Breakfast

Bella Sistas, Camberwell South

~ culinaldi ~ 3 Comments

I’ve temporarily relocated to the South Eastern suburbs of Melbourne for the next couple of months and one of the first orders of business was to compile a shortlist of cafes and restaurants to visit whilst I’m living in the area. I was absolutely delighted to find that I was staying only several hundred metres away from Bella Sistas. This cafe regularly appears on one of my friend’s Facebook page, and it was time to put the intrigue to rest.

As I walked into the cafe, I decided to sit by the open front windows to take advantage of the unusually warm breeze and look out onto the street. I was enthusiastically greeted by owner Pino, who promptly took my coffee order and made sure that I had a menu and the Saturday Herald Sun to read. Two ticks and I hadn’t even ordered breakfast.

As I was pondering over the menu, Pino came over and suggested that the roast beetroot and avocado with salmon and poached egg on the daily specials menu was worth considering. I had already settled upon the Egg Roti for breakfast but the power of persuasion was too much. I reasoned that as I was now living just around the corner, it was very likely that I would return to sample most of items on the breakfast menu, but the beetroot and avocado dish was a limited opportunity.

Roast beetroot & avocado on grilled sourdough topped with smoked salmon, dill dressing and poached egg - Bella Sistas, Camberwell South
Roast beetroot & avocado on grilled sourdough topped with smoked salmon, dill dressing and poached egg – Bella Sistas, Camberwell South

As I ordered breakfast, Pino cracked a joke that he had finally got rid of the last of this dish and I couldn’t help but wonder what I had let myself in for. When my breakfast arrived, I need not have worried about freshness or taste. The beetroot was cooked beautifully and delicately dressed with olive oil and fresh dill, baby spinach, cubed avocado and a hint of lemon. There were generous servings of smoked salmon on the toast and on top of the salad, and I was extremely grateful that the egg was poached to my specifications.

I had just finished my skinny latte, when Pino magically appeared again and asked if I needed another coffee. This place was too good to be true! My first foray into a new neighbourhood and I already found a place I wanted to come back to, again and again.

And two weeks later, I did return. After a trip to Singapore for work, I arrived home early on a sunny Saturday morning and after a quick nap, I headed back to Bella Sistas for a late breakfast. As I walked into the cafe, I couldn’t see Pino, but I went through the cafe and all the way outside to discover a courtyard area with an eclectic array of chairs, tables and vinyl lounges.

Looking through the specials, I chuckled when I saw that the beetroot and avocado dish had since been removed. With lots of interesting dishes such as Japanese okonomiyaki pancakes to try, I settled on the Middle Eastern eggs.

Middle Eastern eggs - poached eggs sprinkled with dukkah on toasted Turkish bread with roast tomato, spinach and labna - Bella Sistas, Camberwell South
Middle Eastern eggs – poached eggs sprinkled with dukkah on toasted Turkish bread with roast tomato, spinach and labna – Bella Sistas, Camberwell South

I couldn’t believe the spectacular colours on this dish when it arrived. Roasted cherry tomatoes with fresh, generous servings flat leaf parsley, interspersed with labna cooked to almost a creamy ricotta cheese consistency. Poached eggs with brilliant yellow yolk, topped with a homemade dukkah spice mix and soft, turkish bread. It was definitely the dish du jour. The only thing I was in want of, was a cup of coffee and that proving to be a challenge for the staff on duty.

But what about the Egg Roti? My parents came to stay with me a week later and so I took them to Bella Sistas for breakfast. The cafe was so busy that we wondered whether we would get a table, however Pino was back in charge and we were soon seated. When I came time to order, I ignored the specials and selected the Egg Roti, saving the best of the best until last.

Egg Roti - Roti bread filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, caramelised onions & cheese - Bella Sistas, Camberwell South
Egg Roti – Roti bread filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, caramelised onions & cheese – Bella Sistas, Camberwell South

Warm, soft roti bread was easy to tear and eat all on its own. With a generous serving of creamy scrambled eggs, the standout aspect of the dish was the melted cheese over the bacon, eggs and roti. The sweet, savoury and spiced caramelised onion mixture reminded me of barbeque sauce but infinitely better and absolutely delicious. A breakfast worth the wait.

