Tall Timber – Great Courtyard to Enjoy the Sunshine

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Menu:

The guys behind Armadale’s Coin Laundry and Port Melbourne’s Station Street Trading Co. have recently opened Tall Timbers, serving a versatile breakfast and lunch menu sourced with local produce.

As I walked into Tall Timber on this Saturday arvo I was greeted by the sweet smell of coffee together with the sounds of many conversations and laughter – it really seemed like the place to be! The main room is filled with sunlight thanks to the massive windows on two of the walls and the main feature is the back wall which houses timber planter like boxes and shelves which stores things like glasses, jars and teapots– a real rustic feel. The front counter has an array of sweets to choose from as well housing one of the most important pieces of equipment in a café – the coffee machine. The tables are wooden and there is one communal table to the right. The front room was quite full so I was told to venture to the outside sheltered courtyard. The courtyard was a real winner for me – it was a HUGE communal table with umbrellas over the top for protection – from rain or sun. What was the real difference of this table was that in the centre there was a herb garden accentuated with little spades – almost inviting you to pick your own herbs to add to your dishes – not that you need to as the food is delicious all on its own – but more on that later.  This courtyard area is great on a summer’s day – you get to enjoy the sunshine in the surrounds away from the main road – and would suit anyone from mothers with bubs to catch-up’s with friends or even a brunch date.

Breakfast is served all day and there is a lunch menu from 12pm. There are also options available for people who need gluten free or vegetarian options. What caught my eye on the menu was the Breaky Board – which comes with a poached egg on pumpkin loaf with beeroot relish & goat’s chese, muesli with natural yoghurt and fresh berries as well as a small OJ – all for just $14.50. Bargain! Little sets like these I think are a great idea and allow you to experience a bit of variety of what the café has to offer. The Breakfast menu consists of the usual favourites such as selection of toast with jams, bircher muesli, eggs and toast and smashed avocado. There are also other diverse combinations such as smashed peas served with pumpkin loaf as well as sautéed kale, asparagus, beans on a quinoa loaf.

As good as the Breaky Board sounded I couldn’t resist trying the pumpkin fritters (followers will know I do love my corn fritters – so trying a different type of fritters was highly appealing). I also love anything to do with or has pomegranate – it is one of my favourites fruits so when I saw that the fritters came with pomegranate labneh I was sold. Whilst deciding on my food order I ordered a freshly squeezed OJ – which comes with a stripey straw.

The pumpkin fritters formed the base of the dish, avocado on the next layer and lastly the poached egg finished with a dusting of fetta and herbs. The poached egg was cooked perfectly (refer to pick) and had oozing running yellow yolk. The fritters were cooked perfectly showing off the orangey colour of the pumpkin and was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside – and flavoured just right. The combination of the four elements – the fritters, egg, avocado and fetta was great – with the fetta adding a texture and sour element to the dish which complemented the sweetness of the pumpkin fritters. Another winner was the pomegranate labneh which was found under the fritters – a hidden treasure almost – which acted like a dressing to the fritters. It was an overall really great dish.

The staff are friendly and helpful and always not without a smile, wearing navy blue and canvas aprons. Despite being really busy they do remember all their customers from the front room to the courtyard. When we were initially seated we were told to take a seat in the courtyard and someone would be us and I was a bit sceptical as they were really busy but low and behold within 5 mins someone was out there.

The coffee is from NIccolo and will be roasted on site. I was tempted by the sweet selection at the counter as I went to pay but resisted – they really do look good and the staff are quite knowledgeable in what everything is.

I love the use of wooden timber furniture and the brightness of Tall Timber – the outside courtyard is fantastic for the summer to bask in the sun and enjoy some really great wholesome and tasty food. Try it out for yourself!

