Identified by my friend H, we decided to venture Koornang Road, Carnegie. It was both our first experience at Huff Bagelry. The area is tidy and cosy with cushions on the seats against the wall. The internal furniture are all made of medium toned wood.

We arrived at 9.30am around then were several tables available but the cafe was still busy. There were many takeaway orders of coffee and bagels. The service was to order at the counter with a given table number stand and find a table yourself.

I ordered a Hot Mocha, and it wasn’t the best Mocha I’ve tried. It tasted more like chocolate than 50% Chocolate & 50% Coffee.

Mocha – Huff Bagelry

The bagels are so fresh – it was definitely freshly baked.

The order at Huff Bagelry

Chicken Aoili was the bagel I picked in onion and poppy seeds. It was very filling, it had so much chicken and avocado in it. I loved it. The only flaw on my bagel, is that for Brunch, I’d prefer to not have such a strong taste of onion and aoili. If I were to pick the bagel again, I’d pick the same – Chicken Aoili but try with a difference bagel to avoid the strong smell of onion breath afterwards!!

The size of the bagel was perfect! I don’t think I could eat anymore at 9.30am in the morning. If it was 11-2pm, I’d probably be able to eat more than just 1 bagel.

Chicken Aoili, Lettuce and Avocado with Poppyseeds and onion bagel

My friend H ordered the Salmon bagel and was toasted. I can tell that there is a big difference in size compared with the Chicken Aoili bagel. Now this one looked petite.

Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese and Capers

Overall, i love their bagels hands down, but their mocha could be improved – some reviews state that their coffee is the best. I guess it’s up to personal preference. Maybe it’s just their Mocha…

Trading Hours: Open 7 days a week from 6am – 4.30pm

Tasteelicious Rating:
Service: 3/5 Ambience: 4/5 Mains: 4.5/5 Beverages: 2.5/5 Overall: 13.5/20

★★★

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When you search “Nakamura Tokichi” on google, there will be various stores within Uji. But we particularly made sure we went to the restaurant off the main street on the way to Byodoin Temple. We were 110% match’d out! You’ll know what I mean when you see the photos!

We arrived super early at 10am (before they opened) because we heard that there’s always a line and the most popular dishes sell out quick! It was the best decision we made… Because we were the first ones to arrive, we were seated by the window looking over the canal. We were given the Nakamura tea, it was quite light and refreshing.

I ordered their matcha float. A bit pricey, but it’s perfect for a 25 degree day and sizeable. Although they say it’s sweetened, but it’s actually not very sweet.

Cold Sweetened Matcha Float, 650 Yen

J ordered the Koicha [Uji no Mukashi], it’s the thickest matcha that I’ve ever seen. We tried flipping the bowl upside down and it slowly runs down to the rims. You’re meant to drink it like a bowl and it comes with two small pieces of firm jelly. They were a delight and the Koicha was a little bitter for me. J enjoyed it. We were given english instructions about how to drink it. As the Koicha cools, the consistency thickens. Once the Koicha becomes super thick, we can ask the staff to add some hot water to the Koicha so that the drink becomes easier to finish. We found it quite fun to drink…

Koicha, 950 Yen

I picked the Kitsune Matcha Buckwheat Noodles as my main. It had two peices of tofu skin with a couple of radish on the side. The soup base was a little peppery with the spring onion taste. But the broth was light enough to taste the matcha buckwheat noodles. After finishing this main, I was very full.

Kitsune Matcha Buckwheat Noodles (single), 900 Yen Kitsune Matcha Buckwheat Noodles (single), 900 Yen

J ordered Nishin Matcha Buckwheat Noodles set which is only available between October to March (Autumn and Winter only) – perhaps it’s because of the salmon? The salmon was marinated giving the soup extra flavour. No bones were found. It came with rice, radish and a small serve of the matcha jelly. Both the Buckwheat noodles were cooked in medium to hard texture which is exactly how I like my noodles. Perfect.

