Scarvelli Cafe – Homely Balwyn Local

Vintage Mirror Inside

Sandwiches and Drinks

Sweet Treats for Sale

Sweet Treats for Sale

Dukkah Eggs – Spiced Crumbed Eggs, Pomegranate, Pinenuts & Cauliflower Puree

Latte at Scarvelli Cafe

Food at Scarvelli Cafe

Dukkah Eggs – Spiced Crumbed Eggs, Pomegranate, Pinenuts & Cauliflower Puree

Dukkah Eggs – Spiced Crumbed Eggs, Pomegranate, Pinenuts & Cauliflower Puree

Moosehead and Mirror

Grafitti Outside

Menu:

I love finding breakfast / brunch options around my local area and Scarvelli Café was one these. Scarvelli Café is located along Whitehouse Road in Balwyn (only a few blocks away from the popular Snow Pony).

Scarvelli Café has a very homely and welcoming feel to it, probably owing to the fact that it’s layout is reminiscent to that old house. There is seating in the front room and then you walk towards the back of the venue (which reminds you of a dining room) where there is more seating and is completed with a big mirror and a moose head that wears a colourful scarf. There is also a courtyard available to enjoy those glorious sunny days. The moose head against the brick wall backdrop is definitely the star of the venue, although the large vintage mirror in the front room is another stunner. The moose theming continues on the menu with the antlers featuring as a design feature.

The food menu is broken up into two main sections – Breakfast (available all day) and Lunch (available from 11am). Breakfast dishes contain the usual breakkie dishes such as Toast (there are 4 varieties to choose from including gluten-free), Fruit Toast, Muesli, Croissants and Coconut Porridge along with dishes with a difference – such as Banana Bread served with warm espresso mascarpone and candied hazelnuts, The Good Life – Eye fillet with Avocado, Wilted Spinach, Poached Eggs & Toast or Omelette Au Saumon – French style omelette with wood-fire smoked salmon, chives and crème fraiche.
The lunch menu consists of a soup of the day, three different salads (Chicken and Ocean Trout, and a vegetarian option featuring butternut pumpkin), as well as a Confit Lamb dish, Braised Pork and a Wagyu Beef Burger – using some interesting names for each of the dishes.

Coffee is from Industry Beans and uses the Fitzroy Street Blend as their signature blend. There are also a range of single origin coffees available for espresso and cold drip as well as chocolate – all sourced from Industry Beans. I order a latte as I decide between the Banana Bread and the Dukkah Eggs. The latte is deliciously smooth with a combination of honey tones initially, followed by the slight tang of blackberries and a finish of chocolate and caramel. It really does hit the spot in terms of coffee goodness.

I decided on the Dukkah Eggs – Spiced Crumbed Eggs, Pomegranate, Pinenuts & Cauliflower Puree. When I ordered the dish the waitress asked if I wanted a side of bread as some customers needed it to mop up the cauliflower puree. I opted for no bread. The dish came out beautifully presented with the spiced dukkah eggs located at the centre and being the star of the dish. The eggs sat on top of the cauliflower puree with the pomegranate, peanuts and herbed greens all around forming a nest formation. The dish was colourful and looked highly enticing – you find yourself marvelling at the splendour of the dish.

The poached eggs were cooked to perfection – oozing golden yellow goodness. The dukkah coated on the outside added the perfect crunch and texture worked brilliantly with the silky, creamy cauliflower puree – which added just the right amount of sweetness to the dish. The pomegranate added a burst of tang and additional sweetness and the pinenuts brought the right amount of depth to the dish as a whole. A really tasty and mind blowing dish. The combination of the spice from the dukkah and the sweetness of the cauliflower puree and tang of pomegranate was mind blowing! Loved it!

There are also Ciabattas and Sweets available at the front counter for purchase as well. Staff are friendly and helpful if you are confused on what you want to eat. It’s great to see a place like this out in the suburbs: a great warm atmosphere, delicious interesting dishes and great tasting coffee!

