Court Jester Cafe - 15 Breese St, Brunswick

And so, the story begins…

In ancient times from a land far away, there lived a lonesome beast. Known only by a select few, the secret of the 'Jester' has been kept secure and hidden from a world that was not quite ready for it.(taken from http://www.courtjestercafe.com.au/)

Until now…

The story goes on that the Jester eventually escaped a life of captivity into a world of freedom, escaping a life of bland, uninspiring food into a world of filled with choices in ingredients, tastes and textures…

The eventual partnership between Jester and ‘Maxcat’ brings together food, with all its different tastes and textures and art, with its unique textures and complex philosophies.

At Court Jester Café, the two work so well together, each enhancing the experience of the other. The moment we walked in, we were greeted by colourful work of arts and a mild, woody and pleasantly smoky aroma from the kitchen. The menu, as we were told was written on the wall that’s been made into a big chalkboard set amidst works of art by local artists. A large communal table sits in the middle of this warehouse convert with a few chairs and tables out front and in the small courtyard behind.

Court Jester Café serves none of the mild, traditional breakfasts of jam on toast or croissants or muesli. Rather, it has a very unique and interesting menu that looks very German to me. I was told it was Eastern European but perhaps, Central European is more accurate??

Anyway, after spending 10minutes craning our necks and staring at a menu that’s full of, ‘I want to try this’, ‘this sounds interesting’, ‘should we order this as well? No, that’ll be too much…’, we finally decided on the Creamy Casper (baked eggs) and Golapki (polish style cabbage rolls). We had our usual, chai latte for Mr A and long black with side of soy for me.

The drinks took a while to arrive but when they did, they arrived in cute saucers that reminded me of my grandma’s treasures. The chai was pretty decent though honestly, I thought the long black was a bit too bitter for me.

Whilst we were waiting for our food, I noticed some chisels left out on the table and realized that patrons are actually encouraged to ‘do some arts’ whilst waiting, so without any further encouragement, I started carving my name into the table (I’ll think of something more original for my next wait).

When the food eventually arrived, it looked so impressive that the wait was forgiven. The baked eggs were done to perfection, crisp topping with beautifully baked gruyere cheese. It tasted fantastic too, each ingredient not overpowering the other. It also did not taste greasy but rather, the gruyere cheese gave it a sweet and slightly salty but definitely creamy taste and texture.

My cabbage rolls with sauerkraut was done beautifully. I’ve found traditional sauerkraut to be too sour for my taste and generally do not like them but these ones were definitely not sour but rather, I found them slightly sweet and complemented the golapkis very well. Maybe they're not as fermented??

The bread that I had was quite unique as well. Apart from the smokiness from the wood fire over, it had a mild fragrance that was fruity as well as flowery. It was puzzling enough that I spent the whole time trying to figure the taste out…and still figuring (cause I forgot to ask!! Oo well, just have to return again…but i think it's rye with some ground spices...the way the germans like it?!?)

All in all, it was an absolute pleasure to have dined here (though good coffee would have made it absolutely, wonderfully fantastic) and I could not stop raving about it for the rest of the day. Will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu.

Bomb Cafe - 229 Johnston St, Abbotsford

Woke up today with only one thing on my mind…poached eggs. The last time I had really nice poached eggs was at Jackson Dodd’s in West Preston. Just as I was tossing between making my own poached eggs (50% failure rate) or having it out, I noticed the nice sunny weather outside (yes, in Melbourne) and decision was made for me.

A quick search through the multitude of cafés in Melbourne led me to one that seemed relatively unknown/undiscovered but seemed to have given itself a decent reputation for good eggs-Bomb Cafe on Johnston St in Abbotsford. It’s also located in a part of town where I used to live in and where the Pies call home (close enough) :D

Entering this small, inconspicuous café (had to drive around twice before we noticed the café), we saw three guys making banquettes behind the counter with 2 bags full of fresh bread from the Convent sitting next to the counter.

The place is very small. A small front dining area with a narrow corridor going to the 'lounge room' and a small courtyard outside which I'm sure would be put to good use in summer.

I was starving, so decided to go for the biggest, baddest looking thing on the menu, the Bomb Breakfast which consisted of 2 eggs, tomatoes, spinach, mushroom, chorizo, red onions and baby potatoes.