Nishin Matcha Buckwheat Noodles set, 1,600

This Bracken Starch Mochi is the best out of all the dishes we tried at Nakamura Tokichi. Limited availability served with matcha and black sugar syrup. The mochi was so soft that I felt like I was going to tear the mochi apart when picking it up with chopsticks. Heavily dusted with matcha, we dipped it with black sugar syrup first. Matcha flavours weren’t bitter at all, and the mochi simply melts in my mouth… the black sugar syrup was good for those who aren’t a sweet tooth, it brings a little bitterness to the dish. Whereas the matcha syrup was sweet and we found it enhanced the matcha flavours very well with the mochi. I’d dip it with matcha syrup.

It’s delicious… no wonder there’s limited availability…

Bracken Starch Mochi, 900 Yen

Tea Jelly Matcha is a dish I’ve seen in Melbourne so it wasn’t too foreign to us. The matcha jelly had a bit of bitterness to it whereas the other components of the dish were sweeter. I really like their combination. The photo in the menu looked like it came with two mochis, but it turns out to be two scoops of matcha ice-creams, oh well, it’s no loss to me :). On the side is azuki (red bean) and glutinous balls. Another refreshing dessert.

Tea Jelly Matcha, 900 Yen

Here’s a photo of the dessert and drinks ordered!

We actually got our mains, before the entree, dessert and drinks, so if you want to have your meals in a specific order, you might want to tell the staff at the time of order. We didn’t really care too much because the dishes weren’t too sweet to have a sweet dish for breakfast

As you can tell, i’m a big fan of this restaurant but the only thing I have to say is to make sure you don’t get carried away and order more than you wish to pay for… Our bill totalled to $70 AUD for the two of us. To be fair, we planned for a brunch session full of matcha so it was our breakfast + lunch.

I got a matcha-coma afterwards …

Location: Nakamura Tokichi Byodo-in, Renge-5-1 Uji, Kyoto 611-0021, Japan

Website: https://www.tokichi.jp/tea/index.html

NoWongFood Rating:Service: 5/5Ambience: 4/5Beverage: 5/5Entree: 5/5 Mains: 5/5Dessert: N/AOverall: 24/25

★★★★★

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We didn’t need to wait on a Saturday at 12PM.

The Flat White was nice but not the creaminess I look for in my coffees. Cute cup with the dots. Abacus inspired?

I ordered the Bacon & egg roll, $14. Thick-cut bacon, fried egg, wattleseed & wild thyme roll, our brown sauce, werribee leaves. Bacon was nicely grilled. I usually don’t like thick cut, but they have it thinner than others I’ve tried. The werribee leaves are very fresh and crunchy. The bread was very good and soft.

J ordered Cape clear rasher. $23 for thick-cut bacon, blonde sausage, merguez meatballs, ratatouille, charred shallots, pancetta crisps, poached egg, sourdough J agrees that the bacon was cooked perfectly. The capsicum was also just right bringing the spice and softness to the dish. The blonde sausage hidden underneath the bacon was good too but just like any sausage to me… It was a delicious dish but would have been a bit too much for me.

We enjoyed our brunch at Abacus all day. They do a different menu for the evening and It looks like they turn it into a bar like environment. If I’m around Eastland for the evening, I’d definitely try their dinner menu!

Location: Eastland Shopping Centre, Level 3, 175 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood, Melbourne, VIC

Website: http://www.abacusallday.com.au

Tasteelicious Rating Service: 4/5 Ambience: 5/5 Beverage: 3/5 Entree: N/A Mains: 4/5 Dessert: N/A Overall: 16/20

★★★★

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Don’t be fooled by their cosy shopfront, they have dining areas behind their kitchen that could fit sizeable groups and a courtyard seating for a sunny day!

