Ten One Ate - Essendon

About a year ago, I visited Ten One Ate in Essendon for some much needed brunch. It was a busy Sunday morning but we managed to nab a table within minutes. We ordered to share.

We had the avo smash ($18) with extra chorizo ($6). It came with a potato and cheese rosti, avocado (obviously), danish feta, poached eggs, almonds and cucumber ribbons. At first glance, it was pretty small. Usually 2 slices of sourdough toast fill up the plate but the single rosti was the size of a tomato slice. The single poached egg also lent disappointment to the dish as it was overcooked and didn't provide a brunch essential: yolk porn. Flavour-wise, it was alright. A plus was how liberal they were with the feta. More cheese is always a plus.

We also ordered the braised pork benedict ($19) and added some hashbrowns ($2) because why the heck not. There was also poached eggs, hollandaise, crispy pancetta and turkish bread. This definitely looked more appetising as you could see how much pork was loaded up on the roll. The eggs were definitely a lot more satisfying on this dish. Just your standard pork benny really, nothing to write home about. The hashbrowns did really hit the spot and were little nuggets of perfection.

Overall, I had an alright time at Ten One Ate. Service was good. The ambience was your your usual brunchy fare. Nice and bright inside with plenty of indoor plants. Food was pretty decent. I've tried a lot of cafes this side of town but perhaps I should venture to the East Side and see what I am missing out on.


Taste: 7/10
Presentation: 7/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Service: 7/10

The Stable of Como - South Yarra

We went to The Stables of Como to celebrate my friend's 25th birthday. Thought it would be nice to dress up a bit in matching floral themes and be classy and have high tea.

House-cured Salmon, Horseradish on Rye 

Truffled Croque Monsieur on mini English Muffin

Dill Cucumber, Creme Cheese on Tin Loaf

Aggies lemonade scone, house made Jam and whipped Chantilly cream

Aggies lemonade scone, house made Jam and whipped Chantilly cream

Red Velvet Tea Cake

Choux pastry filled with Vanilla Creme, Berries

Ginger Brulee Tartlet

Happy Birthday Gurl!

Overall, we had a good time. The savoury bites definitely outshone the desserts. The truffled croque monsieur on mini English Muffin was delicious! The best dessert was the scones and cream, honestly you cannot go wrong with this classic. It is really a cute spot and you can explore the gardens after eating. Service was prompt and good. I probably would not return since it was a bit too expensive for the amount of food we received. Not going to lie, we went to eat more food after this. However, free-flowing mimosas for an additional $5 is an absolute steal but unfortunately we did not opt in for that, regretsssss. They do have a Guy Tea menu which has heartier bites (rather than cakes and sandwiches) and TBH that looks more appealing for my palate but oh well. 

Taste: 6/10

Value for Money: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Presentation: 7/10

 

Lincoln Food Store - Essendon

A couple Sunday's ago (to be fair it may be a few months ago), my siblings and I paid Lincoln Food Store a visit for our weekly brunch session. It is a quaint little store opposite the Lincoln State Park that is a newcomer to the Essendon brunch scene.

Cute leafy interior

I personally ordered the Mexican fish tacos ($18), which consisted of oven roasted spice trevally with tomato, onion, avocado, charred corn salsa and sriracha mayo. It came with 3 nicely sized tacos and was beautifully presented. It was such a shame that it tasted quite average. The fish was quite dry and under-seasoned and the sauce was so scarce it didn't bring the dish together. Pass.

Quynh ordered her usual, Eggs Benedict ($19), with braised Moroccan rub pork shoulder with poached eggs, Pedro Ximenez hollandaise and apple radish slaw on toast. Again, this lacked the promised flavouring of Moroccan spices. The pork, while perfectly tender was quite bland. She ordered a side of mushrooms ($4) which were quite tasty. It was an okay dish and could have used more slaw to counter all the yolky richness.

My brother ordered the Falafel Salad ($17) with pan tossed broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini, raisins, kale, fried chickpea, tahini and lemon dressing. He couldn't help himself and added haloumi ($5) and chorizo ($5), oops so much for a vegan salad. The zesty dressing helped a lot as falafel does tend to be dry. It was a shame that the haloumi wasn't crisply fried.

Overall, we had an alright time at Lincoln. We left full but not satisfied. That in between feeling of wanting something more to ear but not quite hungry enough to do so... The flavours just didn't quite hit the mark for me. Service was fantastic and the vibes were chill. I was a fan of all the indoor plants. Down with one brunch spot and on to the next. PS the menu has slightly changed now so this was just my opinion at the time!


Taste: 5/10
Presentation: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Value for Money: 6/10

Humble Rays - Carlton

A few Sunday's ago, we paid a visit to Humble Rays. It was only a 10-15 minute wait around midday. I didn't realise it was so close to the CBD!

DRANKS

Kevin got an Iced Chocolate ($4.50).  I got the Roseberry Soda Pop ($7). It was rose soda lime, mix berry puree and pomegranate popping pearls. This was soooooo good. Properly sweet and the popping pearls were a delight.

Crab Meat Scramble

I got the Crab Meat Scramble ($18.50). This was crab meat scramble eggs, Asian herbs, fried shallot, sriracha mayo, red chilli, chilli oil served with crossaint. Bloody yum. The crab flavour was so distinct and the eggs were nice and fluffy.  I thought this dish was great but it was missing a bit of acidity, some cherry tomatoes would've rounded it off nicely.

