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

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

Penta - Elsternwick

Penta in Elsternwick is killing it in the social media game and it was about time I tried it for myself. The wait was only 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon.

Chai Latte ($6.50)

Grilled Shawarma Chicken

 I got the Grilled Shawarma Chicken Salad ($22). It was a warm grain salad, with farro, red quinoa, sorghum, cranberries, pomegranate, fetta, herbs, spinach, pepitas, and sumac labne. The grain salad was just so delicious! So many different textures and a really generous serving of the labne. i was really impressed. The chicken was a tad dry so that stopped this from being a 10/10 dish.

Penta Benedict

 Quynh got the Penta Benedict ($19) which had braised beef cheek, watercress, poached eggs and jalepeno hollandaise on sweet potato waffles. This was pretty good too. A bit on the heavy side but lucky we split our dishes 50/50 so we had the best of best worlds. I would've liked the sauce to be a bit more acidic to provide some relief though.

How can we go to Penta and not get their famous Nutella Panna Cotta ($19.50). This was accompanied by a nut banana sushi, honey joy crumb, strawberries, pomegranate molasses and torched marshmallows.  The pannacotta itself was wobbly and a great Nutella flavour. You can't go wrong with Nutella. It was elevated by the other components. I only did not like the nut banana sushi as it had a weird texture but Quynh didn't mind it.

3 dishes for 2 please!

Overall, Penta was a pretty good experience. I can understand why it is so popular and the dishes are very instagrammable. The grain salad was on point and I think I will be ordering them a lot more from now on when I eat brunch. The service was decent for a pretty busy Saturday. I would definitely be keen to try the other cafes the owners run.


Taste: 8.5/10
Presentation: 9/10
Service: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 7.5/10

Rogue District - Brunswick

A few weeks ago, we went to Rogue District for some brunch. I have a habit of just seeing 1 photo on Instagram and then I am set on going to the brunch place. Nothing can deter me.

Nice latte art

Gruyere and Leek Croquette

I got the Gruyere and Leek Croquette ($19). I had literally went to Rogue District just to try this and I was not wowed at all. The croquette was indiscernible in flavour. If I hadn't read the menu, I would've just tasted potato. Its saving grace was its accompaniments of field mushroom, poached egg, capsicum pesto, sweet potato crisps and rocket salad.  The pesto had nice flavour but the whole dish just lacked seasoning.

Reuben

Quynh got the Reuben ($17), which consisted of wagyu pastrami, saukekraut, gruyere, house pickles, aioli and dijon on rye. It wasn't the best reuben she has had but the classic flavours melded well together.

V vibrant colours

Overall, we left Rogue District feeling a little bit dejected. I expected my palate to be pop pop popped with flavour. The vibes were nice since we got to sit outside. Would I return? Yeah probably not.



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

Baba Sus - Glen Iris

I have been really excited to try Baba Sus for quite some time now. On a super sunny Sunday, we decided to make the trek to Glen Iris. And by that, I mean thanks for driving me Kevin.

Matcha Latte ($4.50)

Banana & Lychee Smoothie & Matcha Latte

 The latte art is so cute here!!! I wasn't the biggest fan of the smoothie, too much banana and not enough lychee!

Japanese Corn Croquettes

 I got the Japanese Corn Croquettes. In case you haven't noticed, I love anything corn! I'm not sure if it's still on the menu but this was delicious!!! It was paired with avocado puree, cured salmon, herb cream, asparagus & bean salad, tobiko and poached egg. The croquettes were creamy with nice bits of corn. All the other components complemented it beautifully. I liked that the salad wasn't minimal like a lot of places. Ooh and that egg, it gave me the perfect yolk porn boomerang. Yeboi

The Baba Sus

 Kevin got The Baba Sus ($21.50). This was crispy pork belly, carrot miso puree, baby carrots, apple sauce, apple salad, shallots, chilli and nuoc nam dressing. Kevin liked his dish and said it was a generous serving size. We agreed it was more a modern Asian restaurant dish rather than a classic brunch dish. The crackling was spot on and the watermelon was a little weird ahah. I'm not a fan of fruits in salad.