Their Soy Latte was right for me – not too milky and not too strong. They use Axil coffee beans where the roasting site is in Hawthorn – love how they use local beans. I know how hard latte art can be when it comes to using soy milk, so I paid attention to other coffee orders by other customers. They perfected their latte art when using full cream milk Sorry these photos are all using soy milk. hehe…

Soy Chai Latte is from Prana Chai – good spice with strong cardamon. The smell of cinnamon on top was exciting. Their Soy Matcha Latte is from Urban Blends, which I found a bit more earthy than what we prefer…

• Soy Latte
• Soy Chai Latte
• Matcha Latte

J ordered the Benedict Cumberbatch, $19,  pumpkin puree, pulled lamb, on pickled cabbage and poached eggs topped with hollandaise & sesame seeds. At first J thought it was just another way to make eggs bene named differently. But we were surprised by how refined the flavours were. Much like the actor that can play many different roles this dish clearly displayed different flavours in each element. The hollandaise sauce felt light and sweet.

The egg was poached perfectly and the golden yolk was runny. The pulled lamb was nice and moist and not too salty but still kept much of the lamb flavour. The pickled cabbage complimented the dish by providing a nice sour taste but also when you let it soak with the toasted sourdough, it helped to bring out the sweetness of the bread.

Although the dish was well plated, J couldn’t help but set each element aside to find out what each combination would yield our tastebuds.

Benedict Cumberbatch, $19

I ordered a vegetarian dish, Truffle King, $21 Swiss Brown + Baby King Oyster Mushrooms + Spinach cooked in White Truffle and Porcini Cream + Ewes Milk Cheese w/a Poached Egg on Toast.

This dish surprised me, generally truffle could either be under or be overpowering a dish. Truffle and cream sauce was just the right amount to dip with the toast. The cream coated around the two types of mushrooms that brought out more than just mushrooms taste. It was a delight to have the spinach cooked with the White truffle sauce, this brought out a lot of flavour in my tastebuds. I couldn’t fault this dish. The poached egg was exactly the same consistency as the Benedict Cumberbatch!

For both these dishes, we could add $2 for gluten free options. So catering for everyone!!

Truffle King, $21

We were fortunate having Enter Neighbour invite us to a strong community based cafe. We saw many of the locals come for a meal and feel connected with the team. Their team is humble and produce very good quality brunch.

Overall, we enjoyed our Sunday brunch in a quiet setting. They have a range of brunch selections and for the drinkers, a range of alcohol available. I can’t believe they do tapas dinner as well! If you’re after a cafe that delivers without overcomplicated and fancy brunch, I’d suggest you give Enter Neighbour a visit!

If you visit Enter Neighbour for quick coffee takeaway, be sure to bring your KeepCup as every coffee you get they donate 30c to Foodbank Victoria to help support Victorians who are food insecure.

::Disclaimer::

1. We were invited to taste Enter Neighbour’s new menu. As a result, I would like to disclose that part of the meal was free of charge.
2. Any commentary on service or the overall quality of the experience are what I experienced at the time of visit. There exists the possibility that my guest and myself were furnished with special treatment. Thus, do not take service comments with 100% confidence. With that said, service is usually never 100% consistent anyway.
3. All commentary on the experience are from my honest opinion with added feedback from my guests.

Thank you for your support

Website: https://www.enterneighbour.com.au

Location: 625 Camberwell Rd, Camberwell VIC 31243

Tasteelicious Rating:Service: 5/5Ambience: 4/5Beverage: 4/5Entree: N/AMains: 5/5Dessert: N/AOverall: 18/20

★★★★★

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Chez Dré, a French-inspired sweet & savoury delights, treats.. you name it. The good thing is, they have all-day brunch menu! To top it up, they have a range selection of petits gateau – all unique in it’s way.

There’s an outdoor dining area right after the main entrance. When it gets busy, you’d have to wait (with seats available) for a table. The outdoor area is wonderful – it was a bright day – perfect for Brunch out under the sun at the start of Spring. You can bring your pets and there is sufficient space for them to lie there next to your table/chair as you chat away with your friends and family.

Indoor dining area is modern with long wooden stools without backrests. Other seats were those stackable stools – it didn’t look like it much cost was put to the chairs. But what impressed me was the cleanliness and the arrangement of the restaurant.

Patisserie Bar Chez Dré Kitchen Mac Attack – $8.50 Singe Origin of the Day – $4.50 Latté – $4.00

It seemed like they have segregated areas, one area for table of fours sitting at the booth next to the dessert counter, two areas for larger groups fitting 8-10 and one area for outdoor dining.

