imakecake eats Melbourne

Choix Creperie Cafe - Venue #38 Shop G22 Liberty Lane, Melbourne...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:01:04 -0500

Choix Creperie Cafe - Venue #38

Shop G22 Liberty Lane, Melbourne

26th July 2011

BLT - Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato and Mayonnaise $8.50
Jammy Bastard - Apricot Jam $5.50
Bacon and Maple Syrup $7.90

This little creperie is found all tucked away in a laneway near Southern Cross Station. What can I say, I think a crepe is an excellant way to ingest a significant quantity of well cooked bacon drenched in maple syrup. As a bonus, it’s a cheap and filling breakfast that’s made quickly. Choix Creperie Cafe is well worth heading into the city early before work one morning.

"The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and..."

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:28:01 -0500

“The most important things to do in the world are to get something to eat, something to drink and somebody to love you.”

- Brenda Ueland (via bitchville)

Bean Counter Cafe - Venue #37 15 Railway Place, Fairfield 24th...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:40:31 -0500

Bean Counter Cafe - Venue #37

15 Railway Place, Fairfield

24th July 2011

Queens Breakfast - Smoked Salmon, Free Range Poached Eggs, Hash Brown, Spinach, Avocado and Hollandaise Sauce $17.50
Big Breakfast - Free Range Eggs, Sausage, Bacon, Herbed Mushrooms, Potato Rosti, Grilled Tomato, Avocado and Sourdough Bread $19.50
Canadian Pancakes - 6 Mini Pancakes w. Crispy Bacon and Maple Syrup $12.50

One rainy Saturday morning we made the trek out to Bean Counter Cafe in Fairfield on a rainy Saturday in July. We had just a short wait for a table in the bustling cafe. I do love a cafe with an assortment of menu items, something more than the 2 eggs, as you like them plus your choice of extras. Luckily Bean Counter is one of these.

I chose the Canadian Pancakes, a tower of fluffy, perfectly round pancakes topped with well cooked bacon drenched in maple syrup that dripped into a large puddle of still more maple syrup. I don’t think I even came close to finishing the tower of pancakes as lovely as they were, but I did manage to demolish the caramelised bacon. And as you can see from the pictures, the Big Breakfast certainly lives up to its name as does the decadent Queens Breakfast.

Bean Counter Cafe is certainly worth the trip out to the ‘burbs, and helpfully, it’s located opposite Fairfield Station.

4/5 Stars

"Without effort there is no food."

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:22:39 -0400

“Without effort there is no food.”

- Turkish Proverb

Two Fingers - Venue #36 Shop 2B, 27 Russell Street, City 21st...

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 23:06:24 -0400

Two Fingers - Venue #36

Shop 2B, 27 Russell Street, City

21st July 2011

Lamb Special - Slow Cooked in Red Wine & Rosemary served on Spaghetti $13
Vietnamese Stew $13

This cafe is tucked away on south the end of Russell Street. The upstairs is dark and cosy though it seemed to lack table service on this day. There’s a limited set menu with hearty hot dishes amongst other items. I chose the Lamb Special. I don’t make lamb dishes myself so I rarely have the chance to eat it. The dish was served with spaghetti which made the eating a little bit messy as it invariably does. The lamb was beautifully cooked and practically melted in the mouth. All in all this was a pleasant meal.

3/5 Stars

"Anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies with its back to heaven is edible."

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:31:17 -0400

“Anything that walks, swims, crawls, or flies with its back to heaven is edible.”

- Cantonese saying

Babka - Venue #35 358 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy 20th July...

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 05:03:19 -0400

Babka - Venue #35

358 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

20th July 2011

Zucchini, Mint & Feta Fritters w. Mild(ish) Chilli & Apple Jam and Avocado $12.80
Almond Croissant $4.25
Chocolate Chip Biscuit $1.40

Sometimes the deciding factor for a meal when perusing the menu is an item or food combination that I haven’t tried before. I’ve tried a number of things for the first time during this project – waffles, hollandaise sauce, smoked trout and clams, just to name a few. At the bakery, the item that caught my eye was the chilli & apple jam they serve with the fritters. I like (mild) chilli flavours and I like apple jellies and jam and the chilli & apple jam had properties of both of these things. The sweetness of apple combined with chilli made for an appealing jam that had the flavour of the chilli without an overwhelming mouth heat, which would be too much for this dish. The pan-fried fritters were lovely, and combined with the jam and ripe avocado it made a pleasing dish that I would gladly eat again.

I purchased the almond croissant and chocolate biscuit on my way out, as the bakery café has a minimum eftpos limit of $20 and I’d forgotten to bring any cash. This of course gave me an excuse take home a soft and buttery croissant stuffed with ground almonds (another one of my favourite things) which I then ate for dinner. The sugary sweetness of the chocolate chip biscuit overwhelmed the chocolate chips within, but it was still a pleasant eat.

4/5 Stars

"Cooked food is not sold for goats"

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 03:49:07 -0400

“Cooked food is not sold for goats”

- Kikuyu Proverb

Mixed Business 486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill Gingerbread...

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 00:35:37 -0400

Mixed Business

486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill

Gingerbread Waffles w. Maple Syrup Baked Apple, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Candied Walnuts $14.50

Now I realise that I’ve reviewed Mixed Business before, but when I went back there for brunch not so long ago, I had my first 5 star dish! I think this certainly warrants Mixed Business another review. It will be no surprise to the regular readers of this blog that a dessert-like brunch has secured 5 stars.

