The Kettle Black, South Melbourne

The Kettle Black is one of those cafes that you gotta check out at least once whenever you are in Melbourne. Whether it's for their instagrammable food or the stunning architecture and interior design of the cafe. For most of 2015, I've been wanting to go back to Melbourne to make a visit to The Kettle Black or their older sister cafe Top Paddock (sadly, still haven't been) so a brunch catch up with my Melbourne friend T was a perfect opportunity to check out the hype.

Long Black ($4.00)

It was not hard to miss the grand white terrace building standing out amongst the modernised towers surrounding it. Wasn't surprised when I spotted the queue in front of the cafe and being told that there will be a 45 min wait for a table for two. We were both fine and chilled around the area with take away coffee. What surprised us was when the staff informed us that the table was ready and it was roughly around 20-30mins wait at most. Neat huh?

Confit free range pork, compressed pear, poached eggs, butter emulsion ($19.00)

While this dish didn't look as pretty as some of the other dishes available here, it was very tasty for us. The pork was well cooked and seasoned, plus the runny poached eggs were on point.

Hotcakes with ricotta, berries, pure maple, double cream, seeds and nuts ($20.00)

No visit to The Kettle Black could be complete without trying their famous ricotta hotcakes! So much prettiness on a plate especially with all those edible flowers! Loads of sweet and fruity flavours coming from the rich hotcakes, various berries and the maple syrup. Personally I'm biased against double cream (sorry everyone), so T helped in eating that part. The serving size was incredibly generous that it could easily be shared between 2 or 3 people. Even had leftovers to take-away back to the hotel!

Service was efficient despite the usual busy atmosphere of the typical Sunday brunch in Melbourne. While the dishes lean on the pricier side there are a few dishes such as the hotcakes which certainly deliver on the value for money with its generous servings. If I lived in Melbourne, I would love to check it out again for a few of their other dishes such as their Cape Grim Beef Bun or the equally pretty Polenta Porridge

The Kettle Black
50 Albert Road, South Melbourne VIC 3205
(03) 9088 0721
Mon-Fri: 7:00am - 4:00pm
Sat-Sun and Public Holidays: 8:00am - 4:00pm
http://www.thekettleblack.com.au/
 

Hammer and Tong, Fitzroy

Hammer and Tong is one of those cafes that has been on my wishlist for a long while after hearing lots of raves from fellow foodies. Owned by Dennis Ferreira and Simon Ward (formerly at Vue de Monde), it has gained attention not long after it opened with their deliciously unique brunch dishes such as their popular breakfast ramen, soft shell crab roll, ox cheek benedict and the duck egg and candied bacon waffle. And heck, who doesn't love an all day breakfast menu?  

Long black

Housed at the former spot of Brix, the venue has that minimalist decor with the use of grey as the main colour. Although we arrived quite late, the atmosphere was still busy and lively. Thankfully we got a table very quickly since we arrived past peak lunch hour (lol). By this time I was on my 3rd long black coffee of the day. Still needed more energy heh.  

Chilli Scrambled Eggs

Chilli scrambled eggs was F's dish pick due to her love of spicy food. Didn't try much but from what I can recall, it had a nice balance of flavours with the chilli sauce on the main dish and the avocado on the side to ease the heat. Not sure if this is still on the menu as of now though.

Breakfast Ramen

Both CC and I had our eyes on the ramen as well as a few other dishes. Eventually CC was the one who settled with Hammer and Tong's signature dish. This consisted of 62c hens egg, bacon, mushrooms, spring onion and bacon dashi. We enjoyed watching our waiter pouring the broth into the bowl in a timely and delicate manner. The broth itself was light and the egg was well-cooked along with the al-dente ramen noodles. Would love to come back again for this dish.  

Soft Shell Crab Burger

After spotting this in many photos about this cafe, I was equally eager to try the soft shell crab burger. It may look small but it felt quite filling. Plenty of crispy, fresh and juicy soft shell crab to enjoy packed into a fluffy and toasted brioche bun with shredded sesame slaw, coriander, spring onion and sriracha mayo. This is certainly one of the best soft shell crab burgers I've had mainly because all those ingredients worked so well together in terms of its taste.   

Out of all the cafes I've been to in Melbourne in the last 3 years, this is definitely one of my top picks of places to go. Satisfied with the food and the service seemed decent for us as well. If I ever live in Melbourne, this would be one of those cafes I would be keen to go back every now and then.

Hammer and Tong
Rear 412 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065
(03) 9041 6033
http://hammerandtong.com.au/
 

Brewristas, Glebe

Opened during the summer of 2015, Brewristas took advantage of the cafe seeking foodies who were itching for a place to brunch when nearly all the food establishments were closed for the Xmas break. I recall a few days when nearly my entire IG feed was flooded with pix of the coffee and food at this Glebe hotspot. Thanks to the recent extreme milkshake craze, the hype hasn't slowed down at all.

