Breakfast Thieves

After some post auction fun, D and decided to head to brunch with our usual brunch buddies K and R. So we decided to hit up Breakfast Thieves out in Brunswick. Located in the back streets of Brunswick, it's really one of those places where you read about it, hear about it or you live locally and you are in the know.

Feeling quite famished we got straight into ordering. I got the PB & J, it was an easy decision since I love peanut butter and jam as a combo and french toast is one of my favorite things to eat for brunch; match made in heaven. The French Brioche toast was served with chunks of peanut butter in a crumbled dough like form, raspberry jelly, lemon curd and candied bacon. It was an interesting, refreshing and new way to eat the classic PB and French toast. I loved the play on textures and found the presentation to be above the rest of the food we ordered in terms of brunch plate up. Definately worth trying!

K got the Breakfast chain. It came with soft boiled eggs, apple crumble, berry yoghurt and cheesy soldiers. This is the perfect choice for someone who can't decide on having sweet or savoury. The cheesy toast is a great warmer to keep you full with that stringy, cheesy goodness. Then you have your solid breakfast favourites like eggs and yoghurt with just enough berry and muesli ratio. Finally the apple crumble is like the naughty way to finish off a good breaky.

R got the baked eggs which came with garlic toast on the side. Tomato based with generous amounts of chorizo, fetta and peas all cooked together. It is a heavier option compared to the others, but it's hearty and perfect for a cool morning.

D got the Ms Omega which was a cured trout with poached eggs and hollandiase sauce on toasted sour bread. It's nothing fancy but if no frill is what you want, then this hits the mark. The egg was perfectly poached and the trout was a nice alternative to the usual ham or smoked salmon that goes with eggs benedict. However for $16, I wish there was a little more on the plate.

Overall 14/20 I really enjoyed their creativity and I found most things nicely executed. I just wished they had more juice options, especially on warmer days when you don't feel like a coffee.

Hammer and Tong

Based on Brunswick street but entrance on a side street. It is exactly what you expect for an urban, breakfast/brunch joint. Off the main street, hipster vibe and nosy atmosphere.

There has been quite a bit of hype on their soft shell crab burger so being here.... I could not walk out without trying it. I love softshell crab and being very fond of burgers there was no reason for me to say no. It comes simply as a burger on a plate, no frills, no chips, nothing. The deep fried soft shell crab served on a brioche bun, with cabbage slaw, coriander and sweet mayo. I have to say the burger was good, but for $16 a serve with nothing on the side, I won't be coming back for this. The flavours worked very well together and unlike many other burger places, the brioche was not overly sweet, and just the right softness. The cabbage slaw, with the crunch sliced though the oily-ness factor of the crab beautifully.

Even though it has been coined as the best crab slider of Melbourne, $16 is too steep. The burger wasn't overly large and after a whole burger, I was still hungry. I just think if I'm paying $16 for a burger, I should at least be left satisfied, if not full.

Avocado and feta mash as a side dish. It is exactly what the name suggest, just avocado and feta (ok so a little bit of lemon juice too).

Corn and zucchini fritters with avocado, spinach, poached egg and sweet chilli jam. It was a nice combination of breakfast favourites with a few different additions such as the chilli jam and zucchini. However there was nothing that really made this dish stand out. It was a pleasant meal and I did enjoy it, but nothing out of the ordinary.

They served decent coffee here too, as you would expect for a brunch spot.

Overall 13.5/20. Decent food but nothing exceptional. If they worked on their pricing or portion size a bit, that would make it more enticing for me to revisit.

Little Creatures Dining Hall

End of the week on a Friday, so I needed a place to kick back, unwind and enjoy some good food and company. Located on Brunswick street, it is a large dining hall with plenty of seats. When you walk in, you can immediately feel that warehouse, rustic feel with busy kitchen sounds and hipster waiters.

If you are a beer drinker, you are in luck! Cheap pots and for those non-beer drinkers, the ginger beer is pretty damn good too.

We got a few things to share starting with the chips with aioli, the chilli mussels and lamb ribs. You can tell the chips are fresh cut with their inconsistent sizing, and yes they were fluffy potato goodness. 

The chilli mussels were delish! You should ask for extra bread to soak up the sauce afterwards. Lamb ribs were cooked so that the meat fell off the bone. Not a bad beer companion.

Next up we got the prawn and chrizo pizza. The prawn pizza was served with capsicum, pancetta and salsa verde. This was a good pizza that remind me why I prefer to go gourmet pizza these days and not waste calories on chain stores (normally the type that offer home delivery). The chrizo with sweet corn and fetta was a funky combo that had the sweetness of the corn to balance the saltiness of the chrizo and fetta. I personally liked it but the boy hates fetta so it may be a divided opinion on this one.

