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. @ Market Lane Coffee

163 Commercial Road, Prahran 3141 (@Prahran Market) ph : (03) 9804 7434

I visited Praharan Market recently and found a treasure trove of new food-related things to love, not in the least is this beautifully minimalistic coffee specialist, Market Lane Coffee. 

These guys are really serious about coffee.  In this busy world of multi-tasking, instant gratification, and often way too many choices and options, it's actually really refreshing to see such a dedicated and single minded approach to the one thing that is important to them.  And that, is coffee.

I am the first to admit that I'm no coffee connoisseur.  I appreciate a good brew, and all I look for in a cup is consistency, pleasant taste, and no bitterness.  Coffee here is the main star.  To the point that there is no mocha here, just pure coffee.  I must admit I started to drink mochas as they are more forgiving if the beans and the baristas are not up to the tip-top standards of the awesome coffee places around Melbourne. 

I love a good flow chart!  Coffee explained!

I had a latte on the day, coupled with two gorgeous looking macarons The  coffee was perfect.  Smooth, lovely and no bitter after taste.  Beautiful latte art, with a cute little spoon.  If coffee is like this everywhere I'll gladly give up mochas and have lattes instead. 

The macarons, sourced from La Tropizienne, were fantastic as expected.  (Yes, one of my top picks for macarons in Melbourne!)  I had the Blackcurrant and Salted Caramel.  Very different but delicious in flavours, and both very well made and beautiful looking. 

The space occupied by Market Lane Coffee is spacious and well lit by natural light.   Enthusiastic but unintrusive service with a smile, a relaxed atmosphere coupled with quiet and soothing background (ie/non-elevator) music added to the ambience.

I loved the look of the large communal table, with storage buckets neatly stacked in the background working double-duty as funky decor.

Bubs was quite comfortable in the stroller pulled up to the table.  I couldn't see any high chairs, but did spot a make-shift booster obviously fashioned by an ingenious mum having a cuppa with a little one before me!

Being so coffee-centric, food takes a backseat as an accompaniment, and a small offering of treats to go with the main attraction is available.  I had no need for a babycino on the day so I'm not sure if this is offered, but the sweet treats look quite kid-friendly.

Eat.Play.Shop. Says -  Excellent coffee and relaxed ambience makes Market Lane Coffee a pretty special place for a "pit-stop" while shopping at the Prahran Market. 

Eat. @ Chez Dre

285-287 Coventry St, South Melbourne 3205 ph : (03) 9609 2688

It's taken me ages to write this post because I've been for quite a few visits since Chez Dre opened earlier on in the year, so look out, I have a stack of photos! (Get ready for a long post and some drooling!)  Chez Dre is a Patisserie/Boulangerie/Cafe located a stone's throw away from South Melbourne Market, slightly hidden behind the Southwood Trading Company. 

Yummy Mummies out there will know that it's behind where the gorgeous maternity and baby store Fragile used to be located.  It is the brainchild of the talented "Dre" who is is obviously passionate about what she does and Chez Drez is a beautiful but relaxed place to catch up with friends, have a coffee, and enjoy the tasty treats both visually and gastronomically.

Firstly the drinks.  The coffee is roasted at the The Maling Room, and even though I wasn't a fan when I was there, the mocha I had at Chez Dre was very nice. ($3.50)

The cappuccino is of equally high standards.

The tea is from Larson and Thompson.  I had the English Breakfast. ($3.50)

Their House Hot Chocolate is a single origin "Madagascar" 64%.  This was very, very nice, smooth and sweet without being too strong.

For brekkie, I tried the Poached Eggs on Sour Dough, with marinated smoke salmon, smashed avocado and goat's cheese ($15.5).  The eggs were perfectly poached, and the salmon, avocado and cheese went very well together.  I'm torn between having this again next visit, as I loved it so much, or to try the Chez Dre Breakfast Platter, which has smoked ham, gruyere cheese, boiled egg, poached fruit, vanilla yoghurt with granola, raspberry jam, croissant and baguette - a bit of everything, ie/ my kind of food! ($18.5)

For lunch with my parents we tried a variety of their lunch offerings.  The mountain of freshly prepared baguettes beckoned!

I went for a half serve of the Roast Chicken with gruyere cheese, roasted garlic aioli and cos lettuce for $7 (saving my tummy for the famed desserts!).  A full serve is $12.  This came with a side of carrot, slightly reminiscent of a Vietnamese Baguette and rather refreshing.

We also had the Pork and Pistachio Terrine, which was served with baguette and apricot chutney.  This was simple and a pleasure to eat.  For bigger appetites, the Chez Dre Ploughman's Lunch consists of the beautiful pork and pistachio terrine, with smoked ham, brie, gruyere, grated carrot, roasted beetroot, cornichons, mustard, chutney, savoury tart, baguette and a sweet treat.

The Moroccan Salad with Chicken was an unusual choice for my mum, but a fairly healthy, interesting and pretty filling one, at $18.

The display of beautifully made desserts made it very difficult to make a choice!  Most of the desserts were around $8.50 per serve.

Being rather full on lunch we shared a Salted Caramel Eclair, lovely with my tea.  Warning - this is a rather indulgent eclair!

I bought a couple of the desserts to share with friends we were visiting that night.  The Blood Orange Mousse, Citrus Cream, Hazelnut Meringue was a real winner, being light, refreshing and not too sweet.

The other dessert we tried was the Jasmine Tea Brulee, Milk Chocolate Mousse, Flourless Chocolate Biscuit.  A very well designed dessert, the jasmine tea taste was very clear and pleasant.  Very impressive as the subtle tea taste is so often overpowered by anything chocolatey in a dessert!

Their macarons were beautifully displayed, in an array of lovely pastels.  Despite them being $3 each (my benchmark being $2.50 for the ones from La Belle Miette)  I bought 4 to share with Hubby.

We had the Orange, Raspberry, Salted Caramel and Passionfruit macarons.  These were the only items we've tried so far that I couldn't rave about.  The flavours were pleasant, but they didn't have enough bite/chewiness, and the crusts were a bit too thick.  Do remember I am very, very fussy with my macarons though.

There's quite a few tables, both inside and out.  I personally preferred sitting inside, as the times I've been outside I'd been overwhelmed by the passive smoking in the courtyard.   However that area is very pram-friendly and is beautiful on a sunny day.  We'd visited on different occasions but always during the less busy weekdays, and the staff were friendly and helpful.  If you have a pram, enter via Hotham St (ie/ the Courtyard) to avoid the steps in the laneway entrance).

I love visiting South Melbourne Market, and now I love it even more as I look forward to having a yummy break in the classy Chez Dre!



Hi Dre!

Eat.Play.Shop.Says - a great place to catch a break on market days.  The staff have told me that it can be chaotic on Sunday mornings, so go at other times to avoid the rush!

Toilets - Yes
Highchairs - No