Brunch roundup (10 October): Cavallini, Red Door Corner Store, Maling room, Percy’s Aeroplane.

Posted by Almost Always Ravenous on October 10, 2012 · 5 Comments 

A quick breakfast roundup. *Click to scroll down to: Red Door Corner Store, Maling Room, Percy’s Aeroplane. Or just start reading from Cavallini…

[Cavallini]
Where: 354 Queens Parade, Fitzroy North
Contact: 03 9486 3883

Located near the northern end of Hoddle Street – a small pocket I don’t venture to often – this little café-bakery puts forward a mean selection of gourmet sandwiches, pastries and sweets. The crusty bread baguettes are generously filled with gorgeous stuffing often with a little tang (love caramelised onions). The pear tart was heavenly and indulgent with a buttery crunch.

Though I have not actually tried their ice cream, you can’t really overlook the ice cream cart sitting outside the entrance here.

Coffee: Average. Brunch: Yummy

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[Red Door Corner Store]
Where: 70 Mitchell Street, Northcote
Contact: 03 9489 8040

The distinct red décor against the distressed timber look is unmistakable. Locals would probably like to keep this distinctly red café hidden from the rest of Melbourne, but they truly aren’t succeeding in that regard. It is a busy suburban café delivering great coffees and brunch fare. Delightful egg and savoury dishes, mixed in with refreshing items like a watermelon, mint, strawberry and granola salad.

The coffee on recommendation by Bryan – “…when walk out of a brunch place with notes and hints of the bean lingering in your breath pleasantly…” – is undeniably good. There’s a lot of creativity when it comes to describing the taste notes of coffee (much like that of wines), though for many of us it is much easier to identify the features when they are clearly pointed out. Otherwise would you be able to articulate the fruity charms of berries, apricot and lychee in an El Salvador suiza single blend? I wouldn’t… at least not yet.

Coffee: Yummy+1. Brunch: Yummy+1.

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[Maling Room]
Where: 206 Canterbury Rd, Canterbury
Contact: 03 9836 9889

This elegant Victorian building converted from an old post office is only a short drive from where I live. The standout attraction here is the in-house roasted coffee. It is actually the same coffee that is used at red door corner store. The house symmetry blend produces a sweet caramel-chocolate note with hints of spice and bitter-sweetness. That being said the creamy milk in the café latte really helped soften the acidity. So coffee is definitely a must here!

Breakfast and sandwich options are generally quite generous, and done fairly well, but nothing spectacular.

Coffee: Yummy+1. Brunch: Average.

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[Percy’s Aeroplane]
Where: 96 Denmark St, Kew
Contact: 03 9939 7642

There is no doubt that where one eats is greatly influenced by those around you. As much as my friends insist that I dictate what they eat when eating out, I feel I am in turn inspired by digital media and blogs, and far less by print media.

I would never have discovered this place without a fellow blogger’s recommendation. Being a frequent flyer here (pun intended), Ashley rounded up most of the Fake Photography Society – “…Dr Boo Radley, Bryan Boo, Fakegf Jo, Ravenous Allan and, Hungree Ash…” – for a long brunch graze. Whether it be the crunch-ilicious with pop-corn, or the big-pilot-breakfast with the lot, baked chorizo and poached eggs – all were delightful and filling.  No doubt we ordered a sweet dish – french fruit toast with spiced blueberries – which was an absolute stunner.

The coffees had a beautiful dark crema, with a slightly solid roast but somewhat muted in complexity, lacking in the brighter-lighter notes of other coffee places. The chai would however prove to be a winner with a “warm kick in the back of the throat from the spices, mingled with a sweet touch of honey on the front of the tongue to tone it all down”.

Coffee: Yummy. Brunch: Yummy+1.

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Filed under Breakfast, Canterbury, Coffee, Kew, North Fitzory, Northcote, Sandwiches / Subs · Tagged with breakfast, brunch, cafe, coffee, food, melbourne, restaurants