Lastly there was the cheese and bacon croquettes and beetroot salad. The croquette did nothing for me, very average. The salad was a nice flavour combination.

Overall this place satisfied what I was after (a good Friday night hangout with decent food and drinks). Worth checking out next weekend if you are in the area 13.5/20.






 

N2 Extreme Gelato - Melbourne

So this place isn't new to me. When it first opened in Sydney I kept nagging my BF about it and how we have to go when we are in Sydney...... That was over a year ago

Now N2 has hit Melbourne and having a sweet tooth I went to check it out again. For those of you who are new to the concept, N2 makes ice cream on the spot for you using liquid nitrogen. Hmmm is it just a gimmick??? Yes it is, but making the ice cream itself is a show .... but there are benefits of using liquid nitrogen to make the ice cream as it comes out a lot smoother due to small ice particles within the body of the ice cream. Now that you have the background, onto the main part; the ice cream flavours!

First up is Creme Brulee, this was the flavour that won first place in the recent world gelato tour. It has the flavours of a creme brulee and topped with burnt caramel (yes a flame torch on ice cream). This was extremely popular but it wasn't my favourite. The evident flavours of creme brulee is in the ice cream but in terms of taste i like something with a bit more excitement. That's not to say it was bad, it's just I liked the next 2 flavours a lot more.

 
Prezella and Pandan were definitely my 2 favourite flavours. Being the Asian that I am, I am a real sucker for flavours like Green Tea, Red Bean, Kaya and I'm normally disappointed when these are made into ice cream. Let's start with Pandan, this was a smooth pandan flavour with shortcake crumble in between. I love the fragrant taste of the Pandan and the shortcake was a good play on texture. I need to say though, I did notice inconsistency. I went 3 times over 4 days (yes call me nuts, but I do love my ice cream and I had different friends who wanted to try it) and the level of sweetness differed each day. The first time I got it, the Pandan flavour and sweetness was spot on. Then the second visit I found the ice cream to be sweeter.. Either way, I still liked it a lot.

Next is Prezella!! Nutella + Pretzel, chocolatey hazelnut goodness with salty pretzel bits. This combination just works magic. It may not be as complicated to make as the creme brulee but it's definitely something I had and loved... twice!

Cocolime, is coconut and lime sorbet which is a nice alternative if you don't want something too rich. There was also mango sorbet to cater for the lactose intolerant. Very velvety smooth mango flavour.

Black salted caramel was another option on the menu, this tasted like a very classic toffee flavour. The black salt is an interesting concept too. My friend who got this was even happy to pose for a photo! Quite rare that he ventures out to try these things with me, as he always complains my taste is too expensive. It was a rare moment I had to capture on camera!

Finally there was pavlova, very passionfruity. Not bad but it doesn't shine compare to the rest.


Overall 17/20, the price is decent for the gelato serving quality and size and being handmade! Best of all, the changing menu and watching them make it, is always fun!


 

Naked for Satan

I've seen this name pop up a bit over the years and quite a few friends have mentioned it. So when my partner said we were going there for a midweek date night, I got super excited. This place is really a bar with tapas (they call it pintxos) that works on an honesty system. There is an array of pintxos on the bar and each of them will have a toothpick. How it works is that you help yourself to whatever you like and the bill is calculated at the end based on how many toothpicks you have. It's not expensive at all, lunch Mon-Fri and dinner Sun-Wed is $1 per toothpick and all other times it's $2 a toothpick.

There was a nice selection but I'll start off with my favorite, the squid ink with calamari. Strong robust flavours from the risoni is paired nicely with the calamari. 

Then there was also the cauliflower spread with prawn and finished with garlic. Very creamy but then a hint of meaty and freshness from the prawn.

The eggplant chip with blue cheese and honey; and the chili cashew and capsicum with eggplant is also worth the mention.

What you see on the bar is not the full selection, during the night waiters will wander to your table and offer you hot pintxos too, these may include chorizo croquette, grilled Parmesan and mascapone with cherry tomatoes, meatball with Parmesan, veal schnitzel and chorizo with caramelised onions.

This is bar, so I thought I would give the watermelon, mint vodka a shot. I was not disappointed. Fresh, fruity flavours that was not watered down. 

Overall I can see why people rave on about it. The food is decent and the alcohol is fairly priced. I can see myself coming back here. 15/20