The gingerbread flavour of the waffles is quite subtle and not at all overpowering like gingerbread can be. The baked apple is firm but not crunchy and wonderfully sweet and sticky from the maple syrup coating. Vanilla bean is an agreeable choice of ice cream and ties the dish together nicely. Candied walnuts provide a delectable crunch and a little more sweetness to this enjoyable meal. Without a doubt this is one dish that is much more than the sum of its parts, and the sum of these parts make for absolutely heavenly dish.

5/5 Stars

"To eat is human, to digest - divine"

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:16:43 -0400

“To eat is human, to digest - divine”

- Thai Proverb

Cavallini - Venue #34 354 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill 18th July...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 06:19:00 -0400

Cavallini - Venue #34

354 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill

18th July 2011

Caprese Ciabatta - Tomatoes, Boccanchini, Rocket and Olive Oil $7.90
Pizza Zucchini - Zucchini, Potato, Green Olive, Sundried Tomato and Thyme $6.00

Like most of the bakeries and café’s located in this section of Queens Parade, Cavallini’s has the benefit of being open on most public holidays. On this visit I opted for something light - the Calabrese Ciabatta which is comprised of slices of ripe tomato and creamy boccanchini and a little rocket and olive oil on a fresh ciabatta roll. As I am wont to do, I also bought a slice of the Pizza Zucchini to take home for lunch and as always the pizza was a delight.

3/5 Stars

"Before eating, always take time to thank the food."

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 01:48:31 -0400

“Before eating, always take time to thank the food.”

- Arapaho Proverb

Chashar Bliss - Venue #33 648 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn 17th...

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 19:42:05 -0400

Chashar Bliss - Venue #33

648 Glenferrie Road, Hawthorn

17th July 2011

Home Made Waffles - 2 fresh Waffles topped with Rosé Poached Pear, Mixed Berry Compote and Vanilla Bean & Elderflower Ice Cream $15.00

At the Good Food & Wine Festival this year, I had my first taste of St. Germain, the elderflower liqueur, in a champagne cocktail. I had never actually had waffles before this, so when I saw they were served with vanilla bean & elderflower ice cream, I just had to have them. Plus I always find it difficult to pass up a decadent dessert-like breakfast. The Rosé poached pear, mixed berry compote and ice cream were a great combination of subtle flavours and none of the components overpowered another.

I have since found that Maggie Beer has a line of ice creams and one of the flavours is Vanilla Bean & Elderflower, so now I can enjoy this lovely ice cream at home as well.

3.5/5 Stars

"A good breakfast is no substitute for a large dinner"

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 19:52:57 -0400

“A good breakfast is no substitute for a large dinner”

- Chinese Proverb

Teppansan - Venue #32 179 Russell Street, City 12th July...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:39:33 -0400

Teppansan - Venue #32

179 Russell Street, City

12th July 2011

Pork & Vegetable Gyoza $6.00
Takoyaki - Octopus Ball $3.80
Ramen & Chicken Noodle Soup in Pot $11
Okonomiyaki - Japanese Pizza $9.00
Honey Lemon Tea - 1 Hot & 1 Cold $2.50 each

I don’t really have too much to say about this place. For quick, cheap and filling fare you can’t go past Teppansan, one the city’s many Asian eateries. The service was quick and polite.

2.5/5 Stars

"I like to walk out of a restaurant with enough gas to open a Mobil station."

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:49:22 -0400

“I like to walk out of a restaurant with enough gas to open a Mobil station.”

- Tom Waits

Dexter Bar Cafe - Venue #31 123 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill 7th...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:03:28 -0400

Dexter Bar Cafe - Venue #31

123 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill

7th July 2011

BLT on Turkish w. Avocado and Home Made Aioli $11.50

Dexter Bar Cafe is a lovely place tucked away on Queens Parade that I stumbled upon during my last week in Clifton Hill. I had a craving for bacon and this BLT (well it’s more of a BLAT really,) hit the the spot. It was generously sized with nice thick slices of avocado and edges of tomato. The garlic aioli was a lovely touch. Just looking at the picture now makes my mouth water.

4/5 Stars

"Eating is Heaven"

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 06:58:20 -0400

“Eating is Heaven”

- Korean Proverb

Hardware Societe - Venue #30 120 Hardware Street, City 3rd July...

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 06:03:34 -0400

Hardware Societe - Venue #30

120 Hardware Street, City

3rd July 2011

Special: Poached Eggs, Salmon and a Potato Tortilla with Cider Hollandaise Sauce $17
Cocette Eggs w. Pimentos, Onion Pique Creme and Lemon Scented Trout $15

Brunch at Hardware Societe was a delight for the senses. A friend and I were lucky enough to get placed at a bench in front of the kitchen/plating up area. We agreed they were the best seats in the house, mesmerised by the plating of the dishes right in front of our eyes. We could have watched the construction of plate after plate of such appealing brunches all day. When our brunches arrived we were not disappointed. The flavour of the cider was outstanding addition to the hollandaise sauce and beautifully matched the poached egg and salmon and the potato rosti. The poached salmon fillet ensured this decadent dish was a mighty filling one. Brunch was well worth the wait for a seat on a wet Sunday morning.

4.5/5 Stars

"Food is the most primitive form of comfort"

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 18:07:41 -0400

“Food is the most primitive form of comfort”

- Puerto Rican Proverb