Culinary adventures

The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

My friends like to have a little dig at my inclination to gravitate towards sweeter the breakfast options than the savoury variety. One friend even commented that I was only allowed to have French toast for breakfast if it was served with Gallic bacon, which seemed like a tall order at the time, until I discovered The Meeting Place Café.

Nestled towards the back of a small arcade off Toorak Road in South Yarra, this café has a distinct European ambience with a row of French bistro-style chairs and tables outside the entrance and a large ornate garden urn. It would be easy to imagine that you had been instantly transported to a village in France, rather than in inner city Melbourne.

The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra
The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra
The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra
The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra

Beneath the warmth of the outdoor heaters and market umbrellas, I had a fantastic view of the comings and goings of the arcade in both directions and was treated to an impromptu Thai cooking class from Marion Grasby showing on the TV screen directly in front of me, inside the café.

The coffee is made with roasted beans from Sensory Lab; sweet, creamy and subtle flavours of chocolate in the blend.

The all-day breakfast menu is eclectic with a variety of traditional dishes but with some interesting inclusions. Having found a café that served a style of French toast that met my friend’s brief, I felt that I had license to order the French toast with cinamon poached pears, crispy bacon and maple syrup (sic).

The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra
The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra

I’m someone who usually cannot tolerate poor spelling. The menu, temporary signage and the blackboard specials at the café have quite a few spelling errors which would normally make me cringe. But with further reflection, the service at The Meeting Place is extremely friendly and attentive with a customer focus, and the chefs appear to be putting their heart and soul in creating delicious food rather than directing their efforts elsewhere, so with that in mind I continued to enjoy the European odyssey and overlook the obvious.

French Toast with cinnamon poached pears, crispy bacon and maple syrup - The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra
French Toast with cinnamon poached pears, crispy bacon and maple syrup – The Meeting Place Cafe, South Yarra

When my French toast arrived, the presentation of the dish was spectacular. Two thick slices of battered bread, wedges of poached pear, fresh strawberries, a rasher of bacon decoratively wrapped around a quenelle of cream, decorated with a fresh sprig of mint and artfully drizzled dollops of maple syrup, and a fine layer of cinnamon dusting over the top.

There were a few unexpected taste elements in the dish, both good and not so good. While the toast was served hot off the grill, the poached pears appeared to come straight from the fridge so the extreme difference in temperature came as a complete surprise when pairing the two together, but only for the first mouthful. The French toast was well cooked and delectable especially when mixed with the maple syrup and cinnamon. The bacon was also delicious, not overly crisp, and went well with the bread and the sweeter options on the plate. I was expecting the cream on top of the French toast to be mascarpone or crème fraiche, which would have been unobtrusive in terms of flavour, but discovered it was actually sour cream. Quelle horreur! Sour cream unfortunately has a distinctive flavour and the taste was overbearing which didn’t pair well with the other sweet and savoury flavours and textures. Aside from this, my breakfast was substantive and enjoyable.

The next time I need a budget-friendly European escape for breakfast, I have my eyes set on the Nutella & banana pancakes with roasted hazlenuts, strawberries served with vanilla custurd (sic).

The Meeting Place Cafe on Urbanspoon

Two Lost Boys, Windsor

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I have always been intrigued by the café located in that tiny street, if it can be called that, adjacent to the Windsor train station. It doesn’t seem all that long ago that it was occupied by a tapas bar called Garcia & Sons, which I had been looking forward to checking out. Unfortunately in Melbourne, bars and restaurants tend to come and go and so I missed out on that opportunity. Looking for inspiration on where to have breakfast this morning, The Age newspaper generously obliged with “A foodie’s guide to Windsor”. Under the section entitled “Breakfast – with killer coffee”, the invitation to start my day with beetroot and sweet potato fritters at Two Lost Boys gave me the impetus to get out of bed and make my way there before I miss out.

Walking into Two Lost Boys, I was greeted at the door by someone in a checked shirt, skinny jeans and converse and there was an odd moment of silence where I hesitated to ask for a table, unsure if the person in front of me was a customer about to leave or an actual staff member on duty. Throwing caution to the wind, I asked for a table and was shown into the main dining area.

The café is full of natural light, and tastefully decorated with timber tables and a timber bench along the front window. The ceiling has been covered in white pegboard and soft light recessed into its edges and wall display units, creating a contemporary and elegant dining space. The beautiful front display counter, adored with a variety of  leadlight panels from old doors, is a striking centrepiece and a definite talking point.

Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor

The quality of the coffee was indeed “killer” as promised in The Age . The coffee beans are locally sourced from Monk Bodhi Dharma and full of rich, roasted flavour. While there a few casually attired hipster dudes manning the busy dining area, the staff do know how to engage and interact with their customers, with the right level of service that is memorable and yet unobtrusive.

Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Two Lost Boys, Windsor

The breakfast menu offers the usual variety of dishes generally available in other cafes, but with a slight emphasis on Middle Eastern ingredients and spices to create unique flavours. Although I was tempted to try the Lemon and Ricotta Pancakes, I resolutely stuck with my original decision to order the Sweet Potato and Beetroot Fritters.

