was he right!

I had a small bite and it was absolutely mind blowing. It's as rich and chocolatey as a cheesecake but somehow is so light and creamy it melts in your mouth before you can even feel guilty! My only fault is that I did not order this myself. 

**********************************************************

 With a spacious design and floor to ceiling windows that let in the summer breeze, Top Paddock is the ideal cafe for any typical Melburnian looking to sloth it out in comfort and style in this summer heat. 

Chef Jesse McTavish ensures that all the ingredients used are of the highest quality, so you know you'll be eating nothing but the best as you're trying to decide which coffee to try from their huge selection.

I'm most definitely going to become a regular, so keep an eye out for me! 

See you next blog !

Top Paddock
658 Church st, Richmond 3121
Ph: 03 9429 4332

Chicco & Luxbite

Hello Readers!

I've cut my hair! It's now the shortest it's been since I was 14! What do you think?

Anyway back to business as usual, I've been to some rather delightful cafes lately and so I thought I'd share my experience.

As a part of our family day of togetherness we picked a new cafe to go to called Chicco. I'm really glad we chose this one cos I was extremely satisfied with the brunch we had there.

It's a very melbourne-style cafe so it's very quaint with lots of interesting interior decoration and even their own blend of coffee. My dad is even considering having his birthday here.

This is what I ordered, it was simply called The Baguette. It had eggs, organic bacon and their tomato chutney inside. This was possibly the best bacon I've ever had in my life. I'm not sure whether it being organic had to do with the amazing crispiness and flavour of the bacon but it was just perfect, I could not have asked for anything more.

A word of warning though, I don't recommend the salmon. It wasn't very fresh and tasted veeerryyy fishy.

Finally as usual my meal was finished with a nice cuppa tea.

I also noticed this on their wall on my way out, it's like a flower made of chairs. haha

***************************************************

Now if you've got a sweet tooth, these next few pictures are for you!

Luxbite is a well-known cafe on Toorak road and has a wonderful selection of desserts.

Luxbite also has a very good reputation for their macarons, it's apparently one of Melbourne's top 20 macarons as well. There was so much to choose from our family ended up being greedy and getting 5 desserts! 

This was mine, a very rich dark chocolate with some raspberry flavour as well. An excellent combination.

This was my sister's. I'm not a fan of rose so it wasn't my favourite but the raspberries and macaron consistency were very nice.

This one my family agreed was superb! An adorable little meringue with watermelon yoghurt inside, it also had a nice zesty biscuit base as well. It had all the elements of a great dessert. It was light and sweet with great textures.

This one would be great if you're a Forrero Rocher lover, it has similar flavours but so much prettier.

Another unanimously voted favourite by my family, well suited for those who like a citrus, zesty kind of flavour and biscuit bottoms. 

We had such a wonderful time at Luxbite, it was just so nice to bond with my family over some incredible desserts. The service was also amazing, extremely helpful and friendly. The waitress said we were the cutest family she's ever met and that we made her miss her own family, I think her name was Gift.

In conclusion, I will definitely be coming back to try their next season of cakes!

********************************************************

Thanks for reading! Going to end this blog with just a few other things I've had the pleasure of eating.

Big brekkie from Globe on Chapel St.

Tonkatsu Ramen from Ajisen.

Chicken Salten-Boca and a Duck Risotto from Zest 89

Baked eggs with cheese and bacon and a side of herby bread made by my sister and me.

Crazy Wing!

and finally a cute little Korean cake in the shape of a fish.