LBSS Cafe

Hi guys! Everything's been wonderful in San Francisco the past few days. It's my first time to the city and I can see why people have told me why I would love it. And I do! Lots of photos for me to go through, so in the meantime, digging up some goodies from Melbourne that still need to be shared!

When Ben, my good buddy in Sydney, came down to Melbourne for a week to visit family, I knew we had to fit in brunch at some point. We also squeezed in a few dinners, one at Hotel Lincoln and the other at Woods of Windsor (which I happened to forget to bring my camera to!)

It can be hard trying to decide where to take people, especially when you're well known for being the 'foodie'.

However, LBSS Cafe (Little, Big, Small, Sweet) stood out as a good candidate, as I knew if Ben was coming along, I could probably share the crumpets I wanted to try with him, since he's a little more adventurous with the sweet stuff than Brad is. 

So basically, LBSS was chosen because I was going to have brunch with someone who would help me make brunch dessert happen. Yes.

LBSS is a bit of a surprising addition to Victoria Street, which is usually well known for it's pho and Asian groceries, not so much for it's hipster cafes. So in contrast to the general vibe of the area, LBSS is almost painfully hipster, as it really stands out, sandwiched between all the Vietnamese stores.

The neat front foyer area is where coffees come and go; slip down the side to find rooms with communal tables and rather cool stools, littered with interesting artwork. I was particularly intrigued by a piece with skulls and butterfly wings. 

Ben was running a bit late, caught up in the traffic hell hole that can be Punt Road, so Brad and I tucked into a smooth latte and a lovely spicy chai, with a decent hit of cinnamon. 

The menu is fun, quirky and a little bit tongue in cheek if you take a moment to look closely. It doesn't have a lot of things on it, but all the things on it are good. Rather than reading like a list, like most menus,  the menu is instead divided into a compass of Little, Big, Small and Sweet. Ben was positively tickled by the menu and couldn't stop raving about it. 

Although I generally have an aversion to vegemite, I decided to get the 'Health', which came with avocado, tomato, green beans and leafy herbs on a slice of gluten free bread with vegemite. Ah, so glad I went with this! All the vegetables were so fresh, and I particularly enjoyed the crunch of the beans. It all went well with the vegemite, that gave it just enough saltiness, and didn't overwhelm. Fresh, clean and delicious, what more do you want?

Ben with his aversion to eggs, went with the 'Parridge' (still pronounced as 'Porridge'), with seasonal stewed fruits and a little bit of maple. Ah, glorious sweet figs! This was indeed quite sweet, but very tasty as well. 

Brad went for the 'Hash Cakes' which is essentially hash browns, kaiserfleisch and an egg. Big, sexy cuts of bacon and fried egg with gooey yolk. It's all good over here folks. For those with an appetite, this is your dish!

Finally, I got to have my crumpets with Ben! 'It's Crumpets' comes with two crumpets, one with peanut butter, maple, banana and blue cheese and the other with lemon curd and marscapone. 

The lemon curd and marscapone is everything you need it to be. Zesty, creamy and naughty. A nice punch of lemon, softened on these smooth and rather indulgent mascarpone. 

The peanut butter varietal, a rather intriguing mix with the inclusion of blue cheese, actually worked quite well, as the blue cheese was quite mild and included fairly minimally. And really peanut butter and maple is just a sticky, sweet and nutty win. 

All up, we had a really great brunch, it wasn't too busy for a weekend, maybe because it hasn't quite become a hotspot yet, but it's certainly well in the making. I mean, the menu encourages you to take selfies in the bathroom and tag them so that they pop up on the website. Who doesn't love the ol' bathroom selfie and a bit of novelty?

Oh and I guess the food is delicious as well. Heh. 

LBSS Cafe

385 Victoria Street

Richmond Vic 3067 

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