Cookie, my floppy eared Beagle, who’s often found trying to pry open the fridge and  in my Instagram feeds, is not only one of my best buddies but also has a knack for finding some of Melbourne’s best cafes.

We share a passion for…well, lotsa food and I like to think that he was a born Brunch Hunter. A Brunch Genius even. In fact, this post wouldn’t even be possible without him. It all started with a walk to Footscray Market before the trip to Adelaide when Cookie, who, armed with a nose that can smell a cherry pie baking several suburbs away, made a quick turn to the right and pulled us ‘300 style’ towards something I must have totally missed during previous runs to the market –  Guerrilla Espresso. From that moment on, I carried extra doggy treats on our brunch expeditions to thank him for always being there to either cheer me up or to randomly guide me to the newest local cafes.

He gets beef jerky, I get poached eggs.

Guerilla Espresso

81 Hopkins St, Footscray VIC 3011
Phone: (03) 9995 4054

Although I grew up on the other side of town, most of my friends lived in the westside, so Footscray was one of our frequent haunts especially when it came to the suburb’s most well known treats Banh Mi, Pho and of course, Olympic Doughnuts. Plus, I didn’t really wanna travel all the way to St Albans to get my Pho fix to then face a two hour train ride back to the east.  Now, fast forward a decade, WTH, great coffee has been hitting the streets of Footscray and with that, comes more brunch choices on my side of town big momma.

Guerilla Espresso, adjacent to the beloved Footscray Market, uses Seven Seeds as part of their daily grind which I’m happy about as I also use their house blend at home. I was all giddy after having two cups. As much as I like to think I can made a decent cuppa at home, who the hell am I kidding?!

Figs. I feel that I don’t even need to write anything else. But figs with honey, mascarpone layered on some homemade crumpets?! All I wanted to do was grab the time travel controller and press repeat. Ha! Can you imagine that? The things I would get up to… It would have to limited to humans though because Cookie the beagle would absolutely go BISERK. Treat time and belly rubs would be on replay for sure.

Feast of Merit

117 Swan Street Richmond, VIC
Phone: (03) 9428 8480

My workmates think know I’m totally obsessed with Feast of Merit and that homeboy, would be ON POINT. No lie. The premises itself has changed hands several times so on the way to get my ‘green’ juice from new kid on Swan st, Nutrition Bar, one day (who by the way have the best raw protein balls…no pun intended I swear jajajaja) during my short-lived health week, I had to do a double take to notice that Feast of Merit opened up shop.

The social enterprise (YGAP) driven cafe has been able to achieve something that I thought was impossible – have me coming back at least three times a week for salad. Yess…salad. I’ll tell you why. They are salad geniuses for reals. Centered around freshness, raw ingredients and seasonality, they have daily special (my fav being the chickpea, lentils, greens with beets)  and another three permanent varieties that scream tasty packed with roasted dutch carrots, cous cous, mint, broad beans to cauliflower, string beans and currants. Their beets even come pickled and roasted.

You can also choose between ahuh, three ‘protien’ choces that are premium – Milawa Chicken, fish (changes daily) and my personal fav, a tender piece of char grilled Hopkins River beef with dem fatty edges and a dollop of horseradish that gives a nice kick up the nostril. Slice that sheeat up…UP!

I wouldn’t do more than one protein paired with one salad. Trust and believe. You can walk out feeling good or you can leave feelling like you gotta  go back to the office and sleep under your damn desk catching them ZZZZZZZZZZZ

Drinks-wise, they also know how to put it down. My drink of choices are their Mandela that tastes like creamy Milo on a bender filled with earths goodness like chia seeds and raw cacao, chai made with almond milk and a piccolo cuz you know how  love me some coffee.

Good food , good cause, DO IT.

Stranded Store

14 The Strand Colonel Light Gardens, SA
Phone: 08 8177 2220

Something I needed to do as soon as we arrived in Adelaide was brunch. Everytime I travel, the first thing I do, is find out where I can grab breakfast or brunch. I’d usually get talking with the locals. Armed with the right spot, you get an insight into the culture, how the locals live and what they eat. Total avoidance of the tourist traps is on top of my list.