The Hardware Societe, Melbourne CBD

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One of my favourite cafes in Melbourne is The Hardware Societe. If friends ask me where they should go for breakfast in the city, I usually recommend this cafe but with a warning. According to Urbanspoon, The Hardware Societe is also the most reviewed and blogged about restaurants in Melbourne and therefore extremely popular. My last visit to the cafe would have been almost two years ago and when I found myself in the city on a Saturday morning and looking for somewhere to eat, I tentatively headed towards Hardware Lane to see how long I would need to wait before I could eat.

As feared, there was a lengthy queue of twenty-five people waiting outside to be seated. I took my place in the line to give my details, all the while formulating a back-up plan to head to Mr Tulk at the State Library if the wait was longer than fifteen minutes. I’ve said it before but there are distinct advantages to dining alone! To my pleasant surprise, I got to bypass the crowd was seated immediately inside at the communal dining table near the kitchen.

Looking around the table, the most popular breakfast dish seemed to be the baked eggs and I was almost tempted to follow suit, until my eyes honed in on the French toast towards the bottom of the menu. When I gave my breakfast order, my lovely attendant asked if I had seen the specials and pointed out the brioche with nutella, banana and hazlenuts. I was almost tempted for a moment but stuck with the exotic, tropical sounding Fried Brioche.

Fried Brioche - coconut bavarois, palm sugar, roasted pineapple and passionfruit
Fried Brioche – coconut bavarois, palm sugar, roasted pineapple and passionfruit

Within two minutes of ordering, my breakfast was placed in front of me. I kid you not. I could only speculate that the baked eggs was the dish du jour and the brioche was ready in the wings, waiting for an order.

I must admit that on a Saturday morning that I can’t readily recall what a bavarois is, but it was the first thing I started to eat. Lightly textured, similar to panacotta, with vanilla beans throughout and subtle coconut flavouring, the bavarois was delicious and a perfect accompanient with the brioche. Thickly sliced and cooked French toast style, the sweet bread, the creamy bavarois and crunchy pineapple were beyond description. The passionfruit and thinly sliced pineapple was not tart or sweet and counterbalanced the fried bread. In almost the same speed that the food was delivered to my table, my breakfast was also rapidly devoured.

I was in the restaurant for no more than fifteen minutes and having finished my breakfast, I headed back outside to avoid the stares of the anxious-looking people who were waiting in the queue before me.

Small Victories, Carlton North

~ culinaldi ~ 2 Comments

I look forward to reading Epicure in The Age every Tuesday morning whilst eating my breakfast before work. This week the “Good Food Under $30” guide was released and there was an article on the best of Melbourne’s bargain dining. The winner of the “Breakfast Spot of the Year” category was Small Victories in Carlton North. I went straight to Google, looked up the Rathdowne Street address and was extremely pleased to find that the number 8 tram route went through that area. I’ve been thinking that as I live along this tram route which travels between Toorak to Brunswick, that I was going to use it as a way of exploring new food and breakfast destinations.

Leaving home on Saturday morning, I walked to South Yarra train station and tram stop. There was a train to Melbourne Central leaving in a couple of minutes, where I could also catch the number 8 tram heading north, or I could catch the number 8 tram from South Yarra station and travel to Carlton North. Huge mistake! With the Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend, tram travel into the city has been disrupted. After only ten minutes on the tram, all passengers had to get off and wait for a special shuttle tram to come along that would ferry passengers into the city and terminate at Melbourne Central. After a couple of minutes wait, I boarded another tram and eventually arrived at Melbourne Central. Again all passengers had to disembark and cross over the intersection to a temporary tram stop to pick up the northbound number 8 tram. When the tram arrived, I got on and sat down. Another ten minutes later, the tram stopped at the Melbourne Uni Carlton terminus and everybody was asked to get off again. I don’t give up easily, but I did start to wonder whether I should keep going or find another cafe and try again another day. With the next tram arriving in nine minutes, I set off on foot in the wind and the rain on my own “Amazing Race” adventure, determined to beat Yarra Trams.

When I head off for breakfast each week, I am always a little fearful that there would be a queue to get a table and I won’t be able to get in. An hour after I have left home, I’ve finally arrived in beautiful Rathdowne Village in Carlton North and there are several groups of people outside waiting to be seated for breakfast. Walking inside, I’m told there are no tables but I’m welcome to sit at the bar. Small victories indeed – there are benefits to doing things solo.