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to pictures above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Homely, Cosy. They have a courtyard which is great for Mums with Bubs, as well as enjoying a great sunny day!
Standout Dish: Dukkah Eggs
Service: Friendly and Welcoming, as well as Helpful
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
https://www.facebook.com/ScarvelliCafe
143 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
Tel No: 9816 8887

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7:00am – 4:30pm
Saturday: 8:00am – 3:30pm
Sunday: 8:00am – 3:00pm

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScarvelliCafe
Instagram: scarvellicafe
Twitter: @scarvellicafe

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Industry Beans – Great Coffee, Great Looking Dishes & A Great Place!

Cappuccino at Industry Beans


Poached Eggs crumbed in Panko, served with Charred Asparagus, Raisins, Capsicum Curls & a Parsnip & Jeruselum Artichoke Puree

Brioche French Toast – Served with Cold-Drip Coffee Maple Pearls, Pure Maple Syrup, Blueberry Molasses & Double Whipped Cream

Industry Beans is a new coffee roaster / cafe opened up by the owners of Penny Farthing Expresso – Trevor and Steve Simmons. The most talked about aspect – aside from the delicious and variety filled coffee and great tasting food of course – is the location and the space of this place. The brothers have transformed a former warehouse space into a bright, chic, high ceiling-ed, lively and enjoyable cafe. Industry Beans has a funky, friendly and energetic vibe as soon as you set foot into the place.

C and I arrive at around 10am on a Sunday morning for breakfast and are seated immediately and are given the menus. One of the menus is a coffee bible – a 15 page coffee menu!!! – which features single origins from literally all over the world – places like El Salvador, Honduras, the Sumatran Hills and the plantations of Panama. You can select from various techniques such as Expresso, Blends, Pour-Over, AeroPress and Cold Drip. C needed to have decaf coffee and the waitress was very informative and telling her that here they prepare decaf by running it through water, whereas most other coffee places use harsh chemicals. She also gave her some other advice about decaf coffee too – so informative!

The food menu, from the Penny Farthing chef Shaun Landman, is just as good as the coffee menu – one side is the lunch menu and the other side is the breakfast menu. There are the normal dishes such as Bircher Muesli and Smashed Avocado Eggs, but there are some creative dishes. There were many dishes on the list that I wanted to try but I just had to select one (I chose the Poached Crumbed Eggs in Panko). C and I then shared the Brioche French Toast as well. There are dishes like Beetroot Rosti topped with Smoked Eel to Cold Drip Cured Salmon and Cornbread (yes, the Salmon is actually cooked with their quality coffee!).

When my dish – Poached Eggs crumbed in Panko, served with Charred Asparagus, Raisins, Capsicum Curls & a Parsnip & Jeruselum Artichoke Puree – came out I was super impressed! The dish was colorful and presented beautifully. If you have seen my previous posts I have a little obsession with crumbed poached eggs so was really keen on trying what the ones here were like. These poached eggs – which were perfectly poached and just had the right amount of gooey-ness – were crumbed with Panko and tasted fantastic! The combination of the asparagus and the sweetness of the raisins together with the crunch of the almonds was delicious! A definite must try dish! The Brioche French Toast was another hit of a dish! However I would have liked a bit more cream and more strawberries. The Cold-Drip Coffee Maple Pearls were ingenious and the additional coffee flavour mixed with other elements really made the dish! I want to go back and try out items from the Coffee Chemistry list.

Industry Beans has a strong philosophy of keeping everything in-house and serve homemade bread, butter and even chocolate! They aren’t just specialists in coffee but with food as well. There is a Coffee Chemistry list as well where you can sample things from their “Coffee-Lab” – such as Cold Drop Caviar, Latte Pearls, Aeropress Jelly and Coffee Toffee!

There is also a viewing platform at the back where you watch the baristas loading the beans in and out of the roaster. There is also a coffee cupping area upstairs. There are muffins and other sweet selections at the front counter – all of which are made in house as well.

