Cafes

Early Bird Cafe, Albury

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

I had a rare opportunity to head home to Wodonga for the weekend courtesy of a dear friend’s wedding. Usually, my lovely parents will make me something delicious for breakfast before I have a chance to get up and face the world but on this occasion I wanted to go out and discover what was happening in the café scene on the Border.

Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Early Bird Cafe, Albury

When I was last in Albury at Christmas, I met my friend Rachel at “Early Bird Café” for breakfast and I was very much looking forward to going back and reliving the experience. Early Bird is a very small café with half a dozen tables outside on the street and approximately four tables inside. Unfortunately when we arrived at the café just after 10.30am, all the tables were occupied and as it was a beautiful warm sunny day, a seat outside was indeed a prized possession.

Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Early Bird Cafe, Albury

Quick as a flash, someone from the café kindly took our coffee order while we waited on the street for a table. People in the regional areas like Albury-Wodonga generally don’t queue for tables, so my family looked slightly odd loitering outside the café entrance, staring longingly at all the diners enjoying their food. You really do need to be up with the birds to secure a table!

At last, after a twenty-minute wait, a table that could accommodate a party of three was ours and with it arrived our coffees in large colourful mugs and a chance to look at the all day breakfast menu.

Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Early Bird Cafe, Albury

It was straight down to business when we finally sat down. Mum ordered the Handmade Boston baked beans with fetta and herbs on Italian sourdough toast (there was a fair bit of discussion on our table around the word “handmade” used prolifically throughout the menu versus the term “homemade”); Dad opted for the Early Bird brekky sarnie of local bacon, free range egg, vintage cheddar, handmade tomato chutney, mayo and greens and I indulged my sweet side and chose the “Baklava Style” French toast with Greek yoghurt, toasted nuts and spiced honey syrup.

We weren’t in a hurry by any means but the Early Bird café is a relatively small establishment and food and coffee orders do tend to take some time to prepare. It would have been close to an hour after arriving that it was time to check out the facilities and avoid the parking inspectors however it’s always the way – as soon as you leave the table, your meal is inevitably there waiting for you when you return.

"Baklava Style" French toast with Greek yoghurt, toasted nuts and spiced honey syrup - Early Bird Cafe, Albury
“Baklava Style” French toast with Greek yoghurt, toasted nuts and spiced honey syrup – Early Bird Café, Albury

Let me say first and foremost that this is probably one of my favourite breakfasts ever. The texture of the Turkish bread used for French toast was extremely light and fluffy – not dense and heavy like other variations. Topped with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt and a generous sprinkle of fresh pistachios and flaked almonds, the whole presentation of this dish was visually spectacular with the nuts providing the much-needed crunch factor when paired with the soft bread and yoghurt. The drizzle of the honey and cinnamon syrup across the top, was the right consistency and quantity and perfect for mopping up with any leftover bread. Yum, yum, yum!

Handmade Boston baked beans with fetta and herbs on Italian sourdough toast - Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Handmade Boston baked beans with fetta and herbs on Italian sourdough toast – Early Bird Cafe, Albury

Mum’s breakfast looked spectacular too and the mouthful that I grabbed was delicious, with a rich, smoky flavour throughout the bean mixture.

Early Bird brekky sarnie of local bacon, free range egg, vintage cheddar, handmade tomato chutney, mayo and greens - Early Bird Cafe, Albury
Early Bird brekky sarnie of local bacon, free range egg, vintage cheddar, handmade tomato chutney, mayo and greens – Early Bird Cafe, Albury

I was momentarily jealous of Dad’s sarnie before I saw my own delicious French toast. Served on beautiful fresh and soft white bread, there was some serious height on that sandwich! Filled with cheese, fried egg, grilled bacon, fresh lettuce, the secret ingredient was the generous serving of the delicious “handmade” tomato chutney that Early Bird café make and also have available for sale inside the shop.

The service is super-friendly and it’s clear that a lot of effort is taken in ensuring quality food is served rather than solely focusing on quick customer turnover. We really enjoyed our breakfast experience and will no doubt return in the not-too-distant future.

Early Bird Cafe on Urbanspoon

Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick

~ culinaldi ~ Leave a comment

There is a tram stop literally ten metres from the front entrance of my apartment building where the No. 55 tram route travels along – from the Domain Interchange in St Kilda Road through to Bell Street in West Coburg. For the last few months, I’ve been dreaming about jumping on the tram on a Saturday morning and discovering new places to eat in Brunswick for breakfast. This week I decided to kick start that adventure but had absolutely no idea where I should be heading to. Lucky for me some friends of mine have recently moved to Brunswick, so after sending a “where do I go?” text late on Friday night, their response was “Two Little Pigs” on Sydney Road.

Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick

Many of us have a fondness bordering on obsession with cured meats and bacon, so I smiled when I saw the word “Charcuterie” brightly lit in brilliant yellow above the entrance. Despite being busy, when I walked in I had a choice of sitting inside, beside the counter or outside in the courtyard. With the promise of sunshine and warmer temperatures, I gravitated towards the outside.

Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick

The courtyard area provides plenty of shade and has a small garden and ample seating, although at first, I had the odd feeling that I had just made myself at home in someone’s backyard. The menu promises all manner of weird and wonderful meat-inspired dishes to choose from, although there are definitely vegetarian and gluten-free options available as well.

It’s exciting to see new and varied food on a menu although the difficult part is attempting to choose only one dish. After several read-throughs, I had narrowed down my selection to two dishes: Hot jam doughcakes with cinnamon muscovado sugar and caramelised bacon ice cream (yes, that is correct, bacon ice cream!) or Pea & Ham with crisp roasted pork belly, poached free range eggs, green pea veloute served with sourdough toast. It was an intense battle of the mind, however the pork belly won by the narrowest of margins.