Feeling travel-worn, I take my place at the counter and order my coffee. The cafe is warm, cosy and extremely busy. The menu is comprehensive with eggs cooked in any style on toast with a broad selection of gourmet sides to choose from as an accompaniment, or on its own. There is a baked egg section with three beautifully sounding dishes but after my harrowing journey, I felt justified ordering from the sweet section on the menu. No French toast or pancakes, but the “warm pistachio loaf, yoghurt mousse, watermelon, sour cherries and berries” sounded perfect.

Perched at the bar, I realise that I’m sitting in front of the cash register and there are people who are occasionally reaching over the top of me or shoving me aside trying to settle their bills. Thankfully I didn’t have too long to wait until breakfast arrived.

Warm pistachio loaf, yoghurt mousse, blood plums, sour cherry and berries - Small Victories, Carlton North
Warm pistachio loaf, yoghurt mousse, blood plums, sour cherry and berries – Small Victories, Carlton North

Breakfast was beautifully presented and I was surprised at the generous brick-sized portions of pistachio loaf on the plate. Using seasonal produce, the watermelon had been replaced with rich, ruby red blood plums which were lightly cooked. The pistachio loaf was moist with hints of spice and delicious with the fluffy textured vanilla yoghurt mousse. The sour cherry jam substance underneath was rich and thick to counterbalance the mousse and the fresh berries. The baby mint leaves were ideal to offset the sweetness of the strawberries and spiced cake. My only gripe was that there was just enough berry, plum and yoghurt mixture to enjoy with one brick of pistachio loaf. Just in the nick of time, my skinny latte arrived to help me devour the other portion.

Well satisfied and content, I reached into my handbag to pull out my purse to settle the bill. My handbag is nicknamed “The Tardis” as it’s a lot bigger on the inside than to the naked eye. Fumbling around, I couldn’t feel my patent leather purse. Trying not to panic, I had started to pull things out and still no purse. I had went to see “Henry 4” at the theatre the previous evening, where Ted Baillieu knocked my handbag off my shoulder trying to get past in the foyer, but I didn’t think he was that down on his luck to make off with my wallet. Now I was scared. I didn’t have any money with me; I’m in front of the cash register and I had no idea where my purse had gone. I had a quiet word with the person at the cash register and explained that I couldn’t find my purse, but I could pay with mobile banking or give my details and return later with my payment. The lovely owner thought I looked familiar and said that would be fine.

I had one hour until my next appointment, so I walked speedily to the tram spot and miraculously, the number 8 tram heading towards the city was only seconds away. With the Amazing Race back on again, I got to Melbourne Central train station, found a train waiting for me at my platform and arrived at South Yarra train station in record timing. Back in my apartment, my purse wasn’t visible. Shakily, I got down on my hands and knees and found that my shiny black wallet and my sunglasses had tried to run off together during the night and were hiding themselves underneath my bed. Letting the relief wash over me, I gathered up my belongings and headed back to the train station to try to repeat the journey into the city in record time.

Mid afternoon and starting to feel hungry, I jumped back on the tram and went back to Small Victories to repay my breakfast debt. Providing evidence of funds and capacity to pay, I went and sat in the front window and ordered the spiced slow roasted lamb.

Spiced Slow Roast Poon Boon Lamb, Chickpeas, Spinach, Ewes Milk Feta, Herbs and Dukkah - Small Victories, Carlton North
Spiced Slow Roast Poon Boon Lamb, Chickpeas, Spinach, Ewes Milk Feta, Herbs and Dukkah – Small Victories, Carlton North

There are no words available to say how amazing this warm salad is. The tender lamb, topped with fresh lemon zest, crunchy dukkah, soft cooked chickpeas, wilted spinach and smooth creamy feta was the perfect way to end a crazy day. And the best bit? The fabulous food that I had enjoyed for breakfast and lunch cost just over $30. Small Victories well deserved the mention and award for best breakfast in the “Good Food Under $30” guide. I might have outstayed my welcome at Small Victories, but I’d love to go back and complete the trifecta and have dinner there. I’m very thankful for their understanding and trusting me to come back and settle my debts. As Shakespeare penned – all’s well that ends well.