Eat. @ Rubiki

204 Warrandyte Rd, Ringwood (03) 9879 0869

I live and work in the Eastern suburbs, and I've always been jealous of everyone working in the CBD or in the Fitzroy and Collingwood area, who have not just a few, but an abundance of great coffee and lunch places to visit.  That's why I'm extra thankful for Rubiki, which is a wonderful find in the leafy part of Ringwood and a stone's throw away from my work.

The mocha has looked different on different visits, but the quality has been consistent, even with their take-aways, which Hubby is appreciative of when I bring him a coffee to work!

I tried the Herb Encrusted seared tuna with a nicoise salad ($21) for a light (and low carb!) brunch, and really enjoyed it.  The tuna was perfectly seared, the salad was a nice change from the usual greens, and the trio of sauces were good fun!  The poached egg completed the dish nicely.

This week I tried the Rubiki Bacon and Egg Roll ($7.5) and was impressed that it was freshly made, served piping hot and with a good slab of bacon.

I have a feeling I will be a frequent visitor to Rubiki.  See you there!

Eat. @ Kitty Burns

24 Acacia Place, Abbotsford (03) 9427 0164

For our last weekday brunch roulette prior to Little Man starting prep (or as they call it nowadays "Foundation" *why why why?*) we headed down to Kitty Burns. 

This new cafe, like many around Melbourne these days, is on the ground floor or a mid sized apartment complex in Abbotsford.  I'd watched with anticipation as works went under way for the cafe, since we've often utilised the lovely bike path that winds its way along the Yarra past the new buildings around here.

The menu was quite varied, and offered lots of healthy choices like smoothies and raw cakes, as well as the decadent, like the luscious donuts sitting on the counter.  I ordered the Torched kingfish, with kimchi mayo, leek ash, sea succulents, with a roast sesame dressing, edamame beans and Japanese rice. ($22.5)  This is one of the more successful fusion lunch dishes I've had, and it's gorgeously plated.

Little Man shared lots of my brunch as always, but I did order him a Mac n Cheese ($8) off the Kids Under Twelve menu, which he in turned shared back with me.  This is a golden slab of crumbed mac n cheese, sprinkled with more cheese.  I don't think anything more needs to be said about that, and it obviously went down pretty well.

It was a raining and cold summer day, but the bright, cheery and beautifully designed interiors definitely marked a stark contrast to the dull weather. 

Eat. @ Sir Charles

121 Johnstone Street, Fitzroy 3065 ph (03) 9415 7077

Hubby and I are big fans of Axil so it was a no brainer for me to try out Sir Charles when I found out this was their new venture.  We've been here quite a few times and it has become one of the "regular" places we go to for a great brunch when we're not venturing out to new places.

One of the reasons for this is that the space is quite big and they are quite accomodating for our family of five and due to the number of tables we've not had to wait for more than 20 minutes (my limit of waiting for food with young kids!)

We often have our first coffee whilst we're waiting and their mocha ($3.8) is great as you would expect from its pedigree.

The kids love their little carrot cake ($4) and we've ordered this as a "snack" as well as a dessert.

The menu is quite interesting and a strong Asian influence is evident.  I think one of their signature dishes would be the Sir Charles Benedict ($18) with panko crumbed eggs, Sriracha hollandaise and bacon on roti.  The eggs are lovely and the roti is a genius twist to the good old muffin.  The hollandaise gives a tasty kick but my kids find it a tad too spicy so I usually get all the sauce (mwahahaha).

They have changed their menu quite a few times since our first visit and I'm always surprised by their new dishes and not been disappointed.  Some of these have included the corn fritters ...

The most amazing lamb ribs....

A Korean fried chicken burger.......

And a Fish Curry Special of the day.....

I can't wait to see what's on the menu on our next visit!

Eat. @ Square and Compass

222 Clarendon Street, East Melbourne ph  (03) 9416 4914

I did some of my training at the Mercy Hospital in East Melbourne just before it moved to its current site in Heidelberg (and before it became the site for filming Offspring!)  I so, so, so would've loved to have had an fabulous cafe like Square and Compass within walking distance for a coffee stop back then!

