Pillar of Salt @ Richmond

As a food enthusiast, I’m so lucky to be living in Melbourne where brunch is a culture and always evolving. While on the search for my next indulgence, I couldn’t help but be bombarded with the endless posts on Instagram about Pillar of Salt’s buttermilk pancakes with matcha jelly and fresh fruit and boy, I was sold. Located on Church street, this establishment welcomes you with the smell of fresh coffees from Five Senses, freshly made baguettes and sandwiches, rustic decor and an impressive menu of innovating healthy dishes by chef Steve Svensen.

I visited Pillar of Salt on Thursday just before noon and it was already gathering a small crowd of lunch patrons, mostly working close by, ordering their lunch takeaways. The waitress greeted us almost immediately and asked us to wait a few minutes before place us at the corner table (“needs the natural lighting for photos”- words to live by from my roommate) and asked for our coffee orders. Now that I brunch more frequently and order the regular lattes or flat white, I find myself becoming more critical of the taste, whether the milk was burnt or if there is enough froth, but Pillar of Salt did not disappoint. It gave me a much needed caffeine boost and woke all my senses up for the long awaits buttermilk pancakes.

perfecting my hand in frames pose

I ordered the buttermilk pancakes and chilli scrambled eggs with hams and spring onions. My face was the epitome of happiness when the pancakes were brought out. It looked so pretty with all the flower petals, jelly cubes, waffle sticks, dollops of cream and icing sugar, almost too purrdy to eat but let’s be honest here, that’d never happen with me. The scrambled eggs were generous in size with lots of ham and cheese, just how I like it. After rearranging the table, got the knowing smile from the girl on the next table, took about 50 photos I feasted on the two dishes. The buttermilk pancakes were so fluffy, not too sweet with the chocolate infused mapled syrup and the matcha jelly cube provides a freshness change to the dish. It left me satisfied yet wanting more. The chilli scrambled eggs were creamy, thanks to the parmesan cheese, the spring onion gives a small crunch and the ham adds a nice savoury taste to the whole dish. Due to my Asian upbringing, the chilli was not hot enough, barely tingling my tongue.

After eating here, I can see why Pillar of Salt is constantly making top 50 brunch spots in Melbourne – good coffee, great food and fast service. It is one of the “must-go” along with other restaurants on Church street. Check out their Instagram for secret item, menu updates and some food porn for your eyes whenever you need a little cheering up. If going back will turn me into a pillar of salt like the biblical story, I’d gladly take the punishment for my crime.

American style buttermilk pancakes w/ matcha jelly, mangoes and blueberry infused pure maple syrup

Chilli scrambled eggs w/ ham, spring onions and parmesan cheese

xx

girleatsmebourne

Pillar of Salt

Mon – Fri   7.30 AM – 4.30 PM

Sat – Sun     8.00 AM – 5.00 PM

541 Church Street Richmond VIC 3121

Three Monkeys Place @ Doncaster East

Open back in February, Three Monkey Place is the new kid on the block in Doncaster. With its Asian influenced breakfast/lunch menu, they quickly set themselves apart from the local cafes. Having friends who are fellow food enthusiasts and live in the area, I have been told about the eggcelent breakfast, great service they provided and the sweet roti pancakes with fresh fruit did intrigues my taste bud.

After naming one of their new dish for the spring menu, I was invited to the cafe for a visit. My sister and I were kindly greet as soon as we enter the cafe by the waitress. Because it was early on a Tuesday morning, the cafe wasn’t busy with only a few customers. The menu reflects their chef background from Hong Kong and his experience as there are many elements of classic Italian and French cuisine with Asian infusion. Choosing what to get was a tough choice for me as there were many appealing options such as the pork belly or the breakfast burger but I chose the homemade roti pancakes while my sister opted for the soft shell crab charcoal burger with apple salad.

Both dishes were beautifully presented with the homemade roti pancakes served with fresh berries, banana, muesli and a big scoop of mascarpone while the soft shell crab has that perfect golden color, sandwich between the charcoal bun and the apple salad popped against the blue plate. My roti pancakes were crunchy, combined with the fruit, muesli and mascarpone was an interesting take on the classic pancakes and fruit for breakfast. The muesli added texture to the dish and balance out the softness of the bananas. The mascarpone wasn’t too sweet and everything balanced each other out perfectly, despite the roti pancakes were fried. My sister’s burger was a good breakfast size, with the right amount of chilli mayo. The crab has a good crunch, the charcoal bun was light, not too sweet and the apple salad offered a nice cleanse of pallet.

Locates in Jackson Court off Doncaster Road, Three Monkey Cafe is a great place to go for lunch after running errands or catching up with friends when you need a break from the chaotic of the city. The interior offers a relax atmosphere with its modern simplistic decors and fresh flowers at every table. There is also a garden at the back if you would like to sit outside, soak in the sun and enjoy the weather. With inspiring food, exceptional service and good coffee, there is little doubt that the Three Monkeys Place will mature into the go to cafe in Donscaster. Check out their Instagram for exciting additions as the chef caters the menu around the season and their produce.

The Sweet Monkey – homemade roti pancakes with fresh berries, banana, petals, muesli and mascarpone.

Soft shell crab burger with chilli lime mayo and apple salad

xx

girleatsmelbourne

Three Monkeys Place

Mon-Sun 8AM-4PM

2 Jackson Court, Doncaster East 3109

Rudimentary @ Footscray

Rudimentary Cafe

Wednesday is the hardest day of the week for me, because I get so excited about the up coming weekend but I know I have to make it through another two days before I can embrace my sloth self, lay in bed and do nothing. To solve all that first world/ lazy person problem, my sister and I decided to visit Rudimentary for brunch – treat ourselves because why not, you deserve a celebration for yourself every now and then.