Mum had the whole Smoked Salmon – dill creme fraîche, kohlrabi & pickled red onion. She found it fresh and light – loved the baguette and she much enjoyed the dill creme fraîche, kohlrabi & pickled red onion. I found the price was reasonable! Salmon Baguette – $13.50 I noticed that there’s an addition to the menu from last time. – their weekly special. The special I ordered was Potato Rösti – chorizo, asparagus, capsicum coulis & a poached egg. It came with two pan-fried potatoes that was temperature hot. I love it when my food is hot! They’ve nailed me on the potatoes! Potato Rösti I have many photos, but I don’t really want to bore you from reading every taste experience I had. My fave is the Potato Rösti. Although seasonal, I believe they will make many similar dishes with different inspirations – it keeps me intrigued in visiting again and again! White Bean Cassoulet – $19.50 Eggs your way – $9.50 Grand Petit Dejeuner $21.50 Veggie Petit Dejeuner – $20.50

The staff was friendly, our waitress sounded like she had a french accent. She was enthusiastic and when I asked about her recommendation for dessert, she definitely helped me in picking the first petit gateau out of the millions of delights! She helped us try the passionfruit and chocolate mousse. It was devine. Loved the citrus taste combined with the sweetness of chocolate. Chocolate itself wasn’t sweet like many mousse. It was the perfect balance for me.

Passionfruit – Chocolate Mousse – $9.50 Website: http://www.chezdre.com.au/ Location: Rear of 285-287 Coventry Street, South Melbourne 3205 (revisited in 2018 – ★★★)

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Walk in and you’ll hear 1990’s to 2000’s pop music, right up our alley. You glance around the cafe and find every single staff enjoys working at Shanklin and you see a very passionate team making their guests day. They sure do crack a few jokes to their customers like me :). It was a busy day when we arrived, it was daylight savings and it was still very busy at 2-3pm. We were seated inside and we ordered their matcha latte and cafe latte. Matcha latte with honey was a little different. But there was some strong flavours of matcha. Not the ones we say perfect but close to. Latte was nice.

I ordered the Potato Rosti, $22. One word: Yum! Crispy coating on the Rosti, but warm and soft inside. The bacon and asparagus were perfectly cooked. The egg with hollandaise sauce was beautiful too – I finished the dish in a few minutes! You could also choose smoked salmon instead of bacon for the healthy eaters.

J had Eggs and Shanklish their signature dish, $22. It wasn’t on their menu, but the topping was a spanish cheese (feta-like) mixed with some spice. Lucky for us it was small enough to brush it away and not ruin the main dish. [We generally can’t take spicy food] I tried it, I could tolerate the spice. We could add bacon for additional $4. But J didn’t want it, he was pretty full.

Overall, the vibe was fun, we had a great time. Presentation of food was colourful, could not be faulted. Taste was also good for brunch. It’s exactly what you need for a good day out. The weather worked well too. Try it and you’ll know what I mean by a passionate team.

Location: 500 Tooronga Road, Hawthorn, Melbourne

Website: http://www.shanklincafe.com.au

Tasteelicious Rating Service: 5/5 Ambience: 5/5 Beverage: 3/5 Entree: N/A Mains: 5/5 Dessert: N/A Overall: 18/20

★★★★

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Mocha was towards above average. I like my mocha not overly sweet but still able to taste the coffee aroma. They met it. J again is on a health street, so he ordered the green cold pressed juice. No idea what else was inside. But I think these are not house made.

I tried their Ahi poke bowl and it was very fresh. It reminds me of a bibimbab. The ingredients of tuna, greens and cabbage went so well together. I didn’t need to get the truffled egg but it was nice to taste what it was like. The dish honestly didn’t need the truffle eggs to accompany the poke bowl.

J tried smashed avo with beetroot hummus, pickled watermelon, smoked almonds and rockette salad. This one was refreshing. The pickled watermelon was funky, it wasn’t sweet, a little salty, but we didn’t mind it.

