Axil coffee roasters , MELB

I can be spontaneous on some days and this particular day was no exception. My body refused to let me sleep in even for an extra hour and so, I texted my walking pal to see if he was keen on going for a morning walk.

He replied almost instantly that he was going to the CBD to move a few items into his apartment and asked if I would like to join him. Yes, he threw in the promise of freshly baked croissants from South Melbourne market, a deal almost too good to resist.

So fast forward, we picked up our croissants and he parked near Melbourne central where I intended to plant myself at a cafe and catch up on reading. I passed by Axil on my way to use the lavatory and immediately headed there after using the washroom. 

I was surprised (and secretly pleased) that they have opened a branch in the CBD as this means I have yet another favourite outlet within my vicinity. 

 
Buckwheat and pistachio bircher muesli with rhubarb, strawberry and coconut sorbet - I was not in the mood for savoury options that particular morning and opted to have a fresh and lighter meal to accompany my cup of coffee. 

I rarely do eat muesli at a cafe as it is something that I can easily whip up in the comfort of my own kitchen but I have to admit that Axil does it well. The sorbet was a perfect addition to the muesli and gave it a refreshing boost. Not overly sweet nor bland, I would happily reorder this.

 Croque monsieur - as it name suggests, this dish is basically a pressed sandwich filled with cured meat and topped with melted cheese, fried egg and a small side of salad. As always, Axil did not disappoint. Prepared with utmost care and attention to detail, it was not overly moreish and was cooked to perfection,

Stanley, Mount Waverley MELB

All Melbournians are now entitled to “freedom” which gave most of us an opportunity to finally enjoy a meal outdoors, one that I am guilty of abusing. 

Stanley is located along a quiet street in Mount Waverley and is frequently by residents living in the surrounding quarters. After my first experience outdoors, I’ve learnt the importance of making bookings in advance.

Pork Benny - pulled pork served atop half a (deep fried)waffle and topped with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. Overall dish was well prepared and seasoned. Only qualm I have is it’s small portion size.

Hot cakes - served with strawberry purée, meringue pieces and a small quenelle of mascarpone. Whilst I liked the dish’s concept, the hot cakes felt dry on the palate and could do with some much needed syrup or cream. Sadly, portion size here did not fare any different from the pork Benny.
 

The Food Republic Cafe, Blackburn

Impromptu lunch outing with the siblings before we partake in the mad afternoon rush at the grocery store. Ample space at the cafe and one that welcomes pets into the cafe itself.

Soy latte - thoroughly enjoyed this cuppa.

Eggs benedict - the boring sister's choice of brunch/lunch.

Duck fusilli pasta - a little bland in my opinion. Shredded duck meat tossed with pasta and topped with thin slices of cheese and a handful of spinach. Could do with some seasoning.

Aunt billies cafe, Blackburn MELB

A quick brunch out to cap off 2019 at a cafe that we often drive by on our way to the surrounding suburbs. Cafe's menu was kept simple, nothing over the top fancy or extravagant (or questionable).

Matcha latte - looks promising but had a strange powdery aftertaste to it.

Chai tea latte using loose tea leaves - a hearty cup it was and was surprised at how much tea leaves was packed into the chai saucepan.

Chicken burger with a side of chips - chips were crisp and mum was satisfied with this meal.

Beef brisket benedict - slow cooked beef on potato croquettes. Overall simple and delicious.

The Bakers Wife. Camberwell MELB

Ten more days until 2019 is over and here we go again in 2020. To put simply, this year had been a roller coaster of highs and lows, both to their extreme ends and thankfully, there had always been a supporting hand for comfort and for celebration.

Here's to more than a decade of friendship with Mr. Potato, an easy going and trustworthy friend who brings out the food monster in me every single time without fail.

Cafe's interior is spacious, notably insta-worthy, with lush greenery surrounding patrons and a line up of baked goods ranging from filled doughnuts to slices neatly arranged at the front counter, making it almost impossible to walk out without one on hand.

Chilli scrambled eggs, bacon and tempura enoki mushroom served atop ciabatta bread. Scrambled eggs were creamy and had a reasonable amount of spiciness to it. The addition of saltier ingredients like the bacon and tempura complimented the milder tasting eggs well. Wouldn't mind re-ordering this dish again.