Stranded Store, tucked away in a treed lined suburban street, can easily be missed…well we missed it! Overly excited fools. It may have been been our erratic driving skills in an unfamiliar territory, but thankfully, there’s a collection of tables out the front that screamed “Yo schleper, we’re here.”

Polished floorboards, the smell of fresh bread and the fittings of a gutted out house turned cafe give the place a sense of ‘home.’ The seasonal menu, all sourced from produce rich South Australia, focuses on that ‘just picked’ freshness that shone through from the Kangaroo Islandpoached eggs, the bright leafy greens (asparagus was YASSS) to the Harris smoked salmon and their thick cut house baked bread. Certainly NOT ew.

The highlight for me was dipping into dem Kill Bill yellow poached eggs. That was enough to warrant the second visit.

Red Door Bakery

22 Elizabeth street, Croydon SA 5008
Phone: (08) 8340 0306

Of all places in Adelaide, I was most excited about Red Door Bakery, not only for their creme brulee tarts but I was also catching up with the very cool, Christine, who had also recommended the joint.

The counter, clad with an abundance of sugar laced treats, sent my mind into overload due to the amount of incredible choices along with the sweet smells of butter, bread and coffee beans.

Traditional items like almond croissant and danishes were easy targets whereas their signature delights – creme brulee tarts and the curly whirly Cinnamon Bunnies I just HAD to have. By time we ordered, our table was littered with enough dishes to feed Homer and by the time we finished up, I looked like a doughnut as I was dusted in sugar inside and out. I’m not a messy eater at all…

Christine recommended their sausage rolls made with Berkshire free range pork served with a sweet and spicy chilli jam. Wow. I then launched onto the traditional chicken paaaah that also went so well with the chilli jam.

PLONK!

Our stomachs were probably thinking WTF as we hopped back and forth from sweet to savoury then back to sweet unknowingly as were so lost in conversation. By the time we finished up, I was feeling a little to heavy for a swim but we stuck to our plan of hitting up Glenelg beach…and got a stitch. Fools.

Rosey’s Cafe

139 Unley Road, Unley 5061
(parking at rear, off Frederick Street)
Phone: 08 722 50690

After waking up to a sugar hangover after a night of trying out Adelaide’s famous Dessert Bars; something that is truly unique to Adelaide, we decided to end the trip with a final brunch stop.

Rosey’s Cafe was actually recommended by the awesome staff at The Aviary Dessert Kitchen (one of Adelaide’s best Dessert Bars!) and as soon as we got there, we immediately knew why. It felt like we were in a cosy Edwardian home with vintage throwback chairs that I wanted to take home, polished floorboards and what-do-ya-know, a hanging bottle sculpture over the counter. Too rad.

On with the food. I haven’t had Corn fritters in years, so it was an easy choice especially when I saw that it came with Harris Smoked Salmon. I’ve had my fair share of bad fritters which is probably why I’ve been avoiding them – soggy, overly thick and cold comes to mind. At Rosey’s however, the fritters were in fact, a stonegroove. Perfect height, crisp edges, right amount of kernels and yes, hot.

Cobb lane

13 Anderson Street Yarraville, VIC
Phone: 03 9687 1538

Ahhh, Cobb Lane.

Being a Yarraville local, I swear I must’ve walked past it fifty times whilst it was being decked out and when it finally opened doors, I went BA…nanas. As you might’ve seen on my Instagram feed, I ran in and stuffed my face with all kinds doughnuts like their signature salted caramel variety – a doughnut nobody can deny. In fact they’re so good that these Matt Forbes sugar dusted creations are being supplied to other cafes around town such as another fav of mine, South Melbourne Market’s Clement Coffee. I know this first hand because I, without even noticing grabbed a dozen of these gems last time I was at the market. Well, that and a dozen of the South Melbourne footy sized Dim Sims.

