St Ali – breakfast in South Melb
18 Yarra Place
South Melbourne, 3205
03 9686 2990
Getting used to waking up early for work has taken a lot of getting used to. Now my sleep-wake cycle is generally up before sunrise (6am), and sleep not too long after sunset (10pm or earlier sometimes) – sad I know – which means sleeping in on weekends are next to impossible! Although on the upside, at least I can have a decent breakfast before lunch. So here’s a quick breakfast on a sunny, but slightly breezy, Saturday morning at one of Melbourne’s top coffee-breakfast places – St Ali. I’ve actually been before but with much regret was not able to post due to lack of photos – sigh x3…
Positioned along a hard-to-find alleyway with a rainbow of graffiti art, this converted warehouse neighbours a few interesting shops with similar quirky tastes. It exudes railway yard rawness, splashed with modern-quirky fittings and filled with warm chatter facilitated by coffee on every table. The menu changes fairly frequently, with some items coming and going, whilst a few have had a few twists of change.
As a specialty coffee store, there are constantly changing origins and blends to test the senses. Today we felt like having ‘normal’ coffee. Sometimes you just feel like having the same thing, just because you know it will be good.
Soy latte (champion blend) – Perfectly roasted and moderately robust, with a silky fluffy-creaminess that just slides down the palate. For those lactose tolerant people, the ‘normal milk’ latte is equally if more awesome, without that tinge of soy aftertaste.
Soy cappuccino (champion blend) – Slightly more vigorous-robust aroma with a subtle intensity.
Watermelon juice – despite a small floating layer of fine pulp, the juice is definitely fresh with a refreshing fruity sweetness.
My Mexican cousin – two perfectly poached eggs and generous slice of haloumi cheese are sandwiched between a mildly spicy tomato relish (kasundi) and fritters of corn. The fritters have a soft-crispiness on the outside, but a fluffy interior that hardly tastes of corn, though is speckled with corn and various cubes of vegetables. Baby spinach at the bottom adds a little fibre to the plate, and something to soak up the gooey yolk.
Very very french toast – what appears as an unassuming-sized-plate of French toast, is a satisfying stack of soft buttery toast, adorned with the summery acidity of berries, compote and a yoghurt-y textured lemon curd. It is quite a richly fulfilling dish for those with a sweet tooth.
Orange & polenta cake – we ordered this from the daily selection of cakes on display at the counter. It is extremely crumbly under the fork, and has a sweet citrusy aroma that can be quite satiating if eating this on your own. A little less sugar would be appreciated. =)
Rating: Yummy+1, and nigh on +2 for coffee. A definite keeper! Wonderful coffee, delicious café food and quite efficiently warm service.
You may also like: Hardware societe, Cafe Vue at Heide, Porgie & Mr Jones, Bath Lane cafe (Bendigo).
Almost Always Ravenous 
Where are you workng now?
As someone with a “bed around 1am, up around 9am” schedule, I’m dreading my eventual transition into normal working/waking hours. If there are breakfasts like this is my future, though, I might be able to hack it… That French Toast looks lovely!
michelle – at the northern hospital, next half of year at austin =).
hannah – hehehe, yeh “normal” working hours HAHA
I got the mexican cousin when I was there too! Their chai latte is also to die for (will blog about it eventually…). I spose you’re right though, they weren’t super corny in flavour but I loooved the texture. So crunchy! 🙂