OOFT our spreadddddd

Hong Kong Waffles

These Hong Kong Egg Waffles ($15) were bomb! Even though we were stuffed, we couldn't go all the way to Baba Sus and not get these famous waffles. They were wonderfully stuffed with gooey vanilla custard and topped with berry compote, green tea ice cream and pistachio praline. The waffle itself wasn't doughy and no individual element was overpowering. Great balance of sweetness and acidity. I just wanted more of that green tea ice cream! Yum!


Overall, we had a great time at Baba Sus. The food was top notch. It was definitely worth the drive. 




Taste: 9/10
Presentation: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10
Service: 7/10

District North Cafe - Moonee Ponds

I caught up with Cat over some brunch at District North recently. It was crazy busy for a Sunday morning but we managed to nab a table fairly quickly.

Such an extensive menu!

So much to choose from... but there's typical me dishes...
My sister went a few months ago and the Slow Cooked Pulled Lamb Shoulder Super Bowl Salad and said this was a top notch dish!! (Pictured below!)

Slow Cooked Pulled Lamb Shoulder ($21.50)

Chorizo, Haloumi and Corn Fritters

Surprise surprise, I got the Chorizo, Haloumi and Corn Fritters ($19.50) with a side of smashed avocado and feta ($4.50). This was all kinds of yum. There was haloumi, harissa aioli, herb salad and poached eggs as well. The fritters were crispy on the outside and fluffy in the inside. Perfect consistency. I hate places that advertise corn fritters and it's basically flat pancakes, SMH. The avocado smash was a welcome addition as it lent a lot of saltiness and creaminess. Imma say it now, but this was on of the best corn fritter dishes I've had for brunch. V impressed! V happy girl! 

No house savings for Cat

Meanwhile, Cat got the Smash on Arrival ($18.50). Her dish was literally half of mine LOL. She did enjoy it immensely tho, so kudos to her.

So green!

 Overall, we had a very enjoyable experience. Service was great. Cat wanted a mimosa and they happily obliged even though it wasn't on their menu. The atmosphere was busy but it seemed like a chill family vibes cafe. I would definitely come back and try other menu items (or even the corn fritters again eheh).



Taste: 9/10
Presentation: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10




 

Found 401 - Sunshine

After a hike on a disgustingly hot day, we went to Found 401. It was quite new at the time (yes I know I am a very delayed food blogger) and we were excited to have a brunch and burger joint so close to home.

Green Tea Frappe ($6)

Avocado Smash with 2 Poached Eggs

Dat oooooooooze

The Avocado Smash ($13.50) consisted of avocado mash with feta, lemon, sea salt, pepper, fresh chilli and mint leaves on toast with 2 poached eggs. Your basic avo smash but so much cheaper, winning!!!

Chips ($4)

Nomnom these chips were good azzzzzz.

Veggie Burger

Cross-section fam

I also shared the Veggie Burger ($9) with my sister. It was actually such a steal, so cheap, v nice, I like it. It had a veggie patty, baby cos lettuce, tomato and sweet mayo chilli. It was pretty tasty and a nice change from other veggie burgers I had eaten (falafel and mushroom). It reminded me of a crispy bubble and squeak patty. That brioche bun was sah good.

401

My cousins got their flagship burger, the 401 ($11.50). This had beef, cheese, baby cos lettuce, tomato, bacon, free range egg, caramelised onion and 401 special sauce. This was full of flavour and definitely a mouthful.

Found 401 Round 2

HNGGG Love my cross-sections

I went again recently and the standard remains the same.


Overall, Found 401 is a decent burger joint in the west side. While I wouldn't go here for brunch again (only because I'm spoilt for choice for dedicated brunch spots), they serve tasty burgers for great prices. It's cute and so central to the Sunshine main street. Service was pretty laid-back as you ordered at the counter.



Taste: 7.5/10
Presentation: 7.5/10
Value for Money: 8/10
Service: 7/10