Cafes

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

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

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

Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

The Western suburbs of Melbourne is a melting pot of diversity, cuisines and cultures that often draws derision and unmerited criticism from those who live elsewhere. I often joke (and probably unfairly) that I need to wear my kevlar vest whenever I go and take a trip out to the “Wild West”. Yet every time I find myself out west, where most of my colleagues and friends prefer to live, I always enjoy seeing tree lined streets in and out of season, beautifully renovated homes, new and exotic places to eat and areas that I would like to take time and explore further.

It’s been a while since I’ve been able to catch up with my friends Mez and Oz, who live in the Pascoe Vale area. Oz, who would have to be my chief encourager of my food and wine adventures, suggested that we should try their local café, Ferrovia for a Saturday breakfast.

Ferrovia is located approximately 50 metres from the Pascoe Vale train station. The café is laidback, unpretentious and very popular with the locals. Looks can be deceiving as the interior is narrow and cosy with no more than half a dozen tables inside and counter seating along the front window, and a courtyard area out the back. There was a constant stream of people popping in for coffee, meals, cakes and pastries as well as the cured meats, cheeses and other gourmet items also available for purchase.

Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale
Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale
Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale

My latte was first rate and all too easy to drink. Ferrovia takes enormous pride in the art of coffee making with their baristas having garnered their experience in busy cafés in Italy prior to being ensconced behind the industrial-sized coffee machine behind the bar. Although the coffee was fantastic, I’m not entirely convinced I would be so adventurous as to trade the wonders of Italy for downtown Pascoe Vale.

The breakfast menu was simple and the options appeared to be hearty with a substantial focus on dishes created with eggs.

Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale
Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale

Great minds think alike so Oz and I selected the Sweet Corn and Polenta Fritters with poached free-range eggs, sautéed baby spinach, horseradish sour cream and bacon while Mez opted for the Breakfast Bruchetta with avocado, tomato, Spanish onion, served on bread topped with poached free-range eggs and goats chevre (not pictured).

After taking our order, the waitress laid out the napkins and cutlery we were each given a large wooden handled knife with a blade that would rival that of Crocodile Dundee. I like my eggs poached hard but I didn’t realise I would need to be equipped with my own sword to get through breakfast. Wild West indeed!

Sweet Corn & Polenta Fritters with poached free-range eggs, sautéed baby spinach, horseradish sour cream and bacon - Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale
Sweet Corn & Polenta Fritters with poached free-range eggs, sautéed baby spinach, horseradish sour cream and bacon – Ferrovia, Pascoe Vale

We didn’t wait too long for breakfast and because I prefer my eggs hard poached it inevitably adds a little extra cooking time to my meal, but always worth the wait in my opinion. Some places I go to for breakfast tend to ignore my request, but in this case my eggs were cooked to my liking. The serving of bacon was generous and I enjoyed the way it was cooked however some might take issue with the lack of crispiness it delivered. The baby spinach was vibrant and just cooked, providing some much needed colour and another textural element to the dish.

The polenta and corn fritters were quite sizeable with chunky pieces of red pepper and corn kernels mixed throughout. Oz and I thought that perhaps the red pepper could have been diced a bit more finely as their size meant that their flavour tended to overshadow the sweetness of the corn. The talking point of the dish was the horseradish sour cream which was delicious, although a little too creamy as it didn’t have the sharp pungent bite that horseradish normally delivers. The vast quantity of polenta on the plate meant that the fritters were a little dry in places, and the horseradish cream was a much needed and tasty accompaniment which helped to provide a little extra moisture when required.

Mez’s dish looked colourful but the bruschetta mixture noticeably lacked the promised avocado and looked somewhat lost on the big white plate that it was served on. The cold bruschetta mingled with the freshly poached egg, which was considerably warmer, created a temperature differential that most of our mouths would find hard to appreciate.

The promised rain began to set in and suddenly the café became extremely busy as those eating out in the courtyard came inside for shelter and attempted to find a space to finish their breakfast. Full to the brim and having enjoyed our little catch-up, it was time for us to let the next wave of diners in to savour the delights of Ferrovia.

Ferrovia Deli & Fine Foods on Urbanspoon