The outside of the building has been refreshed but still blends nicely with the surroundings.  The inside is clean modern and the tables are spaced nicely.

I ordered my usual mocha ($4) which was great and I would have swapped my kidney for a coffee like this back when I was at the Mercy.

I tried out the Red Chilli Scrambled Eggs, with bacon, parmesan, spring onions, parsley and toast ($16.5).  The scramble was lovely and creamy with just the right amount of heat for me since Bubs was quite keen on to try this and it wasn't too hot for him.

I also ordered a Pulled Pork Jaffle, with apple sauce, monterey jack cheese and house made piccallili ($14) for Bubs, but by the time he ate some of my scramble he couldn't finish his jaffle.  Which worked out well cos we took half a sandwich away and he ate it at the park later!  The jaffle was delicious and I actually really enjoyed the pickle!

Square and Compass is a great cafe, and it's fabulous to see a new cafe in that area as there seems to be such a density of them over in the Fitzroy/Collingwood side of town.

Eat. @ Pillar of Salt

541 Church St, Richmond ph (03) 9421 1550

We've been to Pillar of Salt quite a few times and I can't believe I haven't blogged about it yet!  Bubs and I had another visit the other day on our brunch roulette adventures.  We used to come with the pram, and we would be quite comfortably seated out the back in the backyard.  More and more now we get to sit at the communal table out the front, on high stools which can be a little challenging for little ones but Bubs enjoys the "grown up" chairs.  The coffee here is always nice, my mocha ($3.8 ) never disappoints.

Our go-to dish here is the Benedict ($17.5), poached eggs with braised and shredded Ottway ham hock, smashed peas, and their apple cider hollandaise on toast.  The combination is perfect and always ticks the boxes for a hearty Melbourne brunch.

The cafe is always full and bustling, with coffee drinkers dashing in for their brew and take-away baguettes and baked goodies, as well as groups of diners catching up over breakfast, brunch and coffees.  I think it speaks volumes that they remain so busy, with the popular Top Paddock just down the road.

Eat. @ Legacy

347 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell ph (03) 9041 1796

We ventured out to Legacy for lunch during the most recent school holidays.  It's a busy little brunch spot on the ground floor of a new low rise apartment block on Camberwell Rd.  (Look for the nearby Beacon Lighting!)

The first time I was there with Bubs there was a big wait so we just grabbed some of their delectable donuts to go.

I next visited with all 3 kidlets in tow.  They started off with a couple of cool milk shakes ($6.5, comes in caramel, chocolate, strawberry or vanilla) served in jars of course.

I had a chilli mocha ($4.6) which I must admit was not very strong in the chilli at all (I actually asked to confirm that I did get the chilli version), so next time I'm gonna ask for one with more kick!

First up came the Sweet Potato, kale and amaranth fritters, with goat's cheese,Kaiser bacon and cherry vine tomato relish ($17.5).  A good standard Melbourne brunch dish, I did like the combination of sweet potato and kale in the fritters, and the chutney adds the tang in a good way.

My favourite was the Seared Sesame Tuna Tataki ($22) served with soba noodles, avocado, snow pea sprouts, spring onion, pickled ginger and an Asian dressing.  A really fresh fusion dish that was quite healthy and tasty.  

We couldn't decide between the sweets and ended up ordering 2 dishes!  (That's the great thing about eating out with the family!!!)  First up the Hokey Pokey Pancakes ($17.9) which of course was Macaron Monster's favourite! With house made honeycomb, ricotta, orange, vanilla bean creme fraiche, pomegranate and strawberries (and figs too as you can see).  The honeycomb was the bomb, and needs to be included in all desserts in my opinion!

Then we had the passion fruit pannacotta ($16.9), which was a very pretty dish with crushed pistachios, figs, strawberries, blueberries and an orange and poppy seed tulle.  The pannacotta was lovely and smooth and the fruits were refreshing with the pistachio and tulle bringing the crunch.  A perfect dish for those who like desserts for breakfast like I do.

The service was efficient and friendly, the music a little too loud but made for a bustling atmosphere.  I liked all the dishes we tried and am looking forward to coming back for some butter fried chicken on my  next visit!