Everything was fresh from crux and co so we will come back again knowing we would get the healthy and fresh food.

Have tried their eclair before and they taste pretty good, esp their green tea flavour! If I were to pick a negative it would be the size it quite small for its price. Would like to try their macaroons on the next visit. They make their own croissants so would suggest you try them fresh in the morning!

Location: 35 Albert Road, South Melbourne, Melbourne

Website: http://www.thecruxandco.com.au

Tasteelicious Rating: Service: 4/5 Ambience: 4/5 Entree: N/A Mains: 4/5 Sides: N/A Dessert: N/A Beverage: 3/5 Overall: 15/20

★★★★

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I first tried the Blue Calpis – it had been my must-try from the very beginning of knowing the existence of Luxbite.

Blue Calpis

I find it purple in colour despite it’s name. But I believe it’s blue calpis being the flavour of the japanese drink. One of the reasons why this was a must-try, is because it’s unique – I don’t know anyone who’s made this flavour fused in a cheesecake. The texture is thick yet the flavour is extremely light that you’d never get full from a full sized version of it! The blueberry jelly was divine, it’s not sour and definitely not those soaked in syrup. J also loved it being one of his two favourites that we’ve tried so far.

Epic Chocolate Cravings

This was one where the description just captivated me – who could resist the award winning Rich Belgian dark chocolate with hazelnut crust and salted caramel sphere (Egg free)? Lets skip to the base, it tasted just like Ferrero Rocher! The Hazelnut crust nailed it. The centre itself was quite dense with a bitter after taste – being egg free, it’s probably what you get. This one is definitely for those who are dark chocolate fans! Sweetness – almost nil!

Endless Love

Maybe because I’ve never seen a macaron in this form. And when I do, Luxbite was the one that opened my imaginations on macarons. My first bite, I felt it was like any macaron with real raspberry fillings. But the surprising pop of flavour is the lychee hidden in its centre. The freshness and sweetness of the lychee balanced out the tender  sourness of raspberries. The rose cream was a bit strong for my liking – but i’m not too fond of rose flavoured food anyway. But I see the ‘Endless Love’ story behind it with the rose cream.

Meringue Monster

If you’re a nerds addict, then you’ll love Meringue Monster! But i believe the above is the halloween version of it. On top of the meringue, comes with orange white choc horns and sprinkled with watermelon flavoured nerds. As you scoop down the meringue, there’s layers of red (watermelon), light pink (sour strawberry) and green (green tea) mousse. Which reminds me of my childhood… It all sounds sweet, but it wasn’t! J liked this one too, not because he picked it, but because it was playful and colourful.

Endless Love, Epic Chocolate Cravings & Green Tea Cheesecake

Lastly, Green Tea Cheesecake. My mum liked this one, even though she isn’t always a fan of green tea flavoured desserts. What topped it? It was the salted green tea crumble at the base. The cream cheese added the smoothness to the layers of light pistachio ganache. However, I couldn’t taste the Japanese rice wine.

I would recommend everyone to try at least the Blue Calpis, it’s something you can’t find anywhere else! And not as sweet as you think desserts are!

Website: https://www.luxbite.com.au
Location: 38 Toorak Road, South Yarra

Tasteelicious Rating: Service: 4/5 Ambience: 4/5 Entree: NA Mains: NA Dessert: 4.5/5 Overall: 12.5/15

★★★★

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I ordered a flat white to start –  it was good, a bit milkier than my usual go-to flat whites.

J ordered the Post Workout Smoothie for $10. Vegetarian and Gluten Friendly. Banana, Blueberries, Peanut Butter, muesli, dates, chia seeds and coconut milk with extra raw protein. Disappointed by the size it came out in. Expect it to be very dense and grainy – of course from the muesli. Couldn’t taste any peanut butter as it so claimed. Pretty but won’t re-order.

