The Stables of Como

Located in Como Garden in South Yarra, Stables is a perfect lazy Sunday brunch spot (unless you are one of those people who doesn't have to work Mon-Fri, then it is a perfect spot for your every day). It really is a textbook inner city retreat. You walk through the relaxing garden to reach a white rustic house.

When I walked in I was captivated by the array of cakes and sweets there was on off but I didn't get offtrack. I sat back down on my table and ordered my food.

Since the Sangers are their popular menu item, D decided on the Croque Jockey. This had ham, caramelized onion, stringy cheese and mustard bechamel. The sandwich was definitely hitting the spot. Shame it was a tad small, as D was quite famished.

Just to be different, I ordered the Happy Chicken Pot Pie. This came baked in a bowl with fluffy pastry lid. The filling was composed of leek, carrots and tarragon. Perfectly hearty feed.

Given how many sweets were on display, there was no way I was leaving without trying one. I ordered the red velvet lamington out of intrigue (never had a red velvet version before). This has soft, moist chocolate sponge on the inside with a layer of cream cheese. The outside was coated with chocolate and red desiccated coconut. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

Overall 15/20 this place has great ambiance and perfect for all ages. The food is simple but done well.

Darling Cafe

It is not common that I get to brunch with Melbourne Glutton so when that change arose, I made sure I snapped it up fast. One of the cafes that has been on my hit list is Darling Café so this was the perfect opportunity, to try a new place and hang out with my fav fellow foodie blogger. Darling is located on Darling Street in South Yarra, it’s literally a hop and skip away from South Yarra station so it makes a convenient location if you don’t wish to drive. Parking in that area can be difficult at times (generally weekdays when there is a lot of constructions work happening), but if you are prepared to pay there are a few car parks near by.

Since it was rare we get to go to brunch together, we asked Princess to come with us, Pasta found out and gate crashed and that worked out perfectly. For us it meant more food would be ordered and we get to try more off the menu. The more the merrier!

Everyone was really good and decided to go caffeine free… except me. Long work hours and lack of sleep during the week, leads to caffeine. Their coffee is Five Senses so you can’t really go wrong there. I ordered a soy latte, nice smooth blend and just the right temperature, it definitely hit the spot.

For the main affair MG got the Honey Baked Muesli with Berry Compote. Crunchy golden muesli with a dash of milk and a topped with berries. Definitely enough to keep you full and going for the rest of the day.

Pasta got the Portuguese French Toast. The toast came with vanilla mascapone, mixed berries and finished with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar dusted over. This was a simple version of the french toast that Melbourne cafes serve up these days. I found it hit the sweet spot, but did lacked that 'wow' factor. All the things came together very nicely but it didn't have the flair.

Princess ordered the Breakfast Brioche Burger. This was a bacon and eggs in a brioche bun. It also came with roast kipfler potatoes, cheese, tomato relish and rocket. Nice interpretation of the classic bacon and egg roll for breakfast. The elements came together nicely and would settle any bacon and egg cravings.

I got the Organic Acai Bowl.  This was a beautifully presented bowl topped with bananas, apple, mint, chia seeds, caramelized buckinis, berries and coconut flakes. It wasn't as sweet as I would have liked it, but it was probably better for me that way. Despite it's not as sweet as I am use it, I still have it very enjoyable with the berries and all the elements.

Princess also ordered a bowl of chips to share. Thick cut chips that had a crisp outsides and a fluffy inside. Can't complain there!

Overall 16.5/20 Beautiful layout to catch up with friends, good selection on the menu. Location wise, it's perfect for people who rely on public transport.

Hello Sam

On a bright sunny midweek lunch date, AH and I wandered out to celebrate her belated birthday lunch.... and what better way to celebrate than over a burger! Perched on the sidewalk table, AH and I couldn't wait to sink our teeth into some tasty burgers.

I got the Simply Sam, which was medium cooked Angus patty served on a brioche bun with mustard mayo, tomato, lettuce, onion and relish. I loved the charred brioche that bought the sweetness to the burger and the patty was so succulent. This burger was a upmarket classic from any angle you look at it. My favorite burger place at the moment is Pavilion but for some reason I felt it was unfair to compare the 2. As Pavilion is more the


super tasty, greasy, guilty pleasure and Hello Sam is a sophisticated classic you expect in a nice hotel bar.

AH got the Too cheesy which was the same as Simply Sam except for the extra cheddar ale. A described her burger as "delicous sooo tasty, like a party in my mouth but only the cool people are invited with the good alcohol". I got jealous of the cheddar she got, once our burgers arrived. I made myself a mental note, to never repeat that mistake again.

Between us we shared the beer batter chips. It was golden, fluffy, crispy goodness. The garlic aioli was a bit boring, it was not a bad garlic aioli but with the competition in Melbourne cafe these days, it lacked the flare.

Overall 15/20 the heart of the burger (ie the patty) was cooked to perfection. Chips were good, and I'm keen to try the other burgers on the menu next time.  Great place for a perfect, classy bite of burger. Hmm on my next visit, think I'll go with a chicken burger.

Luxbite - brunch

On Sunday with fellow blogger This(hungry)LittlePiggy we visited Luxbite for their brunch special. For celebrating they getting 10K followers on Instagram, they had a $10 special on all these brunch menu items. Being the foodies we were, we could not resist and made the trip to Toorak.

I managed to try 4 things out of the menu. First up was the  Lamb, mint and rosemary sausage. Unfortunately the 60/60 eggs were sold out so we got scramble as the substitute. The sausages didn't look like much on the plate but they were a punch of flavour.

