Saturday morning. It’s grey, it’s drizzly, it’s a typical Melbourne weekend; sunny all week and rainy all weekend. Seriously?
Brad and I drive over to Auburn road to see a huge queue outside Porgie & Mr Jones…fortunately we weren’t going there!
Instead, we cross over the road to a the gorgeous Olio & Pane that seems to get quite overlooked next to it’s very popular neighbour. Brad had driven by a couple of days earlier and noticed they were advertising a new breakfast menu. He remembers these things for me, so thoughtful!
From out front, it looks more like a very quaint neighbourhood shop, perhaps in Italy or a cute little corner of Provence in France, where in the front of the room, shelves are lined with their gorgeous artisan products, their olive oil being one of their signature products, along with pasta, sauces and other deliciousness.
But did you know you could take a seat and have some food too? Brad and I ventured from the front of the shop, where there’s a communal table and some counter seats, out to the back where they had more individual tables.
It was minimally decorated, but very soothing, with nostalgic 1940 Italian tunes swapping with more contemporary tunes over the speakers, a touch of greenery and soft late morning light drifting in through the windows.
Our coffees and chais were lovely and toasty, nothing to scoff at and perfect in the cool weather.
But oh. Breakfast. Breakfast was divine.
Brad ordered the grilled polenta with sausage, poached eggs, mushrooms and truffled tomato vinaigrette on my behalf, as I had a lunch to attend after brunch, so was looking to keep it a little bit lighter. Goodness I’m glad he did! Polenta. It’s seriously one of my favourite breakfast things these days, the sausage was delightful with just enough fat to make it a little bit lush. The truffled tomato vinaigrette was sparingly used, but it was just the right amount to add a bit of lift and vibrancy to the dish. It was a modestly sized dish, but mightily delicious and satisfying.
I kept things a bit lighter, as I had a lunch to attend afterwards, and opted for the muesli with poached fruits and yoghurt. How cute is the chopping board that it’s served on? I was smitten with the presentation, and the muesli itself which was filled with delicious nutty and crunchy things, with plenty of texture and flavour. I really like poached rhubarb. It’s not in my eating itinerary as often as it should be, and on a slightly drizzly morning? Felt like it was just about right.
Olio & Pane surprised me, in the best way possible, with their comforting food that was filling, but not heavy or too carb-snooze inducing! Definitely popping back for the muesli again soon…and maybe getting a serve of that polenta all to myself!
328 Auburn Road
Hawthorn
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That muesli definitely looks worthy of another visit ... and I think I'd have to take home at least one pack of that pasta as well!
ReplyDeleteThe real deal here...no hipsters in sight! Love the food. Very modern Italian bistro style, not high on carbs (no chips with the fish, etc,) but with the freshest ingredients. what I was used to eating in Milan and further south in Bari. They have a 480C pizza oven that makes the traditional Naples-style pizza in the evenings. Fabulous coffee and it's a one minute walk from my front door.........
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