Industry Beans is just one of those places that everyone has to visit at least once, and once they do they will keep coming back. This place is a definite must try for all the coffee lovers out there – you WILL NOT be disappointed. The staff are friendly without being over the top, the venue is fresh and refreshing and makes you feel really comfortable. All I have to say is CHECK OUT THIS PLACE! GO GO GO! =p

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Breakfast and Lunch Menu with a twist! Check on the menu at http://industrybeans.com/cafe/menu/
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Relaxed and Friendly – great for a weekend catch up!
Standout Dish: Brioche French Toast
Service: Super Friendly and attentive! Happy to give out suggestions and always have a smile on their face =)
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://industrybeans.com/
Warehouse 3
Cnr Fitzroy & Rose St
Fitzroy
Tel No: 9417 1037

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7am to 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am to 5pm

The Pour Kids – Simple and Yum

    
Google this – Deep-Fried, Crumbed Poached Eggs, with Feta, Frizee Lettuce and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Stacks On – Stack of Grilled Chorizo Sausage, Hash Brown, Guacamole, Sour Cream and Roasted Corn Relish

The Pour Kids is a cosy, cute little cafe in the side streets of ever bustling Malvern. Inside the place is fitted out in colourful decor with wooden tables and coloured stools and chairs,  and has a stencil cut out of kids on the wall. There are communal tables as well tables for 2, 4 or more people. It is a Saturday morning and the place is bustling with patrons already and we are seated on the last table of two.

We are given the menu along with our “milk jug” which has water. I like this little touch, it ties in really well with the surrounds. The menu has quirky and cheeky names which give The Pour Kids an unique spin on their dishes. Some examples are Leeky Coq (which is a poached chicken in a baguette), Bck-Bck-Begerk (another chicken dish), Back off Flipper! (Sardines), Duck for Cover, The Clark Kent of Muesli and The Lego (build-a-breaky). There is section for Breakfast, Baguettes, Kids Meals and Something Sweet. We ordered the Google This! and Stacks On (refer to above for the ingredients).

The Google This! consisted of Crumbed Poached eggs which were deliciously crispy on the outside. However, one of the poached eggs wasn’t as runny as the other – this could have been improved. The addition of the feta, Frizee lettuce and the olive oil was a welcome addition to the eggs and the flavouring was just right ( I also added mushrooms and avocado since I love these two sides for breakkie). Also it should be noted that Google This! usually comes with Chorizo, but I opted to take this out. The Stacks On dish actually consisted of a generous serving of chorizo and with the corn relish and hash brown brought the dish together. The fried egg was an added addition.

The coffee here was creamy and is from Axil. The atmosphere is warm and neighbourhood like and is kid friendly. The menu is enticing (I really want to come back here and try out the Something Sweet section, as well as the Toasty with the Most-y – which is a French toasted brioche with berry compote and vanilla cream.

Rating : 3.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Breakfast and Lunch menu at http://www.thepourkids.com.au/The_Pour_Kids_Menu.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual and Lively.
Standout Dish: Google this – Deep-Fried, Crumbed Poached Eggs, withFeta, Frizee Lettuce and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Service: Good service, Friendly
Online Booking: Yes via website – http://www.vuedemonde.com.au/reservation
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.thepourkids.com.au/
1E Winter St, Malvern
Tel No: 9077 3847

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7am to 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am to 5pm

The Best Crumbed Poached Eggs at Servery & Spoon!

Brunch is my most favourite of meals to have and I look forward to them on the weekends, as this is the only time I get due to my 9-5 job. This weekend was meeting my friend – Duyen (check out her website – http://www.thedailyrunway.com.au) and we headed to a place called Servery & Spoon in Malvern East.

I ordered the dish pictured – Crumbed Poached Eggs with Spinach, Fetta and Zatar. This is no doubt one of my favourite breakkie dishes that I have come across! It was sooo fresh and the flavours just all meshed together really well!

I’ve recommended this place to many of my friends and told them about this dish specifically and they too have loved it! Check it out!

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Coffee: Strong Nutty Coffee
Fullness Factor: 80-90%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Comfortable and cosy. The lightbulb light shades are quirky and adds to the decor. Outdoor seating is available.
Standout Dish: Crumbed Poached Eggs
Service: Great Service – ask for your coffee order once you arrive which every good cafe should do.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.serveryandspoon.com.au/
137 Waverly Road, Malvern East
Melbourne
Tel No: 9571 7495

Opening Hours:
Breakfast and Lunch:
Monday to Friday: 7am – 4pm
Saturday – Sunbday: 8am – 4pm