The Pulled pork with lap cheong was served with a corn fritter, scrambled eggs (to replace 60/60) and avocado. On the menu it sounded very interesting but it didn't work as a whole, on the plate. On it's own, each aspect was great but once it was there together it didn't compliment each other. I would have preferred some crunchy bread instead of the corn fritter. The avocado looked old on the plate. The pulled pork with lap cheong was very tasty if only if there was rice, it would have been perfect (yes, yes that's very fobby of me).

Corn, miso and leek soup gave me food envy as I saw the table next to us get it, so I had to also have it. I loved the combination, the sweetness of the corn, saltiness of the miso and the avocado mousse in the creme to give that creaminess. This was a thumbs up dish for me. I couldn't get enough, but just wish they had served it that little bit more warmer for the cold winters day (Melbourne weather).

Slow braised beef was served with a bed of mash with elements of bacon, and a fried egg to top it off. I think this was the best value of the whole brunch menu. The beef was soft and had just the right amount of seasoning. The egg on top made it feel less dinner but more brunch.

If I am at Luxbite, I have to get dessert. Being a winter's day I couldn't pass up the warm sticky date, bread and butter pudding. This was served with a salted caramel sauce. This was divine, the fluffy and sticky parts of a dessert, all on one plate.

Desserts never stop at one for me, next was the Blue calpis. This was mascarpone mousse cake, with blueberry jelly, blueberry cream and a white chocolate glaze. This was light and airy. Great way to end the meal.

Overall 16/20  I was overall impressed with their brunch offering. Keep up the good work Luxbite!

Note: Luxbite has a different $10 special to celebrate them reaching 10K likes on instrgram. So check it out http://instagram.com/luxbite
 

Steer Lunch Special

This place is close to the office, so we've been here for lunch a few times. They have a $29 lunch special which includes a steak and a glass of wine or beer.

For the lunch special you get a choice of 3 cuts. I went for the blade option, but they somehow got it wrong and gave me scotch fillet instead. I didn't complain as I was running short of time for my lunch break. The steak I got was actually beautifully cooked, perfectly medium rare (you would be surprised by how many steakhouse stuff up cooking the meat). It was soft and not too chewy, the meat had great flavour. It came with a side of chips and salad. For a $29 steak cooked this well,
it was great value in my eyes.

My colleague who got the blade as I had originally ordered, agreed that it was a really good steak too and cooked perfectly.

Overall 4/5! Great value for lunch! Only downside is the service; over the few times I have been for a meal, I have noticed a varying degree in their service standards.

Story in a Cup

Hot day and froyo is like a match made in heaven!

Decent flavours and not too sweet..... best thing is, there is no crazy line. You make your own so you can be a generous or tight as you like with the topping.

Downside is the small range of choice of topping. I would've liked a green tea flavoured yoghurt too. I'm not sure if it was just me, but the lychee I got also, tasted like it was a bit off. But I've been to this place many times and this is the only time it has happened... 

I got the blood orange, coconut and hazelnut. I love the coconut and blood orange, found those complimented each other really well.

Adriano Zumbo Parisserie

If you have ever watched Masterchef, you would be familiar with the name Adriano Zumbo. He is famous for quirky desserts and making rather out of the ordinary flavoured macaroons and cakes.

At his recently opened patisserie in South Yarra, you won't expect anything different.

The macaroon flavours on offer changes on a regular basis. The flavours I got over the few times I visited included: pandan sticky rice pudding, apple pie, blueberry pancake, buttered popcorn, brownie, pineapple, salted butter caramel on toast, passion fruit. 

For me, I found this place decently priced for macaroons at $2.50 a pop. Most other bakeries are over $3.00 now and their flavours are ordinary. Of the flavours I did try, I loved the blueberry pancake and pandan rice pudding. I found them not too sweet and a good representation of the flavours they set out to portray. I will definitely be going back to try more of their different flavours.


With the cakes, I tried the flourless orange cake and it found it quite interesting. There was a range of texture with a distinct orange flavour. Some may argue it's not really cake as the cake component was very small, however I still found it a beautiful dessert. I think

The pastries were also a delight, I went early in the morning. They were fluffy, buttery goodness!

I know others have said it's over-hyped, but personally I think it's good value for what i am paying, given the time taken to produce the piece. The flavours change regularly so, you won't get bored of the same thing. One I do need to mention is, they could really do with some work on their coffee making skills...

If anybody tried any of the cakes they loved, please drop me a comment below. I would love to know what people tend to favour. I am yet to try all flavours.


 

Two Birds One Stone

Recently visited this place for lunch. Located on Claremont St in South Yarra it's just off the main street, but still easy enough to find. It's a rather small and cosy place which makes it a good brunch places on weekends. Onto the food...

I love my mushrooms, so I couldn't go pass the roasted mushrooms with feta on toast. Served with watercress leaves, this was nice brunch option. It wasn't exceptional but then again... how exceptional can mushroom and feta on toast get? It was a nice dish but with so many brunch places out there... nothing really set it apart from the competition. I know they are owned by the same people that bought us Top Paddock and Three bags Full..... but the mushroom and feta.... just wasn't quite the same... I can't quite put my finger on it to say why it's different either....

Next I got the Black Angus Steak Sandwich, with bacon, beetroot chutney and chesse. I preferred this over the mushrooms, only being that that beetroot chutney worked really well with the Angus and bacon. You can get steak sandwiches at a lot of places but this was a more sophisticated spend on your regular pub variety.

My friend got the Reuben and mentioned that it was worth trying ;)

I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to try the yoghurt panna cotta, when I go back that is definitely on my list to try.



Overall I would rate it a 14/20. It's a nice place to hangout on the weekend. Nice decor inside too!