Dr Morse

Disclosure: I was invited to dine as a guest of the venue. All opinions are my own

Located just under the train tracks at Victoria Park Station in Abbotsford (but on the hipster side, rubbing shoulders with Collingwood), Dr Morse is the perfect spot in the morning for a grab and go coffee, or for a post work beer on the way home. 

But they’re also turning out a delicious brunch menu, with a bit of an Asian flair, thanks to executive chef Tyler Lee Preston. You might know him from his previously owned cafe Sir Charles, just one kilometre up the road, so if you’ve missed his food, you know you don’t have to go too far!

Brad and I popped in on a summery morning when it wasn’t 400 degrees (whoo!) and enjoyed the relaxed pace of the cafe, while sipping on our coffee (and chai) and despairing over the state of affairs in America. I love it when a cafe does their chai in giant mugs - so comforting!

I went with with the chilli scrambled eggs on top of a crispy roti with beanshoots and mixed herbs - with a side of smoked Otway free-range bacon (because why not). Loved the texture, from all the loaded beanshoots, the gentle kick, the freshness of the mint to offset the spice. The roti also had a gentle sweetness to it, which I thought went quite well with everything too. 

Of course, we also had to get the signature dish, the Dr Morse Benedict with panic crumbed eggs on crispy roti with spicy hollandaise. You also choose between bacon, house smoked salmon, Asian greens and sautéed mushrooms as a side - Brad chose the Asian greens. The hollandaise sauce is terribly moreish, and the eggs so golden and crisp. Brad commented that he really enjoyed having the Asian greens on the side, as since they’re simply blanched, the freshness of them balance out the richness of the hollandaise, roti and fried egg really well. But if you’re a lush like me you could just have bacon. 

Brunch was overall delicious, and although we enjoyed our food, I wish I had the foresight to visit closer to 11am so we could also get into the lunch/day menu which had some very tasty looking propositions on it. From chicken katsu with a fried egg (omg yaasss) to green chicken curry and salt and pepper squid, there were definitely lots of things I’m keen to come back and try another time!

Dr Morse

274 Johnston St

Abbotsford 3067

 

Oneyada

Is brunch-fatigue a thing? It’s such a Melbourne problem to have, when Brad and I sometimes wake up and just don’t feel like the usual latte and runny poached eggs. I guess when you do it every weekend it can get a little old.

So we are quite lucky to live in a city where when we are hit with an onset of ‘brunch-fatigue’, we actually have options where we can just switch it up, do something a little different, and return to the usual program the following week. 

Oneyada, which opened on Victoria Street in Abbotsford (but most of us would probably just say Richmond), serves up Thai style breakfasts - which suited us just right. Run by the same people behind the well loved Jinda Thai, Oneyada is a cosy and relaxed space to start the day in. 

Brad started with a Thai coffee, with condensed milk, whilst I opted for the hot Thai milk tea which I absolutely loved. I had never had Thai milk tea hot before, but I would love to more often as it was so smooth, warming, aromatic and comforting. 

With Melbourne’s winter that never seems to be leaving, it was a fresh and sightly cool morning when we visited, so the jasmine rice soup with barramundi, ginger, spring onion and soybean nam-Jim was just the right type of comforting food that I needed. There’s just something about Asian style broths which are so wholesome and delightful. The flavours were familiar, but also light, and I loved the ginger and the soft rice that were lovely and soft in the soup. 

Brad went with the congee with pork balls which was gloriously thick and steaming hot. As he was feeling a little under the weather, this is exactly what he needed, especially loaded up with ginger and coriander. He also opted for a soft egg on the side, for a little extra protein kick. 

I also couldn’t resist giving the ‘Kao Jee’, egg coated stick rice cake, a go when I saw it on the menu - out of sheer curiosity and since it was only around $5. It’s a perfect little snacky item between two, but was a bit denser than I thought it might be. 

When I used to visit Asia as a kid, I thought it was weird when people would eat rice and noodles for breakfast, but now? I get it. I really do. Wholesome, hearty, and like a warm hug of flavour to get you started on your day - if you’re needing an Asian breakfast fix, or just want a break from eggs, Oneyada has got you sorted out. 

Oneyada Cafe

239 Victoria Street

Abbotsford

 

Frankie Says

Currently I live at home…with no immediate intentions to move out. Perhaps it comes from being in an Asian family, where it’s quite habitual to get multiple generations under one roof. And besides, mum and dad cook so well, why would I go anywhere?

