Le Renaissance

One of my favourite cafes in Sydney. Great coffee and macarons. 

Rosewater and mandarin & milk chocolate macarons (AU$3 each)

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star 
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star 

Type of venue: French, Bakery,  Dessert

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: 47 Argyle St, The Rocks NSW 2000

Larder

We wanted to escape the dreary weather in Melbourne and decided on a short drive to Daylesford to try something new. The weather was perfect and there were lots of people who had the same idea as us. Larder in Daylesford serves up your typical breakfast fare as well as some interesting menu items showcasing local produce. We ordered from the sharing menu and had:

Larder tasting plate (AU$29) - featuring Chef's selection of house made produce: chicken and pork terrine, chicken liver and sherry parfait, Gorgonzola mousse, cured Ocean Trout, smoked Trout mousse, roast fennel and cannelloni bean dip with fresh baked ciabatta. Generous tasting board with plenty of sliced bread. Our favourites were the chicken liver parfait and Gorgonzola mousse.  The smoked trout mousse was a little too light in flavour. A good way to try what is on offer.

Thick cut fries (AU$9) - hand cut from locally farmed pot

atoes with rosemary salt and mayo. Creamy and fluffy potatoes done well. Very chunky and more towards wedges which we like.

Hush puppies (AU$9) - Southern American style fries cheese and herb balls with bbq sauce and mayo. Delicious fluffy, pillowy balls with a soufflé like texture. Good on its own and it had a nice cheesy flavour. The bbq sauce tasted like it was spiked with alcohol and was certainly an interesting sauce.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star ½

Type of venue: Breakfast,  Modern,  Coffee

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: 57A Vincent Street, Daylesford VIC 3460

Huff Bagelry

Huff Bagelry serves probably the best bagels out there. You can have plain ones or ones with different fillings. We had two of our favourites:

Smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers - served in your choice of bagel, the combination of smoked salmon and capers is always a winner. The cream cheese isn't too heavy either so definitely a good option to have.

Chopped egg, tuna, cheese and rocket - delicious combination of tuna, egg and cheese with the rocket adding a bit of bite and texture to this bagel.

Service: :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Bakery, Coffee, Sandwiches/Subs

Worth a return visit? Yes. 

Address: 112 Koornang Road, Carnegie VIC 3163

Pepper Cafe

A very popular cafe in Flemington. Having frequented quite a few establishments in Flemington, Pepper was next on the list. Had only been there previously for coffee and it is always packed. We enjoyed our brunch and are looking forward to going back. We had:

The hygienic breakfast - fried eggs, with bacon, potato gratin, slow roasted tomato, button mushroom, baked beans, chorizo sausage and sourdough. Delicious. Perfectly fried eggs and deliciously rich potato gratin make this quite a standout among 'big breakfasts'.

Baked eggs - pork and fennel sausage and vegetable casserole with toasted birdseed sourdough. Eggs were perfectly cooked with the yolk still runny. Only negative is that the casserole could be a little thicker in consistency.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star ½
Value for money: :star :star :star :star ½

Type of venue: Breakfast, Modern, Coffee

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: 44 Pin Oak Cre,  Flemington VIC 3031

Xocolatl Cafe

We're on a quest to find the best hot chocolate in Melbourne. What's your favourite? We drove out to Maling Rd in Canterbury and had:

Spanish hot chocolate - Xocolatl's "regular" hot chocolate, couverture spiced with a hint of cinnamon and vanilla. Large serving of deliciously rich hot chocolate and with just the perfect hint of cinnamon.

 

Orange hot chocolate - couverture infused with real orange. If you like flavoured hot chocolate, this is definitely for you. Imagine a drink version of choc-dipped candied oranges. Very rich and delicious.

Passionfruit and olive oil teacake - good accompaniment to the hot chocolates. We didn't want something too rich or heavy and it was just right.

If you haven't  already been here,  we highly recommend it!

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Dessert,  Coffee

Worth a return visit? Yes

Address: 123 Maling Road, Canterbury VIC 3126

Hardware Société

One of our favourite cafes in Melbourne, Hardware Société delivers on all fronts; excellent service, food, drinks and value. We don't visit as often as we used to but we certainly try and have it as often as we can. This time we had:

Croque Madame - bacon lardons, smoked eggplant bechamel, fried frisee salad. A wonderful version of a ham and cheese toastie with a fried egg on top. The ham has been replaced with bacon and we think it is better for it, and it not only looks amazing but tastes great.

Poached eggs deux - housemade lyonnaise sausage, potato and leek croquette, blood orange relish. Good mix of flavours, slightly sweet with the marmalade-like relish. The croquettes were perfectly prepared as were the sliced sausage and poached eggs.

Hot chocolate - 54% dark Callebaut. Certainly one of if not the best hot chocolate out there. Rich and very satisfying. Try it if you haven't already!

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Breakfast, French, Coffee

Worth a return visit? Yes.