The most recent visit or should I say VISITS was straight after the Adelaide trip. The initial visit, I had one goal in mind; try something new. So I avoided the counter-top bathing in doughnuts and goy myself an ice cream sandwich instead. Slicker than your average, the strawberry ice cream is infused with aniseed for a nice cut through and welcomed contrast to the overall sweetness all held together by crumbly shortbread. You can easily share this but why would you?!

Oh, yes, I did end up getting something besides sweets! Just another thing Cobb Lane specialises in is bread, so naturally, I grabbed their coronation sandwich to tick off my goal  of trying something new. Thick soughdough slices with beautiful crusts filled with a generous pieces of chicken coated in creamy mayo and a good amount of curry. Gewd sanga.

The second time was with TT. I’ll let the below dishes speak for themselves but what I had, chaald it was a stonegroove.

Yolky egg flowing into handcut potatoes, sweet corn kernels showered in cheese.

Little Man

Address: 158 Victoria St, Seddon VIC 3011

Phone:(03) 9687 8881

Joining fellow cafes (Common Galaxia, Seddon Deadly Sins) lined up on Victoria Street in Seddon comes another westside gem, Little Man.

I’m gonna go straight in and say that as soon as I saw how the toast soldiers were served, I was already sold. I think the picture below describes it best. Think ‘I’m a big kid now!’ I had no shame dunkin’ my lil’ soldiers on a toy car themed plate. None. In fact, it made it that more enjoyable as I friends pointed at me and laughed the whole time.  They were just filled with envy.

I also ordered the smashed avocado topped with pomegranate which was a little strange at first but quickly became a fan of the idea, even going as far as trying it at home.

The place looks great, airy, filled with natural light and dishes created and plated so meticulously. This goes for the coffee too.  Grab a couple of their croissants on the way out. You’ll see why.

Corinthians

37 Old Geelong Rd Hoppers Crossing, VIC
Phone: 03 8742 4009

When it comes to coffee on this end of the west, Corinthians take the crown. I never would have imagined I’d be gunning down a cup of 5 Senses this end of town. Bad coffee? Ain’t nobody got time for dat.

The cafe has taken the suburb of Hoppers Crossing by storm. On a Saturday morning, locals roll in like Myer on Boxing Day. I had to get on a waiting list like as if I were lining up for a cafe in the inner northside. So surreal. My sister in law, an avid coffee connoisseur recommended Corinthians and hella glad she did.

By the time we got a seat, it was pretty much lunch, so I grabbed their spaghetti that came with char-grilled prawns and crimson red cherry tomatoes bursting with sweetness.

Silo By Joost

123 Hardware St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone:(03) 9600 0588

Silo by Joost has been around for quite some time now but everytime I found myself in Hardware Street, I would always end up at my cbd fav, Hardware Societe. This time round however, I veered to the left and plonked myself down to finally try this place I’ve heard so much about. I was a huge fan of Greenhouse by Joost during the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival a few years back so I was pweety excited.

There are a few tables outside and a communal inside so on a weekend, although worth the wait,  larger groups may struggle. Having nearly overdosed on cured salmon in Adelaide, I decided to continue on with the cured everything route. Ooooohhh…living on the edge right. Don’t judge. If you had only witnessed how amazing it was to pop that 65/65 degree egg and see the yolk just flow onto the bright orange flesh, you’d see why I go absolutely bizerk. It may sound like I’m exaggerating and perhaps, writing this after gunning  down a tub of butter pecan ice cream may be the cause, but I speak to the TRUTH homeboy.

While you’re at it, grab a glass of their fresh OJ too. Gewd stuff on a warm day.

