The Penny Drop

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the Penny Drop.

Hey guys.

It’s been a while. Again. I often ask Brad where I used to have the time to update the blog...3 times a week!

A lot has happened this year which hasn’t helped I suppose - getting married, going on honeymoon, starting a new job that I’m loving (but spending a lot more time with) and...looking at buying an apartment!

All this adult business all in one year.

One of the areas we’ve been looking for an apartment in recently is in Box Hill. We had spent some of the last couple of years looking at Hawthorn, near Brad’s work, and Southbank, near my work - but only recently considered Box Hill and when we thought about it, it made so much sense.

Close to the shops (all of the shops), close to a train line that both Brad and my work is on, only 30 minutes (without traffic) out of the CBD, and out east so we’re not too far from either of our parents. What’s not to love?

Especially with all the food offerings as well. From cheap and delicious Asian eats, to trendy cafes, like The Penny Black.

Brad and I had popped by the Penny Black when they first opened, but visited again recently and were so pleased that the food was still so delicious.

I love the Asian twist to the food that doesn’t feel superfluous, and that is still hearty, filling and delicious.

Brad’s ‘Rice Burger’ with forbidden black rice, five-spice pork belly, kohlrabi and apple slaw, fried egg and tsuyu sauce couldn’t really be eaten like a traditional burger (had to knife and fork it), but it was absolutely the delicious. Comforting and hearty flavours from the delish pork belly, nicely balanced out by the slaw. Also how good is a proper fried egg with some crusty edges and runny yolk?

My beetroot and sweet corn croquette was also lovely with spiced avocado, walnut cream, heirloom tomato, turmeric cauliflower and sweet potato crisp. It was very textural, I was surprised by the texture of the croquette which was lighter than I expected, and quite sweet from the vegetables which was nice.

The winning pick of the day though was my mum’s Mr. Ssam Benedict with fried soft shell crab, spring onion pancakes, beanshoot salad and poached eggs with kimchi hollandaise. Yum. All of the flavours together were so moreish, even the spring onion pancake with the beanshoots on their own were so tasty. Would definitely recommend for next time!

The Penny Drop

913 Whitehorse Road

Box Hill 3128

Dr Morse

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the venue. All opinions are my own

Located just under the train tracks at Victoria Park Station in Abbotsford (but on the hipster side, rubbing shoulders with Collingwood), Dr Morse is the perfect spot in the morning for a grab and go coffee, or for a post work beer on the way home. 

But they’re also turning out a delicious brunch menu, with a bit of an Asian flair, thanks to executive chef Tyler Lee Preston. You might know him from his previously owned cafe Sir Charles, just one kilometre up the road, so if you’ve missed his food, you know you don’t have to go too far!

Brad and I popped in on a summery morning when it wasn’t 400 degrees (whoo!) and enjoyed the relaxed pace of the cafe, while sipping on our coffee (and chai) and despairing over the state of affairs in America. I love it when a cafe does their chai in giant mugs - so comforting!

I went with with the chilli scrambled eggs on top of a crispy roti with beanshoots and mixed herbs - with a side of smoked Otway free-range bacon (because why not). Loved the texture, from all the loaded beanshoots, the gentle kick, the freshness of the mint to offset the spice. The roti also had a gentle sweetness to it, which I thought went quite well with everything too. 

Of course, we also had to get the signature dish, the Dr Morse Benedict with panic crumbed eggs on crispy roti with spicy hollandaise. You also choose between bacon, house smoked salmon, Asian greens and sautéed mushrooms as a side - Brad chose the Asian greens. The hollandaise sauce is terribly moreish, and the eggs so golden and crisp. Brad commented that he really enjoyed having the Asian greens on the side, as since they’re simply blanched, the freshness of them balance out the richness of the hollandaise, roti and fried egg really well. But if you’re a lush like me you could just have bacon. 

Brunch was overall delicious, and although we enjoyed our food, I wish I had the foresight to visit closer to 11am so we could also get into the lunch/day menu which had some very tasty looking propositions on it. From chicken katsu with a fried egg (omg yaasss) to green chicken curry and salt and pepper squid, there were definitely lots of things I’m keen to come back and try another time!

Dr Morse

274 Johnston St

Abbotsford 3067

 

Grub Food Van

You know what I’m loving in Melbourne?