When I eventually get around to moving though, I can only hope to have an eatery like Frankie Says at the base of my building or near my house (I feel like I would end up in an apartment though). 

Opened by Megan Phillies and James Meehan, who you know from Hoy Pinoy and the Meatball Company, Frankie Says is bright and welcoming, with windowed views out to the riverside it’s next to. I particularly love the basket of blankets next to the counter for when winter starts creeping around again. 

Although Frankie Says is open for breakfast and lunch, and therefore can easily be deemed a cafe, there’s an Italian slant to the menu, with antipasto plates to be shared and house-made stone oven pizzas mixed in with truffled eggs and quinoa salads. Something for everything, but overall an approachable and relaxed menu.

I simply adore the crockery, conspiring to steal my chai cup and Brad’s hug mug (although perhaps I shouldn’t broadcast my ideas via Instagram next time, because the staff were on to me!). My chai was lovely and warming, not super spicy, but good tea flavour. 

For brunch, I balanced a little naughty with a little nice. A tri-colour quinoa salad special with roasted veggies, crumbed feta and double roasted chickpeas was so refreshing, but delicious as well. I loved the creamy feta, the crunchy chickpeas (although I would’ve loved more of them) and the sweet vegetables. My kind of salad. 

With this, I couldn’t resist a serve of the truffle parmesan fries, which were a seriously generous serve, for $7, I thought it was very reasonable! I couldn’t resist continuously dipping my hand in for the crunchy golden sticks, which smelt like heaven and had just enough cheesy goodness throughout. Solid.

Brad’s Swiss brown mushroom pizza with caramelised onion, taleggio and porcini salt was again, another huge serve, with soft and pillowy crusts, soaking up that caramelised onion and taleggio goodness. In Italian style, the toppings are not over complicated, nor overwhelming, resulting in a delicious and well balanced flavour profile.  

An easy spot to spend an afternoon with a book (or Monocle magazine like I had), with friendly and attentive service. I’m hanging out to come back for the Fritto misto, calamari, fresh market fish and prawns dusted with semolina…which you’re supposed to share (minimum order is for 2 people), but I could eat for two…

Frankie Says

15 Acacia Place

Richmond

 

The Kitchen at Weylandts

Brad's going to hate me when/if we ever move out together. He's the kind of guy who wants to have as few material things as possible in his life, I'm your typical hoarder. So much so that when my cousin from Canada visited earlier in the year, who loves fashion and shoes as much as I do, told me I had too many things and very sorely wanted to clean out my closet. The horror.

So of course Brad as in trouble when we visited The Kitchen. You see, it fronts the beautiful Weylandts furniture store, which meant while we were waiting for a table, I dragged him around the store pointing at all the things I wanted in my future home (which I might add all cost way too much). 

How can you blame me though? I'm a sucker for the warehouse with high ceilings, painted white with a minimalist colour palette and so much pretty furniture. So much pretty furniture. 

Visually, the Kitchen is a natural extension of the place, at the front of the store where great big windows allow the tables to be bathed in a gentle light. It's a very serene space. 

However, watching the staff did fluster me a bit, as I couldn't quite pinpoint whether they were short staffed, or just not very inefficient. While we waited for our table, after doing the round of the warehouse space, I couldn't help but notice the counter that stretched the length of one of the sides wasn't really occupied…could we not have been offered seats along there? 

It took a while to get menus, took a while to get orders taken, coffees made…you get the picture. I couldn't help but feel a little bit more training, or maybe even just a slightly different organisation system might have helped out. 

Fortunately, although watching the staff at work had me wiggling my toes in mild anxiety (I'm the neurotic sort), the menu offerings shined brightly as a redeeming feature of the cafe. 

I had popped in for drinks the day before with my mum and loved the iced tea on tap, which was a rooibos blend infused with fruits, and since no chai existing on the menu, opted for a lovely and fresh green juice. I can't quite recall what was in it, but the combination was a little different from the usual. 

Brad's coffee was so pretty. I love these cups that make the drinks look like they're floating…magic!

Brad ordered the farmer's breakfast, a hearty feed with ridiculously tasty scrambled eggs, just look at that marvellous golden colour! It was a touch on the expensive side, although for me it would have been more than enough food! 