French toast with berries, lemon curd, burnt mascarpone, poached pear, pistachio praline and a serve of maple. Not sure if it was a good idea for the dishes to appear at the same time as our eyes were fixated on this dish. Pretty as a picture and delicious it was, in a sugar-rific sense. Not too sure if the burnt mascarpone was necessary but aside from that, both of us had no trouble drenching our toast with syrup and topping it off with lemon curd to balance off the sweetness.

Black angus beef burger - a simple burger done well with minimal attempts at making it overly extravagant. Thick cut chips were crisp and piping hot upon arrival at our table which allowed us to slowly enjoy our meal without having to worry about the possibility of cold, soggy chips.

 

Singapore: Ya Kun Kaya Toast

Kaya toast is a must have to complete a Malaysian/ Singaporean breakfast alongside soft boiled eggs and a cup of coffee/ tea. A concoction of sweet coconut jam, thickened with eggs and infused with pandan leaves, undergoes consistent stirring for a few hours, depending on the volume, before it can be bottled up ready for consumption.

The sister and I headed to a popular kaya toast chain, Ya Kun, for our early morning fix prior to catching the train to Orchard. Service is prompt being that most of the items are prepared in advance such as eggs and tea/coffee. 

Kaya toast was crisp and slathered with margarine and kaya. Wouldn’t mind having a bit more kaya on the toast as I like my toasts with thick spreads. No qualms about the beverages tho!

Hiatus, Kew MELB

It has been sometime since my last brunch outing and being occupied with work does not make the situation any better. Fortunately for me, I was kindly invited to brunch at Hiatus which was gave me the much needed prompt to head out and feed myself appropriately.

The menu covers regular options such as eggs benedict, big brekkie and pancakes, as well as a few innovative dishes such as mushroom gnocchi, sashimi bowl and nourish bowls for those wanting a interesting twist.

Latte - quintessential for any brunch outlet to thrive and am not disappointed at all.

Freshly squeezed pineapple juice - a healthier option as compared to commercially available sugar loaded "juices". Thumbs up for putting this on the menu!

Big breakfast - consisting of mushrooms, avocado, tomatoes, bacon, eggs, rosti and sourdough. Well prepared using fresh ingredients. Potato rosti was the stand out for me, being not overly greasy but still crisp all round.

Braised beef cheek with mash, butter braised winter vegetables, spinach, sweet sherry jus and micro celery - beef cheek was extremely succulent and soft, paired well with the dollop of moreish mash underneath it. I am no vegetarian but those winter vegetables were braised well and I secretly want the recipe for it haha.

White Mojo Speciality Coffee & Roaster CBD, MELB

Am a huge fan of White Mojo in Glen Waverley and naturally, was the place I wanted to bring a good friend to during her visit here. Being a weekday, it was easier to go to any brunch cafe without having to queue for long.

Menu wise, it is almost similar to the outlet in Glen Waverley which made it all the more easier to narrow down my meal option.

Chai latte - a good brew it was.

Basically smashed avocado mixed with peas atop bread and drizzled with pumpkin seeds and feta cheese. Not entirely convinced that this dish was worth $20 but ordered it anyway as said friend wanted to try it out. Overall, it was delicious but not some I would order again as I may possibly reproduce it at a fraction of the price.

Mushroom risotto - a favourite of mine and one that I thought went down well that day, albeit the unnecessary dollop of cream. Well seasoned and worth a second visit for.

Charlotte's corner, Blackburn MELB

Having a gym buddy has the advantage of having additional motivation during workouts and post-workouts as well. Since the potato pal arrived in Melbourne, my sessions have been a whole lot funnier and I have discovered the pleasure of using the sauna/steamer room to unwind after my intensive sessions.

Equally excellent to have a food buddy for exploring random cafes/ restaurants when gym is over and it's time to tuck into something delicious. This week's adventure brought us to Blackburn, a suburb that I have been meaning to poke my head into but never got around to it.

Small cafe serving simple, unpretentious food manned by friendly and attentive staff members. Wouldn't mind bringing a good book here and plonking down to have a read on a wet Melbourne day.

Sweetcorn fritter stack with bacon, spicy tomato relish, avocado, green leaves and poached egg. The potato pal fondly recalled having this when he first visited Melbourne many many years ago. Am personally not a huge fan of corn but did sneak a few bites of it. Well prepared although I do suspect that the relish may be store bought.

Chilli scrambled eggs with feta cheese, bacon and fried shallot - I am on a mission to sample egg dishes whenever I visit a cafe and yes, this would be one dish that I would happily recommend. Eggs were creamy, smooth and well seasoned. Paired well with the feta bits and bacon stripes.