Rudimentary cafe locates in Footscray, the Vietnamese suburb of Melbourne. It is the suburb for authentic Vietnamese food and market with fresh produce, sometimes not so friendly people and cheap bubble cup. Growing up in Australia, it has always been a tradition to buy pandan waffles, Vietnamese breadroll and bubble tea or sugarcane juice every time I come to the market with mum. Now that I’m older, it serves as a great late lunch spot on Saturday pho hangover cure.

Finding out that Rudimentary is located in Footscray, I was curious to see how a cafe consists of three shipping containers can fit into the suburb that has a strong Vietnamese community. Locates just a few minutes walk from the train/tram stop, the cafe itself is simple and spacious, relaxed atmosphere and I love their own garden patches outside. The rustic wooden decoration brings out its charm and sets the cafe apart from the other heavily Vietnamese influenced establishments. My sister and I were there early in the morning so it was quiet, only with a few patrons but the coffee smell was undeniably alluring and we were excited for the experience.

Inside view – love the rustic chairs ❤

As per usual, I ordered a chai latte with soy milk while my sister ordered a flat white. We looked at the menu and decided on the scrambled eggs with ocean trout and salmon roes while my sister insisted on getting the housemade buttermilk waffles with bacon, fried egg and whipped sour cream. We didn’t have to wait long for the coffee to arrive and it is froth to perfection. Being a brunch fanatic and living in Melbourne, I always expect perfect coffee with every establishment I visit and Rudimentary did not disappoint.

The food comes out right after we both each had taken one sip and photos for Instagram. My scrambled eggs is beautifully presented with flower petals, fennel and salmon roe. There is a piece of toast and butter with it and I could see pieces of ocean trout blended in the eggs. My sister waffles is stack with bacon, eggs and rhubarb. The scrambled eggs was light and fluffy with just enough trout for it to enhance the flavour and add some texture without overwhelm the dish with a fishy smell while the salmon roes add the popping texture to the dish. The waffle has a small hint of cinnamon, combine with fried egg, bacon, rhubarb and sour cream is the perfect breakfast/brunch to get you through the day. It is quiet fulfilling as the waffles are decent size and there are a lot of bacon pieces.. and you can never have too much bacon. Ever.

The brunch costs about $50 for two people with takeaway coffees as well. I enjoyed my experience at Rudimentary as it is a breathe of fresh air in Footscray. It brings a youthful and modern vibe to an ever growing community with its modern Australian breakfast/lunch menu, their friendly staffs who are most welcoming and great coffee. Do make time to visit this gem if you are ever in this side of Melbourne and just grab a seat outside, relax, take in the unique atmosphere with your perfectly froth coffee.

Flat white – froth to perfection

Homemade buttermilk waffles with bacon, eggs and rhubarb.

Scrambled eggs with ocean trout, fennel and salmon roes.

One for the road

xx

girleatsmelbourne

• Sorry for the MIA period, had personal crisis but I’m back and ready to share with you all my eating experience in Melbourne ❤

Rudimentary Cafe

Mon- Fri 7.30 AM – 3.30 PM

Sat – Sun 8.00 AM – 3.30 PM

16/20 Leeds Street, Footscray 3011

Baba Sus @ Glen Iris

 

Brunching on Sunday is one of life’s greatest joys, especially when you’re being dragged out to thirdwheel your roommate and her boyfriend at 2 in the afternoon. We decided to drive out to Glen Iris for Baba Sus because my roommate has seen the now famous HK egg waffles and girl has cravings.

The cafe is located in the suburb, next to the train station. As it is about 2.30 pm on a Sunday, we were seated almost immediately while the group after us has to wait a few minutes or so. The cafe itself is smaller than what I expected but the atmosphere was cosy. We had a small view into the kitchen as they prepare each dishes and you are spoil for choices as the waitress brings out different dish on the menu. We ordered our dishes and the wait for these was about 30-40 mins and it seems a lot longer as we watched instagram worthy dishes brought pass us by the waitress and at 3 pm, the hunger was real.

When the food finally comes out, it was worth the wait. The pork belly is soft, melt in your mouth with the crunchy skin and the salad is a nice cleanser for your palate. The wagyu beef burger is cooked medium rare with melted cheese and the chilli mayo is the perfect compliment to everything. I prefer small fries over thick chips any day but these homemade chips are crunchy with a slight hint of salt and herbs, similar to what you get at Schnitz. My roommate was over the moon with her egg waffles, which is still warm with the green tea ice cream on top to add creamiest into the dish, and the berry compote to breaks down the sweetness so it doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds, especially if you’re not a huge fan of sweet.

It costed us about 60 for 3 people with coffee as well, starndard price for most brunch places in Melbourne. Even though it is located in the outer suburb, Baba Sus is worth the drive for its Hong Kong style egg waffles and its friendly staff. I do recommend going after peak hours to avoid the queue.

xx

girleatsmelbourne

Hong Kong egg waffle with matcha ice cream and berry compote.

Twice cooked pork belly with vemicille and watermelon salad

Wagyu beef burger with homemade chips

Baba Sus

Tuesday – Sunday 7.30am-4pm

Monday CLOSED

15-17 Bardolph Street , Glen Iris 3146