Cafe Breakfasts

Crabapple Kitchen, Hawthorn

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

In a recent edition of the (melbourne) magazine, I was reading an article on Greg Feck and his café/restaurant “Crabapple Kitchen” in Glenferrie Road. As I was salivating over a photo and recipe with brioche buns of pork and apple slaw, out of curiosity I Googled their website and saw that they were open for breakfast and took the opportunity to look over their Autumn menu.

Secretly hoping that the brioche buns were available, under the FoodandTravelCo’s selection of international breakfast dishes on the menu, I spied the exotic sounding baked eggs from Marrakesh. As I was about to head off to Morocco for a holiday, I was keen to try all things Moroccan.

By the time I arrived at Crabapple Kitchen mid-morning, there was a queue forming at the door to be seated. Trying to ignore the couple in front of me complaining about the ten minute wait, my eyes were absorbing the French provincial kitchen décor and chefs and baristas bustling around the front open bar area.

I was seated along the breakfast bar opposite the kitchen, with an array of candid photos of the San Pellegrino 50 Best Restaurant awards with snapshots of Heston Blumenthal and Greg’s partner, Kim and other gourmands occupying my attention.

Baked egg in a tagine of duck kofta with tomato, ras el hanout, toasted almonds and coriander served with Batbout (small Moroccan bread) - Crabapple Kitchen, Hawthorn
Baked egg in a tagine of duck kofta with tomato, ras el hanout, toasted almonds and coriander served with Batbout (small Moroccan bread) – Crabapple Kitchen, Hawthorn

I don’t normally order savoury for breakfast, but I was almost relieved to be eating something hot and spicy to beat the cold weather outside. Little did I know, just how hot and spicy. The Moroccan bread was light and delicious but there was only a small piece of it to counteract the chilli factor. A delicious mixture of baked tomato, spices and small meatballs of minced duck meat and egg, but the dish was extremely hot, both in temperature and overwhelmingly spicy. So much so that after a while, it was hard to distinguish what was being eaten and it was a struggle to continue eating after several mouthfuls. I could see the chilli in the mixture and almost wondered what I would be in for in Marrakesh!

The maître d could see that I wasn’t eating and when I explained about the heat factor, he asked if I would like a glass of milk to counteract the spice, but I politely declined thinking that all I wanted was more of that delicious bread to fill me up!

Crabapple Kitchen have an innovative menu and I had the privilege to indulge in one of their themed Friday Night Flight dinner evenings in May, so I have experienced their wonderful cuisine and their take on Moroccan traditional fare, however I think this dish was a rare misstep.

He Says She Says, Camberwell

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

As I was about to move into the area, my friend Claire told me that there was a Leo’s Fine Food supermarket nearby, which was music to my ears. So on a barmy Friday evening and in need of groceries, I set off walking along Toorak Road towards Leo’s thinking that it was only a couple of blocks away from home. I get sucked in by Apple maps and its deceptive graphics every time. Still walking nearly 40 minutes later, I see a modern, busy restaurant which I recognise as “He Says, She Says” and think that it looks like a great place to have breakfast while I’m living in the neighbourhood and add it to my cafe list.

So on a rainy, grey Saturday morning, I walked into the cafe/bar/restaurant and was surprised to see that it was almost cavernous with several different dining areas to choose from – a communal dining table in one corner covered with the day’s newspapers and also banquette seating and booths by the windows. Light filled and modern with an open kitchen, artworks on the walls and ceilings, and sleek interior styling, my eyes were greedily absorbing all the colours, textures and elegant interior design.

He Says She Says, Camberwell
He Says She Says, Camberwell

I was warmly greeted and given water on arrival and the breakfast menu, however with only four people in the restaurant, it took another fifteen minutes for another member of staff to approach my table and take my coffee and breakfast order, which was almost excruciating when I had resolutely decided that I was having French Toast for breakfast and was desperate need of a coffee.

Ann's "fav" French Toast, caramelised banana, whipped ricotta, maple syrup and lemon - He Says She Says, Camberwell
Ann’s “fav” French Toast, caramelised banana, whipped ricotta, maple syrup and lemon – He Says She Says, Camberwell

When breakfast did arrive, it looked delicious although the presentation of the caramelised banana was open to interpretation, which several of my friends and family took the opportunity to provide their comments on Facebook. Looks aside, the first thing I gravitated towards was the whipped ricotta. Silky smooth, slightly sweetened, soft and creamy, this was definitely the highlight of the dish. It reminded me of the homemade quark my Baba used to make and use to create her beautiful baked cheesecakes and pastries that I used to devour when I was a little girl.

I have no idea who Ann is, but her French toast was beautifully cooked and the banana with the caramelised sauce and the whipped ricotta were a fabulous combination. Halfway through my breakfast, I was ready to order another cup of coffee. I finished my breakfast, and continued to read the Saturday morning paper and waited for one of the four staff on duty to visit my table and perhaps clear my plate. Eventually I got up and made my way to the register and paid the bill, deciding that I could get a skinny latte elsewhere.

Platform Espresso, Glen Iris

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

When I moved into my new temporary residence, a friend of mine at work recommended that I should try Platform Espresso near Glen Iris train station, so I made note of it as a place to visit. That week, the local edition of The Weekly Review showcased Platform Espresso in their Barista column. It seemed logical that I should go and check it out for myself.

When I walked towards the cafe on Saturday morning, I had a brief sense of deja vu and remembered that I had been to a property inspection in exactly the same area, five years previously!

Walking up the hill, I found the cafe and was delighted to find that there were several tables available to be seated at and no queues. The interior of the cafe was slightly stark with plywood floors, table tops, counter and shelving almost resembling an Ikea catalogue, with minimal soft furnishings and clean lines.

Looking at the menu, I laughed to myself when I saw another poached egg dish with dukkah and came to the conclusion that the combination of dukkah and eggs must be the breakfast speciality of suburban Melbourne after ordering it for the past two weeks at Bella Sistas and Red Robyn. Although I was tempted to order more dukkah eggs, I love bagels so I decided to be adventurous and try the salmon bagel with truffle cream cheese and winter salad.

Salmon bagel with truffle cream cheese, capers & winter salad - Platform Espresso, Glen Iris
Salmon bagel with truffle cream cheese, capers & winter salad – Platform Espresso, Glen Iris

I love food served on wooden boards and this dish had a definitive wow factor with its stunning presentation and decoration. The winter salad was particularly intriguing but nothing I had imagined it to be. In my mind’s eye, I was picturing beetroot and roasted root vegetables but pleasantly surprised by the imaginative array of sweet corn kernels, pomegranate seeds, thinly sliced radish, fennel, chervil and iceberg lettuce. The highlight of the dish was the whipped, fluffy and light cream cheese on both the plate and bagel. Although I couldn’t quite detect the truffle in the cream cheese, it was delicious with the cured salmon and sprigs of dill.

Platform Espresso is a hidden gem and I’m glad that I got to experience its quirky decor and fabulous food.