Frankenstein - smashed avo, home made tomato chutney, tortilla corn chips, sunny side up ($20.00)

The "Frankenstein" was literally a monster to our eyes. Despite its messy appearance, CC and I were admiring the avocado, tortilla chips and that nice round sunny side up. Stacked together on top of sourdough toast, this dish was unsurprisingly a huge mouthful to handle. Recommended to share between two people. While it is a dish for 1, it is possible to share between two or three people.

Porky Pig - honey jam Korean pancake, poached egg, bacon, spicy guacamole, mango habanero mayo ($16.00)

The funky names continue with the classic "Porky Pig". While it looked lighter than the previous dish, the honey jam Korean pancakes made it equally filling. While it had a kick with the mango habanero mayo and the spicy  mayo, it wasn't too spicy that it will blow your tongue off. With so much different ingredient combinations in this dish, you can sense so many different flavours with every single bite. 

Game Set Matcha

Like most of the extreme shakes at other cafes around Sydney, these bad boys are off the menu, though the waiter is more than happy to bring them up when you order. CC opted for the Game Set Matcha, which was creamy, not too sweet and easy to slurp down compared to what I've got. We also couldn't resist the adorable matcha button placed on top of the shake. 

The Clutch

I love my chocolate, so taking down a rich choc shake with thick swirls of nutella and stacked with a brownie slice and whipped cream wasn't a huge problem for me. It was a decadent drink that wasn't easy to finish especially if you aren't used to rich desserts. Couldn't help but giggle at the (angry looking) Freddos and Tiny Teddies stuck onto the nutella.

Mint Chocolate Chip Shake

Not long after that visit, I was invited to an Instafoodie dessert event where we sampled a wide range desserts and shakes, thanks to Jason the shake-master (aka @insatiablyhungry on IG). Got my hands on the Mint Choc Chip shake, which was packed with an upside down mint choc chip ice cream cone. This wasn't as rich as the Clutch but it was messier to handle with all that cream dripping everywhere on the mason jar.

White Chocolate, Fairyfloss and Rosewater Shake

Didn't get to taste this shake but it looks too pretty to drink especially with all that pink.

Tiramisu Pot Plant (deluxe sized version)

At first you may think it's a plant but one scoop and it has gotten a whole lot sweeter! While it has its creamy texture, it was also light and fluffy from the lady fingers cake. This was also matched perfectly with the crumbled oreo chocolate "dirt".

Brewmonade

If the shakes aren't bringing you to the yard anytime soon, don't fret, Brewristas does a good job with their house made coffee brew. They are also well known for their cold coffee beverages including their cold brew (with 6 espresso shots!), brewmonade and brew tea. This should be sweet for the warm weather creeping on us. Service has been very friendly so far during all of my visits and the food is certainly not your usual cafe fare. They also open late, which is perfect if you want to check out a cafe after work. Nothing suss.  

Brewristas
73 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037
(02) 8021 1328
http://brewristas.bigcartel.com/
Mon-Thurs: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Fri: 8:00am - 10:30pm
Sat: 9:00am - 10:30pm
Sun: 9:00am - 5;00pm
 

Single O CBD Launch Event, Sydney CBD

If you are a CBD worker and a fan of the coffee from Single Origin Roasters but you don't have the time to check out its original Surry Hills cafe and the Botany branch, you will be very pleased to hear that it has now opened its doors on York Street in Sydney CBD. Unlike the other branches, Single O CBD is take away only, although you can chill out in the standing area on the side of the cafe.

Kombucha on tap - finger lime and ginger infused ($4.50)

Regular tea samples were offered at the counter throughout the evening. Apparently, Single O CBD is the first cafe in Sydney to offer the Japanese inspired Kombucha tea and the Cascara coffee cherry tea. While the Kombucha had a sparkling and slightly sweet flavour, the Cascara was bold, deep and intense. For the Single Origin coffee lovers, the cafe is currently serving their Reservoir blend (great with milk-based coffees), plus selected blends from Columbia, Tanzania and Ethiopia as well as the "filter of the week" for something a bit more random.

Sparkling Cascara on tap - coffee cherry tea ($4.50)

All the guests were treated to samples of delicacies that will be on offer at the cafe. My personal faves include their ham, cheese and pickled veg toastie, the mini bacon and egg rolls, braised beef sliders and the espresso buttered banana bread.

"Mr Croque" - leg ham, cheddar bechamel, pickled veg toastie ($11.00)

Avocado, fetta, cherry tomatoes, rye toast ($12.00)

A variation of the "Breakkie box" - poached eggs, flatbread, coriander salad, hummus ($12.00)

Braised beef cheek, pickles, slaw, brioche bun ($15.00)

Bacon roll, red eye mayo, fried egg, tomato apple ketchup ($12.00)

Banana bread, espresso butter ($6.00)

Thanks to the neighbouring bar "The Barbershop", we were also treated to their salted caramel espresso martini. There's a strong sense of coffee in this cocktail with a hint of sweet stickiness from the salted caramel. Sadly this isn't on the menu but I'm pretty sure The Barbershop will be happy to make it for you if you ask.