The rise of dog friendly cafes, stores…everything! Especially cafes though. There’s really not a better way to start to the weekend, then a bit of sunny weather, rocking up to a cafe, and squealing like an idiot over all the fur babies. 

Grub Food Van is such on cafe/restaurant/eatery - that has been around for a little while now, that is dog friendly. But more than that, the space is some fun, colourful and eclectic, especially when the sun is out, the service warm and the food…well it’s just divine. 

There are so many places that do breakfast, but those who do simple really well? Those are really the gems in the rough. 

First thing, coffee and chai. When we visited, Brad and I had just returned from Canada, so good coffee and good chai were sorely in need and Good Grub Van did not disappoint. 

Brad got the daily omelette, which I think had Jamon or prosciutto, gruyere and maybe silver beet? Regardless, there was cured meat and gruyere with eggs, life’s pretty good. Fluffy, light, so moreish, perfectly seasoned. 

I simply adored my mushroom dish though. Grub Food Van kick up your usual mushrooms breakfast dish to the next level, with walnuts, parmesan, truffle cream, potato gratin and pine needle powder. There was a gorgeous umami kick, and so much texture. The potato gratin retained it’s structure, but was still so smooth and soft. Could and would eat this everyday. 

Once we finished our food, I decided to order a hot lemon and honey drink, with a bit of cinnamon and spices in it too - essentially a hot toddy without the alcohol, which was the perfect way to soothe the jet lag and kick back and enjoy the laid back atmosphere (and talk about property and future plans!).

Grub Food Van

87-89 Moor Streeet

Fitzroy 3065

 

Light Years Cafe

There are some Sundays I wake up and sigh a bit, thinking about the upcoming working week and already lamenting that the weekend is ending.

But all you can do, is pop onto Instagram, see that Nat’s discovered a new cafe in Camberwell with an amazing looking menu and get excited that you’re gonna head over right there and then...or at least once you've put some pants on. 

Light Years Cafe is located on Camberwell Road, just a couple of minutes away from the busy Camberwell junction, underneath a new apartment development. The team (from what I can figure out) were behind Journeyman cafe, along with Simon Ward (ex-Hammer and Tong) who’s looking after the flavours in the kitchen. 

The cafe is simple, but elegant, with beautiful marble looking counters and simply polished concrete floors. I love the great big, sci-fi style halo lights as well, which make you feel like you’re in a spaceship. The cafe is plenty spacious - I noticed on the day I was there they had a table set up as a reservation, but not sure if that will be an ongoing thing. 

Coffee looks good (and when it’s from the people from Journeyman - you’d hope so!) and the chai is sublime. Sweet, spicy - but just too small (but that’s me drinking too quickly I suppose…)

I also got the matcha, which is supplied by Zen Wonders, whilst not quite as rich as some of my favourite matcha lattes in town, I was still impressed with the execution, good dark colour, creamy texture and the bitterness of the matcha definitely showing. 

The menu…is the biggest tease ever. I love a menu that balances comforting flavours, but new and interesting at the same time. Expect the usuals like porridge, and slow cooked beans, which Brad got with tomato sugo, Yarra Valley Persian feta and sourdough toast, which he added an egg on top of. It’s a seriously meaty serve (but funnily enough there isn’t any meat…) and perfectly warming on a wintery morning. I’m actually impressed with how deep the bowl is, you better be hungry before you tuck into this one! 

But along with the usual, are the less usual, and with a bit of an Asian slant - the vegetarian ramen reemerges (you may remember a similar dish at Hammer and Tong), and miso scrambled eggs include shiitake mushrooms and nori. There’s also a matcha waffle which looks awesome, but I just still can’t bring myself to order totally sweet flavours for breakfast…yet.

Instead, I go for the seasonal dish - the winter bowl of jerusalem artichokes with baby dutch potatoes, sweet potato, cauliflower puree, onion soubise, mushroom and chestnut soil, kale, sorrel and comte cheese - with a side of black chorizo pudding. 

Oh, I am definitely a winter girl. All of these vegetables and tubers make my tastebuds so happy with their rich earthy and generous flavours. The comte brings that comforting richness, the kale chips a bit of crisp - it’s a beautifully constructed dish that I devour far too quickly. 