I absolutely loved my my mountain of forest mushrooms with goats cheese, with an addition of avocado on the side. Oh my gosh! I couldn't believe how creamy and rich these were, without being gluggy. The mushrooms had such a lovely deep and earthy flavour, much more intense than the usual button mushroom. It was cooked in some slightly creamy sauce, that just blended and swirled in with the goats cheese, the tart of the cheese and richness of the sauce neatly complementing each other. Delicious, would return for it. 

The display of sweets in the middle (which seem to be consuming perfectly god seating space…?), did tempt me greatly, the lemon tart beckoning me in all it's golden glory, but I did have a high tea later on in that day, so had to decline…this time. 

The Kitchen is a lovely space, and although it tends to err on the slightly more expensive side, and service could use a little bit of work, I did for the most part enjoy my meal here and would most likely be back for a refreshing beverage and maybe a little sweet.

…After all, it is just around the corner from the Salvos in Abbotsford…

The Kitchen at Weylandts

200 Gipps Street

Abbotsford

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Admiral Cheng Ho

Although all intentions are usually there to do good by the body and earth and strive to eat more vegetable based meals…I'm honestly not hard wired to crave vegetables. Whilst I certainly do love them, if I'm making food at home or when I'm out, I'm still gravitating towards a meaty protein and cooing over a nice little bit of lamb or a delightfully fatty nibble of pork. I blame the Asian in me. 

So I'm kind of loving that more and more vegetarian places, and not just vegetarian places, but really tasty vegetarian places are opening up and making the decision to have veggies, not really a decision at all. 

Marwin Shaw, the guy who brought us the much loved Monk Bodhi Dharma, finally opened up shop a little bit closer to town (and me), with Admiral Cheng-Ho. 

Located in that awkward corner of Johnston Street in Abbotsford, which is still yet to find it's stride when it comes to food (although be ready, I'm sure it's just around the corner now), word gets around fast, and within two weeks of opening, the weekend crowd is pumping. 

In summer the little cafe is hot. Hot, hot and hot! Sticky thighs and sweat moustaches ensued, especially with that many people in such a wee little space. With more wintery weather creeping up on us though, I will have to admit that I'm now very tempted when I see the light on as my bus goes by the cafe in the morning, to maybe show up at work a little later and treat myself. 

With a mix of breakfast basics, and interesting twists (and a few fun names in there), the menu read simply but delightfully. 

Whilst I was very keen on the house made organic hazelnut milk, the price tag made me think twice, $9 for a chai latte made with it! So instead I just opted for my usual soy chai which was beautifully spicy. I love the big mug you get as well, certainly lasts a little while! I will certainly be planning to pop by and try the hazelnut milk one of these days though, after all $9 isn't so bad... right?

Whilst I was sorely tempted by the Banoffee Pie on the menu, I still cannot convince myself to go fully sweet in the morning, and so found myself with the namesake, 'The Admiral'. 

An elegantly presented serve of zucchini fritters on sauteed kale with seasonal vegetables with tangy beetroot relish and basil cashew cream. So much goodness all in one plate, I was amazed they were still getting asparagus this big, this fresh and this green at this time of year! The fritters were a nice texture, and well seasoned and honestly, the vegans are seriously onto something with that cashew cream. So smooth and creamy, with a nice tang of sweetness from the beetroot. Yum!

Brad got the umami mushrooms with slow roasted king oyster, shitake & swiss brown mushrooms on a house made pumpkin, spinach & sun dried tomato polenta bread with goats cheese, thyme and red chilli oil. Although they had run out of the polenta bread, so we just got some regular bread. 

It looked to be a relatively modest serve, but it was quite rich in flavour, with the creamy chunks of goat cheese and a rich creamy sauce. It was a lovely umami kick indeed, although Brad left wishing it had an egg on it, just for a bit of protein and to make it a little more filling for him. But y'know boys.

I personally left feeling great, quite light and clean, happily skipping down the street as a cool breeze decided to blow through. 

So although I may question the choice of footwear on the hipster staff (clear, sparkly jelly sandals…didn't those go out of style 20 years ago?), I don't question the goodness of the food. 

And who knows, maybe the Admiral is leading the charge to bring a little more hip and cool to this sleepy corner of Johnston street…watch this space! 

Admiral Cheng Ho

325 Johnson Street

Abbotsford 3067

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