Sweet Potato & Beetroot Fritters with house-cured salmon carpaccio, spinach, horseradish & walnut cream served with two poached eggs - Two Lost Boys, Windsor
Sweet Potato & Beetroot Fritters with house-cured salmon carpaccio, spinach, horseradish & walnut cream served with two poached eggs – Two Lost Boys, Windsor

When my breakfast arrived, my dish was a picture of understated elegance with a smear of beetroot across the plate, helping to emphasise the bold and vibrant colours embodied in the fritter and just wilted spinach, the pink salmon formed into a perfect rosette and the horseradish cream lightly decorated with finely chopped walnuts.  The beetroot and sweet potato had been coarsely grated, well cooked and formed into a rosti style base. The rich, ruby red of the beetroot combined with the dark, sunset orange colour of the cooked sweet potato created an amazing and luscious display that made eating the fritter a feast for the eyes, as well as for the palate. The combination of beetroot and sweet potato was expertly balanced and seemed appropriate for a variable Autumn day.  The eggs were perfectly poached and the cured salmon was delicious, although it did have a strong fish flavour, given that the portions had probably been a little more thickly cut than intended. The cream nicely melted into the piping hot fritter, although I couldn’t detect the slightest hint of horseradish, the smooth texture complemented the velvet-like consistency of the cooked vegetable stack.

Eating at Two Lost Boys was a fabulous breakfast experience and an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of Chapel Street. Although the café is out of sight, tucked down the side of the Windsor train station, it is definitely not out of mind. That which was hidden away from view, has indeed now been found.

Two Lost Boys on Urbanspoon

The Grain Store, Melbourne

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As the saying goes, while the cat’s away the mice will play! With a short working week, courtesy of Easter and ANZAC Day, our usual complement of eight team members, dwindled to a lowly three. With our boss also away and left to our own devices, Stevo, AA and myself decided to motivate ourselves with a special breakfast meeting before embracing the long weekend.

Working in the Melbourne CBD, I tend to steer clear of the city on the weekends and look for new places to eat in the inner suburbs. Its been a while since I’ve been to The Grain Store and I’ve been looking for another opportunity to come back. Located between Spencer and King Streets in what could be described as the “interesting” end of Flinders Lane, when you step inside The Grain Store it feels like you are entering a whole new world. With a fitout that embodies a Hamptons style elegance that captures a mood that is light and spacious, casual yet stylish, the café feels like a haven and a place to escape from the frenetic pace of city outside. The neutral tones accentuated by muted lighting, pale timber finishes, completed with white marble topped benches and linen cushions provides a sophisticated and relaxing ambience.

The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne
The Grain Store, Melbourne

The menu seems to have changed since I last visited the café with a focus on the produce in season. Once I had spotted the Buttermilk French Toast and Spiced Pear with passionfruit crème, apple puree, peppered caramel and walnut praline, I closed the menu. The boys didn’t spend too much time perusing the menu either and they both opted for the Ginger Beer Gammon Steak, Smoky Borlotti Beans with fried egg, nashi pear fritters, remoulade, salsa verde and apple vincotto. Our breakfast dishes arrived shortly thereafter.

Buttermilk French Toast & Spiced Pear with passionfruit creme, apple puree, peppered caramel, walnut praline - The Grain Store, Melbourne
Buttermilk French Toast & Spiced Pear with passionfruit creme, apple puree, peppered caramel, walnut praline – The Grain Store, Melbourne

My dish was well presented although on first glance there seemed to be lots of different shades of beige and brown on the plate and it was hard to know where to begin. With so many strong flavours on the plate, each component tasted best individually. The passionfruit crème was sweet and tart and paired well with the poached pear, lightly rolled in dukkah which was a touch of brilliance. The moist French toast, topped with the crumbled walnut praline, combined with the concentrated flavour of apple puree was delicious. Thick and with the same consistency as dulce de leche, The Grain Store has cleverly created another composition of caramel sauce through the addition of black pepper. The taste and texture blended well together although strong and bold on your palate. The dish was enjoyable and whilst substantial, there seemed to be just the right quantity of caramel, toast, fruit and crème on the plate without making it too overwhelming.

Ginger Beer Gammon Steak, Smoky Borlotti Beans with fried egg, nashi pear fritters, remoulade, salsa verde, apple vincotto - The Grain Store, Melbourne
Ginger Beer Gammon Steak, Smoky Borlotti Beans with fried egg, nashi pear fritters, remoulade, salsa verde, apple vincotto – The Grain Store, Melbourne

As for the breakfast dish that the boys chose, it was colourful and vibrant with an abundance of flavours in the combination of ingredients, which they generously shared with me. For AA, the best component on the plate was smoky and lightly spiced beans which were truly delicious and full of flavour. Stevo’s pick of the dish was the nashi pear fritters, which was an exotic blend of fruit that had been battered and deep fried. Extremely wicked but equally a joy to eat. From what I sampled, I enjoyed both the pear fritter and the beans, but I also liked the finely shredded celeriac remoulade which provided a light crunch and worked well with all the other sweet and savoury components on the plate. While I couldn’t immediately detect the ginger beer flavouring, the thick cuts of gammon steak were moist, succulent and almost melted in your mouth.

Having enjoyed our breakfast and the opportunity to start our last working day of the week in a special way, we trudged up the hill towards the other end of Flinders Lane, looking forward to walking off the abundance of food we had just consumed.

The Grain Store on Urbanspoon