T Bar

I have been going to T Bar for tea since I was a uni student (and they were in the David Jones food court), and one afternoon exploring in town I stopped by their store in Rundle Place for a snack. I love that you can both have their teas in store/takeaway and buy packets of their tea to brew yourself – T Bar was here before T2 and is still my favourite. On this occassion, I ordered an iced peach green tea and a lemon melting moment to dine in. The iced tea came out in a huge glass with lots of ice and fresh lemon slices inside – yum. The tea has a really lovely peach flavour without being too sweet; it’s well balanced with the sencha green tea flavour and doesn’t have an strong bitterness that some green teas have. The melting moment was buttery perfection – yes, it was small, but the luscious filling with a lemony tang and the crumbly, well-cooked biscuit were calories I won’t regret. The back of the store has a really nice seating area to enjoy your tea, and I’d love to come back for more substantial food and to relive my uni years again soon.

T Bar, Rundle Place, Rundle Mall, Adelaide SA, https://www.tbar.com.au/

Cheese Factory Cafe

There’s really nothing like a good cooked breakfast on a chilly morning, and we certainly found the perfect one at the Robertson Cheese Factory Cafe, in the Southern Highlands of NSW. Recovering from an epic night of dancing at a fabulous wedding the night before, a group of us hunkered down over coffee and juice and awaited our food. Some waited longer than others – it’s a small kitchen – but my big breakfast (sorry, forgot to note the price) came out relatively quickly and was huge! With two pieces of toast, roasted tomato, avocado, bacon, fried mushrooms and fried eggs (with still-runny yolks), it was exactly the energy-boost I needed for the drive home. Each element was delicious – the tomato was perfectly blistered but still juicy; the avocado was nicely salted and fresh; the mushrooms had tonnes of flavour and were probably the highlight; and the runny egg yolk brought everything together. The bacon was a little lacking in crispiness for my taste, but wasn’t unpleasant by any means. We stayed and chatted in the lovely cafe space for a while, before browsing the gift store full of gourmet delights. Definitely a great breakfast stop if you’re in the Highlands.

Cheese Factory Cafe, 107 Illawarra Highway, Robertson NSW, http://www.robertsoncheesefactory.com/

Devon

I was so very excited to see that one of the breakfast/brunch options at Devon was salmon. It’s quite rare to find a Japanese-style breakfast, so we were happy to wait for nearly 30mins to get a table. Seated in the back courtyard, we ordered right away, tummies grumbling from the wait. I chose Breakfast with the Sakumas ($25), clearly a staple menu item, of miso-grilled salmon, smoked eel croquette, 63 degree egg, radish salad and kewpie mayonnaise. The plate was beautifully presented, and I broke open the croquette before cutting my egg, so there was something to absorb the perfectly runny yolk. The croquette was delightful – don’t be put off if you’re not a seafood fan, the eel flavor is subtle, and the brown rice inside makes this a surprisingly filling portion. But the main game is definitely the salmon, which shines brightly amongst all other salmon dishes. Perfectly flaked and tender, and topped with a crisp seaweed and spice crumb (amazingly good), this was a complete delight and something I would go out of my way to eat again. The radish salad broke up the rich flavours of the rest of the dish, bringing perfect balance and sending me right back to Tokyo breakfasts past.

Devon, 76 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, NSW, http://www.devoncafe.com.au/

A. Baker

I haven’t been to A. Baker for quite a while, so when I had to pick a venue to meet a friend about to move overseas, I took a risk and went for it. Luckily, the standards at A. Baker have remained high, leaving my foodie reputation in tact. We both ordered the slow cooked eggs, served with local mushrooms, smoked ricotta, soldiers and lemon ($17), and I added avocado ($5). Firstly, the bread here is fantastic, and the three soldiers were an utter delight to eat – they were also quite filling. This dish is all about the mushrooms, which were plump, fresh and full of flavour. I kept getting these hits of saltiness from what I presume was the pan juices from the mushroom, which went perfectly with the creamy ricotta, although I found the smoked flavour a bit subtle. I had expected the eggs to remain runny when slw cooked, but the yolks were soft but not runny. The crumb on top added great texture, and I really enjoyed the added avocado. I also ordered a fresh orange and apple juice, which was exactly what I wanted at the start of the day. A perfect setting to wish my friend bonne chance.

A. Baker, Unit 2, 15 Edinburgh Avenue, Acton ACT, http://abaker.com.au/

Bowery to Williamsburg

Latkes? What are latkes? I usually try to order the unusual things on a menu, and this drew my eye for sure. I met an old friend for breakfast on a Saturday morning and we holed up along the long communal table at Bowery to Williamsburg, where you’re practically part of the kitchen. The Lox & Potato Latkes ($20) was a great side to a good catch up, with two perfectly poached, runny eggs, spears of asaparagus, a slab of cured salmon and latkes with horseradish. The mystery was solved on first bite – latkes are potato pancakes, and these were spiked with zucchini – they were filling and tasty and delicious with the kick of the horseradish. I’m generally not a huge fan of fennel, but pickled the way it was, it brought a great flavour contrast to the latkes. The cured salmon was more subtle than smoked, which was appreciated that early in the day. The asparagus was cooked nicely and had just the right amount of bite, without being stringy. This was a fun introduction to New York food for me – enough familiar elements to be comfortable and enough new things to be exciting.

Bowery to Williamsburg, 123 Hardware Street, Melbourne VIC, no website

Ink Bake Grill

Ink Bake Grill does a roaring lunch trade – on arrival, we joined a long queue so had plenty of time to decide on what we wanted to eat from their blackboard menu. I’d decided on the beef stroganoff pie, only to find that they’d sold out. Instead, I ordered the lamb and chardonnay ‘doggie’ (hot dog), served with honey mustard, tomatoes and sweet potato crisps ($11.50). Our food came out fairly quickly, considering how busy they were, and I was delighted by the pile of chips and jam-packed hot dog roll. It’s the kind of dish you can’t wait to get stuck into. I started with the chips, which were liberally seasoned with chicken salt, with just the right balance between crispy outside and soft, fluffy inside. Yum. The hot dog was equally delicious – the sweet potato crisps added a great contrasting crunch to the sausage, which had a great lamb flavour. The honey mustard was well complemented by gooey cheese, and everything was freshened up by the slices of fresh tomato. This is a really tasty, hearty meal on a cold day – I’ll be back for sure.

Ink Bake Grill, Shop 3, 7 Geils Court, Deakin ACT, http://www.inkbakegrill.com.au/

Hoi Polloi

I may have forgotten that stopping in at Hoi Polloi requires one to take a long lunch from work…oops. Anyway, my friend and I dined in one long weekday lunch, both keen to try something we hadn’t eaten before on the menu. I was sorely tempted by the burger (created by the awesome Bec), but instead I was drawn in by the sandwich option – essentially a reuben, with corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut. The sandwich came out and I realised what a task I had ahead of me. It was huge! Not only that, but it came with a large serve of chips, which I can’t resist. To be totally honest, I found the sandwich a bit disappointing. The beef was rather bland, leaving the cheese and the sauerkraut  to do all the heavy lifting on the flavour. I know that corned beef can be like this, but I found the blandness exacerbated by the weirdly homogenous, smooth texture of the meat – it was clearly broiled. I did appreciate the good quality bread, but I probably wouldnt order this again. The chips were really tasty though, and my friend enjoyed a noodle special with tuna; one for two on this visit.

Hoi Polloi, Old Parliament House, King George Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.hoipolloioph.com/