I do feel that the multigrain toast was factory made and may have complemented the eggs better had it been sourced from a bakery instead. Nevertheless, I am not complaining as the entire dish was $16, an uncommon fee amongst Melbourne's many brunch cafes.

 

Servery and Spoon, Malvern East MELB

There's an interesting story behind this. After an intensive morning combat session, the potatoe and I used the gym's steamer to better cleanse our stinky bodies. An experience it was being a first timer as I recall fumbling into the steamy room and staring intently at the lad sitting in the corner in his bonds shorts before I shyly closed the door, determined to wait for potatoe to guide me through the steamer's etiquette.

Fast forward, we showered post-steaming and drove down the road to a quaint little cafe, peacefully located along Waverley road.

Moroccan slow cooked lamb salad - pulled lamb, quinoa, chickpeas, kale, pickled red onion, minted labneh, beetroot hummus and chilli dressing. Such a yummy salad and one that is generously packed with an assortment of ingredients.

Black bean shakshuka - absolutely delicious and as per the other dish, generously packed with ingredients. I love the flavour combination coming from the savoury beans cooked in tomato sauce, spicy chorizo and richness from the egg yolks. Slices of bread were toasted prior to getting a good dose of butter slapped on it. Damn, was that a good way to end the week.

Bentwood, Fitzroy MELB

Fitzroy never ceases to amaze me with their wide array of brunch/lunch options and despite numerous visits, there would always be one or two places that I have yet to visit.

 Latte - needed a good cuppa to kick start the day, especially when one is sleep deprived.

 Nutella crepes with strawberries, fried bananas, peanut butter, hazelnuts and vanilla ice cream.

 Braised lamb roll with pickled cucumbers, feta, dill, cabbage and harissa mayo - a good roll (or wannabe burger?) and probably could have tasted better with a little more seasoning in the braised lamb.

 Chilli scrambled eggs with bacon, coriander, cherry tomatoes, mint, fried shallots and parmesan on sourdough - I liked the overall flavour combination and thought that again, it would have been better with slightly more seasoning. Scrambled eggs were a little dry and almost akin an omelette in my humble opinion.

Bentwood beef burger with bacon, smoked cheese, BBQ glaze, mustard, thousand island dressing, lettuce, onion and tomato, served with fries and shake. A pretty good deal for $24. Burger was good and fries was fried to crispy perfection. Probably the least greasy burger I have had and something I would recommend for those wanting to keep an eye on their calories. We had the strawberry shake which could do with a tad more strawberry oomph in it.

Tall Timber, Prahran MELB

First day of 2019 spent having brunch with the fatty at Prahran. Finding a cafe outside of the CBD area was a challenge as most cafes were closed for the public holiday and those that are opened, well, do expect a little surcharge on the bill.

Wagyu beef burger - served with double smoked bacon, caramelized onions, cheddar, gherkins and lettuce. Twas yummy and unpretentious. Probably a good idea for those trying to recover from a hangover.

Chunky chips with roasted garlic aioli - am a sucker for chips and this fed me well.

Eggs benedict with smoked ham hock terrine and champagne poached apple. I actually quite enjoyed the terrine myself and would have liked a little more of it piled onto my plate. Overall tasty and pretty standard for a brunch spot.

Europe: Albert Cuyp Market, Amsterdam NETHERLANDS

And just like that, two months have lapsed since I visited Europe and till today, I am still struggling to find time to blog about the entire trip. This blog post is dedicated to the Dutch, one of the tallest people in the world and also the country with the best waffle snack. And cheese as well, but we will get to that a bit later.

Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam is such a touristy site, selling knickknacks ranging from *ahem* magical brownies to clothing to household toiletries, and fresh fruit and vegetables. Having said that, I did buy a punnet of raspberries which, sadly, had mould growing beneath them and I had to throw out a large portion of it...

The highlight of this market visit was obviously the stroopwafels. Truly the best ones I had in Netherlands in terms of quality. Stroopwafel was thin, crisp, warm and filled with gooey goodness. Kudos to the friendly chap (probably the owner too!) who was all smiles and patient. Am more than happy to come back, not because of the stroopwafels, but also for this guy's personality.

On the flip side, lots of street food around the market, all offering samples to passersby. The sister stopped to order a barbecued chicken sandwich topped with melted cheese and some pickles. No regrets there.