The Kitchen at Weylandts

200 Gipps Street Abbotsford, VIC
Phone: 03 9445 5911

With outlets in South Africa, Weylandts opened its doors in Melbourne at the tailend of last year. Taking up residence in Abbotsford, the incredibly large floor space is filled with some of the most beautiful furniture I’ve ever seen from gigantic iron lamps lamps that seriously belong on the set on Indiana Jones, meticulously handcrafted coffee tables to classic soft leather chairs and pillows paying homage to Hershey Chocolate. I swear, if my credit card had a larger limit…. I wanted it all!

The cafe also grasps their ‘homely’ theme – a schnazzzy fit-out with hanging lights, oak tables lined up so perfectly symmetrical and that darn cake display that had everyone gushing as they walked past. I kept my emotions on the down-low as casually wondered over for a viewing as I wiped my drool off the glass casing.

My mind was telling me to go with one of their fixed brekkie items like the dukkah eggs but my body as craving some weird shit that morning so I ended up with a mixed bag of customised tid bits – two kinds of toast (sour cherry, ciabatta) with jam and butter, a bowl of their creamy scramble, plum danish (from the darn cake display!) and the saucy pizza.

The pizza, plated on on of their signature serving boards made of oak was exceptional with dabs of sweet, ripened capotana. Good for sharing.

On the liquid end of things, I went with the running theme of something out of the ordinary and traded my usual flat white for their Red Latte which tasted like a cross between a chai and a standard latte sweetened with honey. LIKE!

I’m saving up for my next trip back to The Kitchen at Weylandts or at least, calling my bank for a increase to my credit limit.

And denn…bai bai!

Oh, by the way. This ain’t one of dem gazillion cafes in 48 hours posts. This was undertaken during my two week break that actually involved a tonne of ‘treat yo body as a temple’ moments from exercise, massages, binge eating and body boarding. jajajajajajajaja!

I’ll save you from scrolling around the place like a hot mess:

Guerilla Espresso

81 Hopkins St, Footscray VIC 3011
Phone: (03) 9995 4054

Feast of Merit

117 Swan Street Richmond, VIC
Phone: (03) 9428 8480

Stranded Store

14 The Strand Colonel Light Gardens, SA
Phone: 08 8177 2220

Red Door Bakery

22 Elizabeth street, Croydon SA 5008
Phone: (08) 8340 0306

Rosey’s Cafe

139 Unley Road, Unley 5061
(parking at rear, off Frederick Street)
Phone: 08 722 50690

Cobb lane

13 Anderson Street Yarraville, VIC
Phone: 03 9687 1538

Little Man
Address: 158 Victoria St, Seddon VIC 3011
Phone:(03) 9687 8881

Corinthians

37 Old Geelong Rd Hoppers Crossing, VIC
Phone: 03 8742 4009

Silo By Joost

123 Hardware St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone:(03) 9600 0588

The Kitchen at Weylandts

200 Gipps Street Abbotsford, VIC
Phone: 03 9445 5911

BONUS!!

Demitri’s Feast

141 Swan St, Richmond VIC 3121
Phone: (03) 9428 8659

You really thought I’d end this post without a banger! Chaald, take a seat and say AAAAAAH as I tell you about the crumpets at Demitri’s Feast. I’ve written about this cafe before in a previous post so I won’t go into too much detail.

It had been months since my last visit so I thought that being quite a balmy day, I’d take advantage of their courtyard and have me some brunch. Still recovering from overdosing on marinated meat at Korean BBQ the night before, the last thing I wanted was a big breakfast so I opted for crumpets. Owner, Jim Karabagias, has taken your everyday crumpets to Greece evident by the lashings of creamy yoghurt , crushed pistachio and drizzled with sweet wild thyme honey. A true innovator – check out his signature Baklava French Toast. YERM and a half.

So there you have it. I started the post with crumpets and ended it with…

More cafe hopping action this way

Have you signed up for updates from Food Rehab? Subscribe to join over 4000 sexy eaters and I’ll do my best to keep us learning about none-other than glorious, GLORIOUS food! Also, follow me on Facebook or Twitter if you have either of those addictive things.

Keep eating…LIKE CRAZAAY!

Adrian