Salted Caramel Espresso Martini (not available at Single O CBD)

It's quite easy to miss Single O CBD due to its tiny space, but that's what makes hole in the wall cafes special. While the menu is limited, the cafe does all day breakfast, which is a major bonus if you don't have time to stop for a quick breakkie in the morning. My only qualm at this stage is that they do not have skim milk in case that's how you prefer your milk (which rules out nearly everyone at my office). Hopefully it will show up once the cafe settles in its new location. Despite that, it's a great way to discover or rediscover the excellent 3-cup awarded coffee that Single Origin Roasters has to offer in this side of the city.

Disclaimer 1: The Random Foodie attended the Single O CBD Launch Night as a guest. 
Disclaimer 2: The sample serving size of the food in this post does not reflect the actual size of the food served at the cafe. Prices reflect on the full size of the above menu items offered at the cafe.

Single O CBD
89 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9279 2677
Mon-Fri: 6:30am - 4:00pm
 

Cumulus Inc., Melbourne CBD

Cumulus Inc is one of Melbourne's well-renowned cafes, which also operates as a dining restaurant at night along with its bar counterpart, Cumulus Up, in their upstairs space. It is located on the further end of Flinders Lane that also houses countless restaurants and cafes such as Chin Chin, Meatball and Wine Room, Fonda Mexican, The Grain Store, Supernormal, Dukes Coffee Roasters (phew...) as well as a few hidden bars here and there. The girls and I were lucky to stay at a hotel close to these foodie joints so it wasn't too hard when we picked a cafe to go for breakfast before going our separate ways. Plus Cumulus Inc was one of the many many many cafes on my Melbourne wishlist from my last trip.

While the cafe was further than what I expected from the map, the service was actually very quick for a Saturday morning, which is good for the girls who were on a tight schedule. Cumulus Inc is one of the many eateries owned by chef and restaurateur, Andrew McConnell. His name that may not be too familiar to the casual Sydney diner but he is an icon in Melbourne with countless restaurants under his helm. This includes Supernormal, Cutler and Co, Golden Fields, and The Builder's Arms to name a few. From visiting two of his venues during my Melbourne trip, it appears that the fitout has a signature minimalist appeal with grey, black, white and brown being the prominent colours at the venue.

Skim Mocha ($3.80)

I knew I was going to have a long, adventurous and unplanned day ahead so a coffee was needed to wake me up. This cafe uses organic fair trade Single Origin Coffee house blend for their coffees. While the mocha had an aromatic flavour, it was on the sweeter side compared to some mochas I've had in the past.

Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice ($7.50)

The grapefruit juice was not too fizzy actually. Refreshing to have once the weather gets warmer again. Not too sweet either.

Mortadella, cheddar and braised black cabbage toasted sandwich ($16.00)

I found myself drooling over CC's toastie. Cannot resist the perfectly grilled look on that toast. While it was on the expensive side compared to other toasted sandwiches I've seen around town, CC got very full and satisfied on this dish so I guess it was more filling than it appeared. 

Smoked ocean trout, rye toast, baby zucchini and slow cooked eggs ($17.00) 

AC was pleased with her healthy-looking dish of smoked ocean trout blanketing over two hidden slow cooked eggs. I tried a bit of this dish and really liked how the ocean trout melts in your mouth as you taste it. Also the eggs were soft and oozy, which was always a winner. 

Sardine on toast, red onion and cream cheese ($17.00)

F loves her food salty so she opted for the sardine on toast with red onion and cream cheese. While the rest of us thought it was too salty, she thought it needed a tad more salt. This did look like a dish with an interesting combination of flavours and textures. Not a huge fan of cream cheese personally but F seemed to enjoy this dish.

Shakshouka - baked eggs with roasted pepper and shanklish ($17.00)

Long time readers and close friends will not be surprised on what I ended up ordering. Yup, it's their signature shakshouka with roasted pepper and shanklish (a type of Middle Eastern cow's/sheep's milk cheese). I love my baked eggs and Cumulus Inc's version has definitely made it into one of my favourites. It was rich, flavoursome and slightly spicy but the tomato-based sauce wasn't overly strong and much less watery compared to a few baked eggs I've had in the past (a major plus!). This pleased CC who is generally not a fan of baked eggs. The yolk had that soft, gooey texture and the shanklish cheese wasn't as strong as I initially expected. It may be a mess but it was perfect comfort food to have on a cool morning. 