Egg Benny

Kevin got the Egg Benny ($18.50). This was ginger braised pork belly, Miso and potato korokke, almond & cashews dukkah, poached egg, yuzu hollandaise, chilli bacon jam and parsley crumbs. This was pretty good as well. Very rich in flavour but a little on the heavy side. A simple apple slaw could have provided the acidity it needed.

SPREADDDDD

Inside was cute

Outside was cute too

Overall, we had a great time at Humble Rays. The cafe was super cute and waitstaff were friendly. The dishes were near perfect. We had no room for dessert but the puffles look so cute. Next time!





Taste: 8.5/10
Presentation: 8/10
Value for Money: 8/10
Service: 7.5/10

Braybrook Stn - Braybrook

We had a sibling brunch at newly(?) opened Braybrook Stn recently. It is from the same owners of Northcote Stn which I have yet to try. They have very similar menus. We shared all the dishes between the 3 of us.

DRANKS

For drinks, I got the Lemon Squash ($4), Q for the Matcha ($5) and my brother got Snickers Smoothie ($9). All pretty standard drinks. The matcha had a grainy chalky taste.

Slow Cooked Beef Cheek

Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks ($21) was paired with rosemary hash, spiced cabbage, apple slaw, poachies and bearnaise. This was by far the tastiest dish that we had. It had all the textures with the tender beef, crispy slaw and creamy sauce. Solid dish.

Housemade XO Chilli Scramble

We also got the Housemade XO Chilli Scramble ($19.50) with smokey chorizo, fresh avocado, corn salsa, tomato, coriander and chilli oil. Such a disappointing dish. I usually love my scrambled eggs but this was over and not silky smooth. It lacked seasoning and the salsa was bland. We did comment on the lack of XO chilli flavour to the waiter, since we were expecting punchier flavours.

Corn, Zucchini & Jalapeno Fritters

Lastly the Corn, Zucchini & Jalapeno Fritters ($18.90) with smokey tomato, ricotta, salata, avo mousse and poachies. This was a pretty meh dish as well. The fritters were alright but the condiments were lacking. It could have done with more of everything to meld all the flavours together. More sauce pls.

SPREADDDD

Right in the Shopping Centre!

Overall, Braybrook Stn was pretty average. The location was very convenient and the interior was nice and bright. I wasn't a fan of the metal tables as it reminded me of my high school cafeteria. The beef cheeks were definitely a winner and if I were to come back, I would order them. I am not rushing back anytime soon to go here.






Taste: 6/10
Presentation: 7/10
Value for Money: 7/10
Service: 7/10

Faraday's Cage - Fitzroy

Our friend, Viv (aka @ourfavouritepasttime) got invited to eat at Faraday's Cage and she asked us to come eat with her. Faraday's Cage has been on my list of brunch places to go for ages and this was the perfect opportunity. We were seated in the courtyard and were given a selection of dishes from them.

Yay Faraday's Cage!

Juices and Chai

Pastries!

So flaky!

To start we were given a selection of house made pastries. They were deliciously flaky and Viv said it was the closest to what she has eaten in France. That's a winner for sure!

Best croissant ever!!

We also shared a freshly baked croissant with Australian cultured butter and homemade peach and passionfruit jam. It was just the perfect marriage of flavours.

Chilli Scrambled Eggs

MMMM this was the Chilli Scrambled Eggs ($15.50). It was scrambled eggs, chilli, Persian feta on sourdough toast. The eggs itself were soooo fluffy and silky. We devoured this so quickly. I loved the hidden pops of creamy feta.

Smashed Avo

Dat egg yolk tho

Next was the Smashed Avocado ($17). This was beetroot hummus, black olive soil, Meredith's goat cheese, breakfast radish, kale salt, rye sourdough toast and topped with an extra poached egg ($2). I don't usually order the smashed avo because it is usually too basic for me but this was jam packed with goodies. I loved the addition of the vibrant beetroot hummus. Just a really solid dish that let the avocado shine.

Granola

For the sweeter side of things, we were given the House-Made Pear Granola ($13.50) which was saffron poached pear, house granola, honey, thyme labne, acai and seasonal berries. I am definitely in the savoury camp when it comes to food so wouldn't usually order granola at brunch but it was interesting to try it. It was really different and the fruit and honey lent sweetness to the neutral granola and labne. Viv and Quynh really enjoyed this one.

Ricotta Pancakes

To finish the meal, we had the Ricotta pancakes ($17). This consisted of caramelised white chocolate, broken meringue, passionfruit, maple syrup, dehydrated strawberry, lemon balm, marscapone and berries. The pancakes were ridiculously fluffy and I loved the contrast of the fresh and dehydrated fruits. All the toppings were very generous.

Amazing spread!

Overall, Faraday's Cage exceeded my expectations. It was truly a delicious meal, that I was super impressed by. The wait staff were friendly and we felt welcomed to dine there. I loved the presentation and how vibrant the dishes looked. I am pretty keen to come back and try the hot smoked salmon and fritters dish. Thanks for having us!!




Taste: 9/10
Presentation: 9/10
Service: 9/10