We also get a side, on the recommendation of Nat, the quinoa and broccoli balls with unagi mayo. Oh my goodness, the kewpie, the benito makes it all taste like takoyaki to me and it makes me so happy, but a little confused because I expect to be eating seafood but I know in my head they’re vegetables. The exterior of the balls is so crispy and crunchy, and I just can’t get enough of these. 

I definitely want to come back for sweet potato waffle chips and Kentucky fried haloumi (!!!)…and just about everything else on the menu. Although I fear I might have to come back quick because i have no doubt this will quickly become Camberwell’s new hot spot very soon…

Light Years Cafe

132 Camberwell Road

Hawthorn East 3123

 

Nomada

How do you define breakfast? Or brunch for that matter? 

To keep it at it’s simplest, it’s the meal we eat in the morning - so what is that? 

Being in Melbourne, we are so blessed to have so many options available to us. Standard eggs and toast, if that’s all you want, pho if you feel like going Asian, and the ever growing cafe scene continues to push what we can eat at the beginning of our day. Glass cloches and scallops anyone? 

So why not tapas? 

Trust the - actually a Spaniard on the inside - Jesse Gerner (of Bomba, Andada and Green Park) to bring that idea to life, with Jesse McTavish (ex-The Kettle Black), Michael Burr, Greg McFarland and Shane Barrett. 

Housed in Hammer and Tong’s previous home, the team have teased in textures through the interiors, giving it a warm and homely feel. I particularly love the wooly throws over the back of the banquettes and the slate coloured slats on the counter, contrasted against the terracotta tile. 

The menu is broken up into price categories, with a $5, $9, $15 and $19 column - or a $35 per person chef’s menu if you just can’t decide what to put together. However, being the planner and control freak that I am, I have to DIY my menu as always. 

After a bit of consultation with the waitstaff, we opt for four $5 items, one $9 item and one $15 item, although there are so many other combinations you could easily do!

Coffees (and chais) first though! At Nomada they’re using Grounded Pleasures chai, which I had never had before. The star anise in this chai blend is intense. It’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I didn’t mind having something a little different. 

Food comes out pretty quickly after, and our table fills up with plates and colours, and I just love the visual spectacle of the whole affair. 

My cutlery (or maybe I just went at it with my fingers) quickly go to grab a Blue Eye croqueta with fennel emulsion. What else can you expect but just a beautiful creamy and rich mouthful, encased in a crispy golden crust? I’m so down for this being a breakfast item on a regular basis (but maybe not so much my hips).

The coal blistered tomatoes with sherry, herbs and manchego, finely grated over the top so it’s melting onto the hot tomatoes are sweet and juicy little mouthfuls. And so moreish. 

I’m crazy for the house cured sardines, with a nice little tang to them. Chorizo with chill powder are dense, and with a good little kick to them and playing Russian roulette with blistered Padron peppers is always good fun. We were told that this season they seemed to be particularly and more regularly hot - but Brad and I seemed to have lucked out and not been gotten a super hot one!

To round it all out - we got the cured ocean trout with fennel salad and beetroot, sweet, silky in texture and just gorgeously done. I was actually surprised as well with how generous the serving was and how full I was after all our food. 

One thing that had been on my mind when we were ordering, was how much this would all add up - or how much more we would need to spend compared to a usual brunch for the tapas experience. 

To my surprise, our bill only came to around $60, maybe $10 more than we might usually spend for a dish each and a coffee and I think for the quality and quantity of food, it’s pretty good value. 

I also have the great fortune of being invited to check out a range of their day and night offering. I’d say in the evening, it’s compulsory to get a glass (or three) of Casa Mariol, the Spanish vermouth that the Bomba/Anada team import from Spain, which is available as both a white and dark vermouth (both very good). 

I’m not sure why I didn’t order the clacked egg on burnt hay when I went for brunch with Brad, but my goodness - it’s delicious. Especially when there’s truffle involved. 

Although they do brunch really well, the guys really show they can work that dinner protein gorgeously, with pan seared quail with saltbush, market fish with prawn bisque, buttermilk and nettle and the most tender piece of lamb loin I’ve had. 

So, whether you feel like tapas for breakfast or dinner, in true Melbourne style, there’s an option for you, in the shape of Nomada. 

Nomada

412 Brunswick Street

Fitzroy 3065