Canele ($4.00)

After paying the bill, I couldn't help to order a canele as well to take away. It was crisp and buttery on the outside, while the inside was soft, bubbly and not too sweet. 

The service seemed attentive when we were there even though it got busy. Surprised that a table for 5 people was available almost immediately after we arrived since it was around 9am on a Saturday. The prices were standard in comparison to other Melbourne cafes (not too expensive but not cheap either) though I personally thought that a toasted sandwich for $16 is still a bit too much. If I lived in Melbourne, I wouldn't mind returning again for the shakshouka and trying the other dishes on the brunch and dinner menus as well as checking out their wine bar upstairs. 

Cumulus Inc
45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9650 1445
http://cumulusinc.com.au/
Mon-Fri: 7:00am - 11:00pm
Sat-Sun: 8:00am - 11:00pm

Cuckoo Callay, Newtown

Bacon! Bacon! Bacon! It was no surprise that I jumped for joy when I first heard about Cuckoo Callay holding a Bacon Festival back in February. Was even happier when I realised this will be going on for 12 weeks. Fast forward many weeks and multiple visits later. Well I haven't managed to try the whole menu but for what I did try, I was really satisfied. By now, this post is probably a bit too late since it will be ending pretty soon but hey better late than never? 

Conveniently located right next to Newtown station, there is so much to love about Cuckoo Callay when it comes down to their fun and down to earth approach. Even on the menu with lots of cute names such as "Birdy Nom Nom", "Cinderella's Breakfast", "Georgeous George and #HashTag Browns 3.0 (heh). According to the take-away menu on the front, they give out free hugs but I haven't had the guts to ask. I probably need one though sighs.

Skim Mocha ($4.00)

Skim Latte ($3.50)

Cuckoo Callay uses Single Origin Roasters house blend. So far, I've been really impressed by the coffee here. The mocha was slightly sweet but not in an overwhelming way and the coffee art was always a highlight. Been starting to drink lattes as well and the one I've had was smooth and not too bitter.

Drizzle Sticks ($10.00)

Bacon dipped in chocolate may not sound as appealing at first but it got quite addictive after a few bites. Loved biting into the sweet chocolate while getting mesmerised by the meaty bacon strips. Great to have when the weather was warmer.

What a Croque of Bacon ($19.00)

As a lover of croquettes (if it's done right), I couldn't go past this dish. It looked slightly similar to the #HashTag browns 3.0 dish on the regular menu except without the avocado and replacing the bacon steak/salmon/haloumi with long Bourbon bacon strips. The thick-sized vintage cheddar croquettes were chunky and creamy on the inside whilst crispy and crumbly on the outside. Enjoyed mixing the bacon and croquettes with the pea puree and the gooey egg yolk (more on that later). With its reasonable serving size, it was definitely one of my fave dishes that I would order again if I get the chance. Just the colourful appearance of this dish alone will bring a smile to your face.

Bacon All the Rules ($24.00)

If you really LOVE your bacon then get this dish. There's 5 (YES FIVE!) different types of bacon in this one dish alone. This consisted of Black Forest Smokehouse maple bacon, bourbon bacon, bacon steak, bacon sausage and (*gasp*) bacon-crumbed poached eggs served on sourdough toast. Man I'm getting meat sweats just writing that last sentence. Yup this was certainly not one for the faint hearted but I couldn't look away. Just that experiencing so many different forms and textures of bacon was a culinary journey that I was gladly happy to explore whether it was the tiny specks of crumbed bacon or the salty yet juicy bacon sausage or that thick slab of bacon steak.

Oh yeahhh

That yolk porn...

Also the poached eggs NEVER EVER fail to disappoint me. So many gooey times here.

Ya Bacon Me Crazy ($20.00)

While it may be a dish that you would likely to get for dessert after a savoury meal, it was surprisingly filling enough on its own to satisfy your hunger. Thanks to the maple bacon and the waffles, there was still a bit of that warm, savoury and slightly salty flavour as you sink your teeth into this towering plate of cinnamon ice cream and choc-coated bourbon bacon indulgence.

Best. Chips. Ever ($9.00)

While I can't comment on whether these chips were the best ever, they would certainly rank high on my list. So thick and crispy on the outside and incredibly fluffy on the inside. Great to share with a group of friends though it can be very addictive.

While the food may be on the pricier side of the spectrum, the service has been welcoming and accommodating. The portions were quite generous so that made up for the price. Sadly the Bacon Festival is ending very soon after its 12-week run (around early-mid May which is just around the corner!) so if you love your bacon, hurry to Cuckoo Callay before the pigs fly away!

Disclaimer: I paid for every single meal mentioned in this post.

Cuckoo Callay

324a King Street, Newtown NSW 2042

(02) 9557 7006

http://www.cuckoo-callay.com.au/

Mon-Fri: 6:00am - 4:00pm

Sat: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Sun: 8:00am - 3:00pm