Address: 118-120 Hardware Street,  Melbourne VIC 3000 

Top Paddock

Top Paddock is without a doubt our favourite cafe in Melbourne (What's yours?). We used to go to Hardware Société nearly every weekend but due to the unfortunate fire that forced it to close for a while, we split our loyalty between the two. Mind you, we still eat in quite a few cafes but the consistently good coffee and food offering makes this place our go to cafe. The broccolini and sugar snaps with poached eggs are a good vegetarian option and for those that prefer something sweet, the hotcakes are simply divine. This time we had:

Corn and manchego croquettes with poached eggs, jalapeño aioli served on charred sourdough - The specials change every week but no complaints every time we do choose something from the specials. The croquettes were nice and crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside with the aioli giving it a nice touch. One thing I have to say is the poached eggs are perfect every time.

White anchovies and Jamón serrrano with fried eggs, padron peppers and manchego on toast - Always good. The anchovies are deliciously briny and the peppers have the occasional kick complemented really well with the manchego and Jamón.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star 

Type of venue: Breakfast,  Brunch,  Cafe,  Coffee

Worth a return visit? Yes. 

Address: 658 Church Street,  Richmond VIC 3121

Drug Store Espresso

Been walking past this cafe many times and finally decided to check it out as it is always busy. The first time was a bit disappointing as although the food was fresh and good, the service and wait time wasn't. In fact, we waited about an hour for our meals to arrive and the staff seemed to be very unorganised.

But, as we did enjoy what we ordered, we thought we would give them another go but we were prepared for a long-wait for our meals. Thank goodness this time it wasn't too bad at all. And the food was once again superb. However, we ordered earl grey tea for one of the drinks but ended up with a pot of hot water instead.

We both ordered the "Fresh coconut husk bowl" with banana, strawberries, Croissant powder, chai seeds, sesame seeds, brazil nuts and dates. The coconut water is served to you while you wait for it to arrive. Just be careful of small pieces of the husk mixed in when you tuck into this deliciously fresh and undoubtedly healthy option.

Definitely a good cafe to try if you are in the area. Good healthy options on the menu and the coffee is very good.

Service: :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Breakfast,  Brunch,  Lunch,  Cafe,  Coffee

Worth a return visit? Maybe

.

Address: 194 Toorak Road,  South Yarra VIC 3141

Pillar of salt

It has been quite a while since our last visit. Decided to revisit and review it as part of our review of brunch spots in Melbourne.

Situated on Church Rd, this cafe is certainly one of the better ones with a large selection of drinks and menu options.

So, how was it?

Citrus fruit salad with blueberry and chia seed coyo yoghurt topped with millet and amarynth popcorn - Lots of citrus as its name suggests but the liquid content also made the yoghurt become more of a soup so not too appetising in the end.

Kimchi,  corn and sweet potato fritters with pink grapefruit cured kingfish,  sour cream, pineapple and wombok slaw, housemade sweet chilli sauce and poached egg - Quite tasty and compared to a few of the fritter options available in Melbourne, it is probably one of the best in terms of taste and presentation. Asian inspired, it would suit someone who is after a heavier option for breakfast.

Service: :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star ½
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Cafe breakfast, Brunch,  Coffee

Worth a retune visit? Maybe.

Address: 541 Church Street, Richmond VIC 3121

Operator 25

Yet another popular breakfast/brunch/lunch spot to try. Very high rating as listed on Urbanspoon. Decided to try a couple of their breakfast options so as to compare it to a couple of our favourites(Top Paddock and Hardware Société). 

So,  how was it? We ordered the following:

Thick wood smoked Kaiser bacon served with fried quail eggs,  gem lettuce,  watercress,  blackberries, crostini and caesar dressing - Overall, it tasted quite fresh and the bacon was nicely smoked. However, the quail eggs being quite tiny as they are, were kinda lost taste wise in the dressing and smokiness of the bacon. A simple fried egg or two would have been better. Also, the crostini added nothing to the dish.

Matcha and white chocolate hot cakes with black sesame cream,  sour cherry, banana chips, toasted hazelnut and cherry sauce - Good hit of green tea but the white chocolate was too subtle. Too heavy in the end as the hotcakes were quite thick and dense so maybe one would have been enough, halved to make two pieces.

Conclusion: The high rating is not justified but it is a good addition to the what is available in the city. Some of the other options on the menu may actually be quite nice and the lunch options sound good and are available from 11.30 a.m.

Service: :star :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star ½
Value for money: :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Breakfast, Brunch, Coffee

Worth a retune visit? Maybe.

Address: 25 Wills Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Tivoli Road Bakery

Tivoli Road Bakery (formally MoVida Bakery ) is situated in South Yarra and you can't say you have been there until you have tried one of their signature doughnuts with 3 different types of fillings to choose from. If you don't have a sweet tooth, their home made sandwiches made with their freshly baked breads might interest you.

Today we had a chicken sandwich with walnut,  pears and grapes,  and a smoked salmon bun with rocket salad. Finished off with a delicious salted caramel filled donut!

Service: :star :star :star :star
Quality of food: :star :star :star :star :star
Value for money: :star :star :star :star :star

Type of venue: Bakery, Coffee, Donuts

Worth a return visit? Yes!

Address: 3 Tivoli Road,  South Yarra VIC 3141