Eat. @ Coin Laundry

6 Armadale St, Armadale 3143 ph : (03) 9500 1888

Coin Laundry is not in my neck of the woods, but I have heard so many good things about this place that I made the trek there with Bubs the other week.   It was a lazy Friday morning and we arrived just after 10am, but this cafe was already chockers full of brunchers and coffee drinkers.

I usually venture out to known popular cafes on a week day (much to Hubby's disappointment) to avoid the weekend queues, and was quite tempted to leave after waiting for 20 minutes for a table.  Fortunately I was also too lazy to go somewhere else, as the wait was definitely worth it! (It helped that Bubs was really well behaved on this occasion!)

I had plenty of time to admire the decor while I waited.  You don't have to be a genius to figure out that the cafe is housed in a building that was a coin laundry in its previous life.  The cloth lined ceiling is a salute to this fact, and adds to the vintage chic look to the cafe.

A large communal table saw a rapid turnover of coffee-toting patrons. The Mo-vember inspired, mustashioed staff were all lovely and apologetic for my wait, and I appreciated their thoughtfulness to try and accommodate us at one of the smaller tables for better pram access.  Their side-walk tables are also good options for parents with prams and young kids, but on the day they were filled with pet owners and large groups.  

Mo-vember Decorations - $5 donations by patrons will
score a mustache for the wall.

My mocha arrived swiftly while I checked out the menu.  Great quality coffee here, so it's no wonder there's a constant stream of people coming for caffeine-to-go as well as diners ordering seconds and thirds (probably contributes to the wait!)

I ordered the House Cured Ocean Trout, Potato Croquette, Pickled Zucchini, Beetroot Puree, Lemon Yogurt and Poached Egg ($17.5).  OH MY, what a fantastic breakfast combo!  I loved every ingredient in this dish, and everything went so well together.   The cured trout was lovely without being too fishy, and the zucchini gave a well balanced but contrasting sour zing.  The poached egg was beautifully done, the beetroot puree offered a different level of flavour and texture to the other ingredients, and the potato croquette gave a "crunchy" dimension to the dish.  This is probably my favourite breakfast dish out of all the ones I've had this year.

I didn't have time to sample the sweets, but I checked out a great selection of goodies while I waited, which I know my kids would love to sample next time we're here. 

Coin Laundry is also famed for their steak sandwiches, which are served after midday for lunch.  I have no doubt we will be returning to try this out at some stage for Hubby's benefit!  (No there won't be any complaints from me!)

Eat.Play.Shop. Says - well worth the wait.   The Ocean Trout dish is enough to entice me back to Armadale again in the near future!

Highchairs - No

Eat. @ Hobba Coffee + Kitchen

428 Malvern Rd, Prahran 3181 ph : (03) 9510 8336

Bubs and I popped in to Hobba for brunch on the way to Prahran Market the other day.  Housed in an old converted garage, this cool cafe is a busy hub of activity.  Regular readers of this blog will notice that I tend to visit the "cooler, trendier" cafe spots during the week, as I'm weary of having to wait for a table on the weekend with our family of 5.   I am happy to report however, that this is a fantastic, cool, yet family friendly cafe, and one that I would even be willing to return on the weekend with our "Party of 5" and queue up for a table to sample more of their goodies and coffees.

I started with my usual choice of mocha.  A lovely cup, right up there with the high standards of Melbourne coffee. 

For brekkie, I ordered the Smashed Avocado, Persian Feta, Grain Sourdough and Slow Poached Egg ($11.8) and added a side order of Ottway Free Range Dry Cured Bacon (+$4.5).  The Hobba Kitchen serves up excellent Green Eggs slow poached at exactly 62.5 degrees, and being crazy for poached eggs I was keen to try this out.

All I can say is, WOW!   The egg white was soft, the yolk was "thick runny" but not messy.  If I was more poetic I would embellish this post with a sonnet or two about these eggs, but since I'm not even a good limerick writer, I will just tell you to try this one out for yourself and thank me later.  The egg was the show stealer, but the bacon held its own by being tasty without being overly salty, and the avocado and feta were perfectly balanced.  To be really pedantic, the toast was a bit too crunchy, but Bubs happily munched on it, seeds and all.

The whole seating area is very spacious, kid-friendly and awash with natural light.  (Apologies for the extremely overexposed photo of my coffee above!)  I was comfortably seated in one of the timber booths, with Bubs pulled up along side in the pram.  Towards the back of the cafe are communal tables with ample room for prams and highchairs.  Lots of parents and kids in the area must take advantage of the set up, as I enjoyed my brekkie and watched singles and couples, as well as families and mums, pop in for a catch up over coffee.  Little ones flew in on their little scooters and bikes while their parents picked up a take away.  The service was top notch, the staff were efficient and friendly, and the cool dude who served me even smiled in sympathy as he helped me pick up toys Bubs threw out of the pram for the ump-teenth time.  

Perhaps next time I will try out their eggs with asparagus and poached salmon, or in the Hobba version of the big brekkie?  The lunch menu also looks inviting with their take on chicken schnitzels, beef burgers and crab and salmon patties.  Vegetarians and kids are well catered for, with many menu items suitable or easily adapted for both groups.

As I sit here typing away, Hubby is next to me, simultaneously salivating over the pictures of the food and cursing me for going without him.  Look out Hobba, I will definitely be back!  Even on the busy weekends, with the whole gang, waiting in line and risking a toddler meltdown.  It was that good an experience.  

Eat.Play.Shop. Says - Go the Slow Poached Eggs!  And the coffee will not disappoint!

Toilets - Yes
Highchair - Yes

Eat. @ Axil Coffee Roasters

322 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn 3122  ph (03) 9819 0091

A lovely Spring day in glorious Melbourne.  I packed Macaron Monster and Bubs into the car and drove down to Axil Coffee Roasters for a coffee hit and a relaxing brunch.  I've wanted to come here for a while now, since my friend D invited us to share breakfast there with her lovely little family, but unfortunately we couldn't make it.  Next time definitely!

Despite the photography, the seating area is lovely with the sunlight.

The fit out is grungy-warehouse-cool.  There's one step up to the seating area which was easily negotiable by my stroller.  I grabbed the Ikea high chair I spotted in the corner for Bubs (hopefully they have more stashed somewhere for the busier weekends!)  Mostly ladies-who-brunch and business-over-coffee types this morning, but a lovely couple with 5 month old twins sat down near us and we had a chat about eating out with kids.  I had a lovely view of these cute funky pot plants and the baristas behind them as they worked their coffee magic!

And it was great coffee!  Lovely smooth mocha just the way I like it.  Very tempted to have another one.

MM enjoyed the mini hot chocolate too.

Mummy couldn't wait for the photo before diving into her mocha!



I enjoyed the Smashed Avocado and Meredith Feta on Sourdough Toast ($13) with added poached egg ($2), with a side of Free Range Bacon ($4.5).  I like that it had a really decent serve of avocado and feta.  The poached egg was well done with a lovely runny centre and the bacon was delicious.  I'd definitely have this again! 

There is a good selection of breakfast items, from museli and pancakes to eggs benedict bagels and eggs on toast plus sides.  For lunch the menu offers salads, pasta, sandwiches and even some belly pork.  I will have to bring the whole gang next time so we can order more to share!  If that's not enough there's coffee paraphernalia galore to take home for a spot of post-meal shopping.

Eat.Play.Shop. Says - Another great coffee destination in the Hawthorn area with great coffee and yummy food.  Plenty of space for families gives Axil advantage over the nearby Liar Liar and Porgie + Mr Jones for parents dining with little ones!

Toilets - Yes

Highchairs - Yes