things to eat!

Cafe Domain, South Yarra

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"La Domain" French Toast with brioche, poached pears, maple syrup and pistachio mascarpone - Cafe Domain, South Yarra
“La Domain” French Toast with brioche, poached pears, maple syrup and pistachio mascarpone – Cafe Domain, South Yarra

How do I choose what cafe I go to on a Saturday morning? I have a list of “to do” cafes on my iPhone from things I have seen in newspapers or magazines, or even while on a tram. Sometimes my cafe choice is driven by necessity. I need to be in a certain location at a particular time so I try to combine breakfast with the activities of the day.

Last Saturday, I had to be at work to finish off a few things and then a hair appointment, and looking at my options I thought I would try to go to “The Botanical” near the Domain Interchange, as it was along my tram route. Well, that was the intention …

I had a general idea of where I needed to be and got off at the right tram stop and headed down the street. Seeing a busy cafe, I assumed I was at the right place. Walking inside, I found a place at a communal table and sat down and thought that the place looked more like a cafeteria than a cafe/restaurant, but thought no more of it.

Looking at the menu, my eyes honed in on the French toast and I scoured the description. Sold! Looking around for someone to take my order, I waited and re-read the menu where I saw that I needed to order and pay at the counter … and then I saw the “Cafe Domain” logo … ok, I wasn’t where I wanted to be (put that down to lack of coffee) but nothing was standing between me and the French toast!

I can honestly say that I’m glad that I walked into the wrong place. My breakfast looked amazing when it arrived and I tucked in with gusto after taking the obligatory photo and posting on Facebook. The brioche was thick and I think homemade or locally sourced. The grilled egg mixture was only on the surface of the brioche, which meant that the rest of the dry bread could be used to soak up the delicious thin maple syrup mixture that covered the bottom of the plate. The poached pears were cold were almost an affront to my palate due to the cool weather, but at the speed that I was devouring my breakfast, it didn’t matter.

But the star attraction was undoubtedly the mascarpone and pistachio. Thick creamy texture of the mascarpone and the crunch of the pistachio nuts mixed with the thick sweet brioche was almost too much to bear. As one of my friends commented on Facebook, “Yum!”.

Turned out that I was in the right place at the right time!

Cafe O-Mai, Annerley (Brisbane)

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Brioche French toast with vanilla poached rhubarb and fresh orange segments topped with homemade labne and toasted pistachio
Brioche French toast with vanilla poached rhubarb and fresh orange segments topped with homemade labne and toasted pistachio – Cafe O-mai, Annerley

I went to Brisbane last weekend to visit my little sister and to see the Masterpieces from the Prado Museum exhibition. I was excited to explore a new city and new breakfast opportunities, so I scoured Urbanspoon during the week to make a list of places to visit. When my sister mentioned that a new cafe had opened up not far from her home and that it was doing a roaring trade, I knew that it was inevitable that I was having breakfast there on Saturday morning.

The moment I saw that there was French toast on the menu, it was a done deal. For a little corner cafe, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful presentation and the colour. I’m not usually a fan of rhubarb, but the bite-sized portions were perfectly cooked without a hint of a tart or too-sweet aftertaste. The brioche was thick and the honey syrup used in the dish soaked through the bread, making it moist and almost too easy to eat. There was a perfect balance of fruit and nuts and I only wish that there was a tiny little bit more labne to last more than one mouthful.

With the sun on my back, a skinny Latte under my belt and my French toast disappearing by the second, I was loving every minute of it!

Gardiner & Field, Armadale

Baked rhubarb and strawberries rolled in French toast tortillas with orange, mint and granola
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It’s one thing to read about this cafe in the The Age during the week and then get up on Saturday morning and trek three suburbs and find this unique cafe in the side streets of Armadale. But as I walked from the train station and through the leafy streets, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and I couldn’t wait to try the French toast tortillas that I read about in the newspaper.

When my breakfast arrived, it was hard to make sense of the dish. The best way to describe it was something akin to Eton mess, but with structure. There was a piece of deep fried tortilla/pancake/crepes with cinnamon and sugar, segmented orange, hazlenuts, crunchy granola, Bircher museli and two pancakes with rhubarb and strawberries and the ensemble was simply delicious. The crunch of the granola, the sweetness of the strawberry filling and the silky smooth texture of the Bircher museli was sensational. Truly a beautiful breakfast!

The only thing that irritated me was the needless dusting of icing sugar on the rim of the plate. It doesn’t complement the dish and leaves a mess on the table and the clothes of the diner.

Baked rhubarb and strawberries rolled in French toast tortillas with orange, mint and granola
Baked rhubarb and strawberries rolled in French toast tortillas with orange, mint and granola – Gardiner and Field, Armadale