hookturns.com

The staff of Triple R are very lucky to have a cafe as good as Milkwood (120 Nicholson St, East Brunswick) across the road, and a number of them were enjoying the hospitality on the sunny Sunday that I paid my second visit.

I ordered poached eggs and grilled ham again, since they were so good last time. Two of the elements were just as good on this occasion – the poached eggs with their brilliantly orange yolks, and the lovely salty ham. If only they had served it with thicker slices of toast, and it would have been a perfect breakfast dish. As is often the case with thin slices of toast, it was too crispy, and therefore difficult to cut.

The coffee was another thing that wasn’t quite as good as my previous visit. It wasn’t bad, but nor was it wasn’t anything special on this occasion. I did like that the barista brought it out, however, and the service in general is very friendly.

My girlfriend ordered poached eggs as well, but had roasted tomatoes as a side. I’m not sure why cafes persist with fresh tomatoes in the colder months, as the quality isn’t there. These looked the part, being nice and red, but the taste was floury rather than sweet.

Despite a few quibbles, Milkwood is a great cafe, and I’m sure my third visit won’t be too far away.

A cafe that serves eggs but, no bacon? Ridiculous you might think, but Milkwood (120 Nicholson St, East Brunswick) does exactly that, and instead offers grilled ham off the bone, which I think makes a nice change.

My eggs had an incredibly yellow yolk, suggesting they were very fresh, and were perfectly poached. The grilled ham was served on the toast, and Milkwood gets two thumbs up for not skimping on the bread. I also had a side of butter beans in tomato with mint, which was tasty and filling. You can also get the latter as a ‘main’, and there’s another bean dish – cannellini beans with rosemary and sliced avocado, which is also pretty good.

Thumbs up too for the coffee and service too. It’s only been open for a week or so, and was quiet busy, but still, our drinks and meals arrived quickly. In a pocket of town short on good cafes, Milkwood will do very well.

At the risk of sounding older than I am, I remember when a good, full English style breakfast dish could be found for $12. Now, something similar is approaching the $20 mark at some places. The version at Pope Joan (77-79 Nicholson St, Brunswick East) costs $18.

When you’re paying that much for a breakfast dish, it needs to either be very large, or very good quality, and preferably both. I don’t think the offering at Pope Joan ticks either box, although it’s not a complete failure either. The portion sizes are respectable, bar the single rasher of bacon, and it’s generally well put together.

Lets start with the positives. The free range eggs were some of the better scrambled eggs I’ve had at a cafe, the bacon was nicely crisp, the sausage was not too meaty or fatty to be enjoyed at breakfast time. I liked that the butter was quality, and arrived on the side.

It’s a pity that the bread seemed a little commercial, and was insufficiently toasted. Worst of all though, given the serious names behind the operation, the baked beans had far too much vinegar in them. Although my coffee looked burnt, it actually tasted okay.

Another problem, on this occasion at least, is service. It’s already incredibly popular, and there didn’t seem to be enough staff, which led to inconsistent service. We had to wait quite a while to get menus and orders taken, and our meals took about 30 minutes to arrive. I noticed at least a couple of people walking out without having eaten, presumably because of the slow service.

Whether or not they iron out the issues, given the location and the personnel behind it, I suspect that Pope Joan is going to remain popular regardless.

It’s a little suprising that El Mirage (349 Lygon St, East Brunswick) hasn’t been the subject of more online reviews. It can’t be due to lack of popularity, as it’s always busy when we visit. Nor can it be the quality of the food, because everything I’ve tried there has been superb.

One of the dishes, The Gringo, is one of my favourite breakfast dishes – not just here, but anywhere. It comprises two perfectly poached eggs, crispy bacon, and some amazing mexican beans. One of the things I like is that, unike some other cafes, they don’t skimp on things like the toast. You get two generous slices.

They also do sweet things well, with the lamingtons, covered in roasted dessicated coconut, being a highlight. Coffee is good, the decor is appealing, service is efficient and friendly, and it’s generally a very pleasant place to be.