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – There is an all day breakfast menu as well as a lunch menu from 12pm. Refer to picture above for breakfast menu.
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Relaxed and Fun! The courtyard out the back is an awesome place to hang out and chat the afternoon away!
Standout Dish: Roast Pumpkin Fritters with Avocado, Pinenut and Cranberry Salsa, Pomegranate Labneh & Poached Egg
Service: Friendly, Funny and Welcoming –  but sometime it is hard to get the attention of staff.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
60 Commercial Road, Prahran
Tel No: 9676 9333

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

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Mixed Business – Relaxed & Delicious

Mixed Business

Gorgeous Centrepiece at Mixed Business

Coffee at Mixed Business

Latte at Mixed Business

Inside Mixed Business

Inside Mixed Business

Free Ranged Poached Eggs on Sourdough with Potato and Rosemary Rosti, Avacado and House Relish

Free Ranged Poached Eggs on Sourdough with Sweet and Sour Cabbage and House Mustard

Applie Pie Waffles – Buttermilk Waffles with Maple Baked Apples, Pecan Crumb and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Garden at Mixed Business

Menu:

N and I were heading out to breakkie on a Saturday morning and decided to try out Mixed Business. This cute café is located in Clifton Hill (neighbouring Northcote) and comes to you by Lauren Bieber and Tom Crowe. The look and feel of the place is casual and relaxed thanks to the light and airiness nature of the venue, complete with an outside sitting area amongst the back garden. There is a combination of vintage and retro touches throughout the venue which includes old tea towels used as curtains over cupboards, wooden tables with mismatched colourful chairs as well as the feature piece which is huge workbench which doubles as the coffee counter, cake serving area and payment station. There are also old school vintage signs which are attached to the walls. It really does pay homage to the venue’s former life of a second hand furniture store.

It was a typical Melbourne day – rain one minute, sunshine the next. When we walked in the place was quite busy so we were offered a table in the back garden and the friendly waitress told us that it was under cover if that Melbournian rain happened to come back. Sitting in the back amongst the pot plants, trees and herbs was really pleasant and I feel like this is one of the best tables at the venue. You get to enjoy the brightness and be surrounded like you are in your very own back garden – even on a rainy day! The centrepiece of the table would automatically brighten anyone spirits – it was a colourful duck shaper pot holder which house a striking cactus. Really cute and chirpy – I want one for my place!

Once we were seated we ordered our coffees and proceeded to look at the menu. I already had decided that I wanted something sweet so reading the description of the waffles had me sold. I like how they have a selection of combinations that can come with the free range poached eggs such as pork belly and sausage, potato and rosemary rosti or smoked salmon, pickled beetroot, dill and creme fraiche. Most places just pick one or two selections that come with poached eggs. The coffee by Seven Seeds was delicious and was a welcome necessity for this morning.

When my waffles came out they looked delicious and I could barely spend enough time photographing them as I wanted to devour them straight away. They looked fresh and the aroma was enticing. There were three pieces of waffles arranged at the bottom and topped with the apple, blueberries and pecan crumb with the ice cream off to the side. The pecan crumb was absolutely delicious and the coating literally melted in your mouth. The combination of the warm waffles coupled with the spiced apple and cold ice cream was fantastic. Definitely a dish I would recommend.

From the other dishes that were ordered I got to try out the potato and rosemary rosti and the picked cabbage. The potato and rosemary rosti tasted even better than it looked – when it came out it looked glossy, crispy and accented with the perfect amount of rosemary – it was delicious, crispy on the outside and soft and aromatic on the inside. The house made relish had a smoky and spicy hit to it as well and was quite nice. The pickled cabbage was another win – don’t let the bright pink colour put you off – the flavour is amazing.

It’s not always simply about the great food and customer service, but the little additional touches – like the colourful duck pot holder – and the simplicity of the back garden seating that truly do make the experience at a place not only memorable, but recommendable. Mixed Business is definitely one of these places.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to the Menu above
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Relaxed and Welcoming – great chill out place!
Standout Dish: Applie Pie Waffles – Buttermilk Waffles with Maple Baked Apples, Pecan Crumb and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Free Ranged Poached Eggs on Sourdough with Potato and Rosemary Rosti, Avacado and House Relish
Service: Friendly and Helpful – although we never did get asked if we wanted another round of coffee after we had finished our first coffee’s.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
486 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill
Tel No: 9468 1606