Pea & Ham - crisp roasted pork belly, poached free range eggs, green pea veloute served with sourdough toast - Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick
Pea & Ham – crisp roasted pork belly, poached free range eggs, green pea veloute served with sourdough toast – Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind, Brunswick

There was very little wait on breakfast once I had made up my mind. Beautifully presented within a terracotta dish, the pork belly was crispy and decorated with finely shredded red chilli. I hastily devoured the hot, buttered toast and wondered where to start.

The green pea veloute soup was a bright and vibrant colour, deliciously sweet and thick, and not unlike tucking into Mum’s homemade pea and ham soup. The eggs were nicely poached but a little hard to pick up at times after sliding around in the pea sauce; I admit to using my coffee teaspoon maybe once or twice. The pork was well cooked but not too salty or fatty and the sweet fresh peas and chilli cut through the residual meat flavour. It was an unusual choice for breakfast but definitely a tasty one.

As for the “Grind” component of the café, the coffee at Two Little Pigs is outstanding. Deliciously hot and creamy with a roasted hazelnut flavour, the coffee is served in the signature bright yellow crockery that adorns the signage and interior trim. I couldn’t wait for the second cup as soon as I took my first sip. The service is friendly and efficient at Two Little Pigs, with the staff constantly doing the rounds of the main dining areas, taking orders and clearing tables so actually getting a second cup of coffee wasn’t a hardship.

I loved my morning adventure to Brunswick and discovering Two Little Pigs thanks to the wonderful recommendation from the locals. Now bacon ice cream … how does that taste?

Two Little Pigs Charcuterie and Grind on Urbanspoon

Urban Provedore, South Yarra

~ culinaldi ~ 1 Comment

Some Saturday mornings you have all the time in the world, and yet others are chock full of appointments, shopping, social, family or sporting obligations and running errands. Ever since I started my working life all those years ago, my guilty pleasure has been to head to a café and treat myself to a cooked breakfast to unwind from the pressures of the week. This Saturday, I had an appointment at 10am in South Yarra but habits are hard to break and I still wanted to indulge in my breakfast ritual. With time and location playing the critical factors in my choice, I decided to have breakfast at “Urban Provedore” in Toorak Road.

Now for the confession. I had breakfast at Urban Provedore around four months ago and I was less than impressed. Newly opened, I think that everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Poor service, ordinary food and even the cash register didn’t want to be there. Yet in the passage of time, I had my fingers crossed that it was just teething problems and that things may have improved.

Urban Provedore, South Yarra
Urban Provedore, South Yarra
Urban Provedore, South Yarra
Urban Provedore, South Yarra

Urban Provedore is located on the ground floor beneath a new apartment complex, 50 metres from Chapel Street. The sleek fit out is inviting with warm timber tones, industrial accents and a feature wall showcasing a range of condiments and dry foods for sale. Walking in at 9am with that sense of déjà vu, I found a small table with fantastic views of the streetscape along Toorak Road, grabbed a newspaper, sat down and I waited.

Urban Provedore, South Yarra
Urban Provedore, South Yarra
Urban Provedore, South Yarra

After five or so minutes, I had an awkward exchange with someone who was grabbing menus and water for another table that had just been seated nearby and somehow managed to convey that I also wanted to order a coffee and see a menu, if it wasn’t too much trouble. From that moment on, things markedly improved.

The menu hasn’t changed since my last visit and is relatively simple and classic in its breakfast options, although a tad on the expensive side. Being due for something savoury and egg-centric, I choose the “Gin and dill cured ocean trout with creamy goats cheese and dill scrambled eggs, beetroot relish and toasted rye”.

Gin and dill cured ocean trout with creamy goats cheese and dill scrambled eggs, beetroot relish on toasted rye - Urban Provedore, South Yarra
Gin and dill cured ocean trout with creamy goats cheese and dill scrambled eggs, beetroot relish on toasted rye – Urban Provedore, South Yarra

Within ten minutes of ordering, breakfast arrived and I couldn’t believe the sheer size of the dish before me. Two large slices of toasted rye bread, placed side by side, formed the base of the dish. On top of the bread, several slices of cured ocean trout, a mountain of moist scrambled eggs, finished with a dollop of sweet beetroot relish and micro coriander leaves.

My friends and family are not at all surprised that I would order alcohol-infused fish for breakfast, although I couldn’t really detect any residual flavour from the gin within the fillets of the ocean trout. But needless to say, it was not too thickly sliced and really delicious.

Ever since my trip to Turkey earlier this year, I’ve developed a deep infinity for fresh dill and was overjoyed to see this herb generously used in the scrambled egg mixture. At the base of the pile of eggs, there were large portions of goats cheese with its creamy texture and rich, salty flavour lifting my taste buds to a whole new level. My breakfast was certainly plentiful and it well and truly eclipsed my previous dining experience.

The service is still somewhat variable at Urban Provedore, with some staff more attentive and friendly than others. After the menu fiasco, someone else approached my table and asked if I wanted another coffee. I enthusiastically said yes and then gave my coffee order. They started to write down my request, then hesitated and then asked me “Sorry, did you just say you’ve already ordered another coffee?” Ah no, but then again I’ve just ingested an unknown quantity of gin, so perhaps I did.

Within 45 minutes, I had enjoyed a substantial breakfast, two cups of coffee, read the paper, paid the bill and was ready to head towards my morning appointment down the road. I am extremely glad that I had decided to give Urban Provedore a second chance.

Urban Provedore on Urbanspoon