I ordered the Dead Man’s Egg Benedict – Smoked pork neck on Dr Marty’s Crumpet, kale and poached eggs drizzled with enough hollandaise sauce. Only a hint of smokiness but the kale was the star for me. Fried and crispy. J liked it. Poached eggs were perfect – running down the plate as I cut it in half. The Crumpet was a good substitute of muffin/sourdough. Because the crumpet was a little moist already from the toppings, it didn’t feel try when dipped with hollandaise sauce.

J ordered Seared Cured Salmon, $22 gluten free – 24 hour citrus cured salmon with shredded green apple (it says mango on the menu), black sesame, vermicelli and rice vinegar salad. Pretty on a plate, but knowing it’s 24 hour citrus cured – I couldn’t taste a strong sense of it. Flavours were very mild. I liked the black sesame toasted on top as the salmon’s skin. Gave it texture as the skin. J said his dish was good but light.

Overall, I’m happy that Dead Man Espresso has maintained its service and food, but the food is not WOW like some other places in South Melbourne. A good place to go to once in a while.

Location: 35 Market Street, South Melbourne, Melbourne

Website: https://www.facebook.com/Dead-Man-Espresso-135881159764308/

Tasteelicious Rating:
Service: 4/5 Ambience: 3/5 Entree: N/A Mains: 3/5 Dessert: N/A Beverage: 3/5 Overall: 13/20

★★★

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We had to wait in line for 30-35 minutes on a Sunday afternoon (around 12.30pm). It wasn’t too bad as the staff advised us how long it’ll take to get a table of three. They estimated the wait time well, so we weren’t disappointed. The dining area is big, many table of 2’s and 4’s. A communal table at the front for up to 8 people. They also serve 2’s and 4’s on this table. We saw many diners with kids and babies there – not too tight in space.

C ordered a Houjicha latte, it smelt very good and the taste was pretty strong.

J ordered his usual Matcha latte and he enjoyed it – it was a good matcha latte, but not as strong as the ones he usually gets.

I ordered a wet chai latte (loose leaf) with honey, mainly because I already had my coffee intake for the morning. Would have liked to try their coffee next time.  Their wet chai latte was good but not strong enough for me – i’m just an odd ball – will request for a strong wet chai latte next time! a very good sized teapot – I had two rounds of it!

C chose the Egg Benny – Ginger baised pork belly. Miso and potato korokke, dukkah, poached egg with yuzu hollandaise, $19.50. There was also chilli bacon jam and salad to accompany the dish. Their pork belly was a thick cut, a lot to finish. J ordered the same, but added smoked salmon for additional $6.50. He struggled to finish the main dish AND the smoked salmon. This dish is good value for just under $20 compared to other brunch dishes out there. Their flavours all worked – we all enjoyed their creation of yuzu hollandaise – light with a bit of sourness to balance out the heavy protein.

I ordered the Egg White & Bacon, $19.50 (dairy-free, gluten-free). It was beautiful… The folded crispy egg white was so light & airey that it was very easy to eat with the edamame, quinoa and multigrain rice mixed with dark soy. It was definitely an asian fusion dish. Bacon was grilled perfectly and the chilli mayo had just the right amount to dip the egg white together with the bacon and rice. Cherry tomatoes were needed to add the sweet freshness to the dish, otherwise I would have felt the dish was too heavy for my post workout brunch.

The dish had chilli in it, but I just picked it out. I could take the chilli mayo, so it was no biggie for a mild spicy eater like me.

I’ve been thinking about the Egg White & Bacon dish ever since I’ve tried it – craving for it on my Sunday brunch days just because it’s so different. So I’d suggest you try this dish as I would definitely come back for more.

Overall, I’d revisit Humble Rays – 4.5/5, rounded to 5 stars. Service wasn’t 100% just because we had to wait for more than 15 – 20 minutes in line – unable to put our phone number down and walk around the area. They also have a range of sweets selection which is interesting, but I don’t usually do sweets for my brunches – so harder to make a verdict on this!

Location: 71 Bouverie Street, Carlton, VIC 3053

Website: http://www.humblerays.com

Tasteelicious Rating: Service: 4/5 Ambience: 5/5 Entree: N/A Mains: 5/5 Dessert: N/A Beverage: 4/5 Overall: 18/20

★★★★★

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