Opening Hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm

South of Johnston – Relaxed and Enchanting

Cute little Entrance at South of Johnston

Inside South of Johnston

Inside South of Johnston

Inside South of Johnston

Outside area at South of Johnston

Herb Garden at South of Johnston

Fresh Grapefruit Juice

Pancakes served with Mixed Berries and Vanilla Infused Mascarpone with Pistachio Nuts

My first impression of South of Johnston or SoJo as it is affectionately known as was that it had a really vibrant yet relaxed country feel to it. It was a place that you could literally spend hours and hours and feel like you are away on a day trip, yet you are located in the inner city suburb of Collingwood. Stuart McKenzie (from Mart 130) spent a lot of time finding the perfect venue to open his café and wonderfully transformed the once old valve-repackaging factory into the venue that it is today with some help from Carver Design.

SoJo is quite a large venue, in Oxford Street, and is made of multiple spaces that you can pick to choose from to sit. There is an outside covered quadrangle located at the front, which looks out onto the street and lets the bright sunshine in. What is super cool as well is the “urban orchard” that is located at the front of this area – with herb and fruit trees located in planter boxes. What was also great was that there were blankets placed on each chair – perhaps if you got a bit cold – such a novel idea. There is a covered courtyard area located at the back as well as the main area where the bar / coffee bar is located that is quite large (and where bookings can be made as well). This main area also consists of a fireplace with comfortable looking lounges located around it. If you think its hard deciding on where you want to sit, wait till you get to the food menu – there is a huge variety to select from!

I love the combination of the wooden tables and chairs with the simple, modern and pastel pieces of artwork. As well as the colourful cushions that are tossed across the comfy looking couches. At the entrance there is a table with knick knacks and various elegant artifacts which adds a classy touch.

South of Johnston has an all day dining menu to offer and consists of classic breakfast dishes with a contemporary twist, and they can cater for all dietary requirements as well. There really is a little of everything on the menu and like I said you will spend even longer than you did deciding where to sit. There are egg breakfasts: scrambled and folded with goats’ cheese and truffle oil; fried eggs and kaiserfleisch; or soft-poached and saucy with sugo, black olives and spicy chorizo. The usuals such as Bircher muesli with poached seasonal fruit, crunchy granola and vanilla bean infused yogurt can also be found. Two dishes that most people seem to talk about is the French Toast served with Brioche and the Corn fritters – where the corn cobs have been oven roasted to get that smoky flavour – mm yuum!

It was quite a warm day and I felt like fresh juice and the waitress informed me that they had a special for that day which was a grapefruit juice – so I thought I would try it out. It was quite refreshing albeit a bit bitter. Towards the end I did have to add some sugar in it to cut some of the bitter taste. After much deliberation I decided to have the Pancakes served with Mixed Berries and Vanilla Infused Mascarpone with Pistachio Nuts as I felt like something sweet. The pancakes come with a maple syrup bottle that you have all to yourself – so you can put as much or as little as you want around the pancakes. There hasn’t been a place yet that I have been to that does this. The dish was quite sizeable and it seemed like there was a mountain of pancakes to get through (I couldn’t finish the whole dish) – the pancakes themselves were delicious – soft and flavoursome.  The combination of the tangy berries with the vanilla mascarpone and crunch of the nuts against the fluffy pillows was fantastic. The addition of the maple added more sweetness to the dish.

SoJo is a relaxed and inviting café (in fact they almost encourage you to sit and stay the whole day), that has a great selection of tasty dishes coupled with a variety of drinks. The menu is for All Day Dining and the multitude of options of where you can sit add to the homely feel of this space. I will definitely be back and this time I will sit in a different section of the café =)

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to http://southofjohnston.com.au/spring-summer-menu-13.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Relaxed, Comfortable, Warm and Inviting. Great place to just chill and hang out and spent most of your day. (There is free WiFi as well)
Standout Dish: Didn’t try it but the French Toast Brioche and the Corn Fritters seem to be a hit
Service: Friendly, Helpful and Warm
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
southofjohnston.com.au
46 Oxford Street, Collingwood
Tel No: 9417 2741

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 7:30 am – 5:00 pm