My bro ordered the Eggs Benedict and a strong latte. Whilst I tried the milder, organic coffee. (Yes, they serve two different types of coffee beans. You’re welcome to bring your own cup too J)

Given that we were the only ones in the café at that hour, the food came out in about 15 minutes which I considered a bit long.

The Eggs Benedict was nicely done. Nicely poached eggs topped with smooth and creamy hollandaise sauce. The sauce tasted rich and buttery and worked well with the eggs.

What about the Bomb Breakfast? Well...there were two eggs on the plate and one was BEAUTIFULLY done. Perfectly poached with a soft and runny yolk that was just an absolute pleasure to even look at. Divine!! The other one however was a disappointment as it was way overcooked.

The tomatoes were nicely done with just the right amount of spices added to it and went very well with the tanginess of the tomatoes. (I’ve always wondered if tomatoes are fruits or vegetables?) The problem with this meal for me though is that there were too many different competing flavors on the dish-the saltiness of the chorizo, the sweetness of the onions, the tanginess and spices from the tomatoes etc…overall, I think they made the dish a bit too complicated for me. Visually impressive but perhaps a bit too much for my taste buds.

The verdict? A nice small local café that serves the neighborhood very well though I doubt it has enough to tempt me into driving all the way there for breakfast but if I lived locally, definitely the place to go for my coffees.

Aoba - 279 Glenferrie Rd Melbourne, 3143

After gathering a long list of restaurants and cafés with names starting with A, it was only by luck that we ended up in Aoba. I’ve heard from my Japanese-crazed friend, Mr A, that the setting and food is authentic and that it reminded him of his travels in Japan. Also, the chef/owner’s apparently Japanese which is always a good start as they pay so much more attention to details.

Walking down Glenferrie Road towards the shop in Malvern, one cannot but be attracted to this small and dimly lit store that somehow gives a cozy, non-threatening feeling. It’s one of those few places where I felt instantly at home though it was my first visit. There were three other patrons seated when we got there. The place is fairly small and seats about 15 people. We were greeted warmly by the waitress who promptly directed us to a table and brought us some menus.

I was told by my bro that they do pretty good bento boxes and had already made up my mind to try the teriyaki fish bento. My fellow food hunter chose the tonkatsu bento. We were both peckish so wanted some entrée. First on our list of Japanese entrée would always be edamame which unfortunately wasn’t on the menu. There were many other options though including gyoza which was tempting.

As we were placing our order, I decided just to push it slightly and asked if they had edamame. The waitress popped her head into the kitchen and 5 seconds later, came back and said that they can make it. Wow!! Was I impressed?

The edamame arrived promptly and what a decent-sized bowl of it too. Whilst we were popping these delish green soy beans (they’re one of the super foods purported to help lower ‘bad cholesterol’ and reduce the risk of cancers), the miso soups arrived followed a few minutes later by our bento boxes.

For $13 ea, the servings were pretty good. I had 3 pieces of teriyaki salmon, a vegetable croquet, a spring roll, a skewer of fried dim-sim-like food, some seaweed and a small piece of fruit.

The vegetable croquet was fried to perfection, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. I’m not a big fan of mushy food so Ms K finished the rest off for me. The spring roll and skewer too were fried to perfection though they tasted like store bought ones instead of freshly made ones. I couldn’t quite tell what was inside the spring roll either but they were nice to munch on.

The teriyaki salmon though was excellently grilled. It tasted fresh and was moist and was easy to eat. If I had to pick on something, I’d probably say that the sauce was a tad salty but that’s like me trying to be Matt Preston which I am not.

Ms K had the tonkatsu and loved it though I tried some and thought that it was a bit dry. Probably cause there wasn't much fat in the meat.

During the time we were there, the place filled up with more people coming in for takeaways. I was also struck with food envy when they brought some sashimi to the next table. I really wanted to go over and ask if I could at least take a photo of the plate but thought I’d leave them two to eat in peace. They also ordered tempura udon which looked really good too. The gyoza that I was going to order seemed like a popular dish too with every other table having ordered it.

All up, it was a great dinner and for $30.50, definitely value for money. Downside would probably be that the place is quite small and if you don’t get there early, there might be a slight wait. The atmosphere was great. If I closed my eyes, I could just imagine myself in Japan, having a meal in a small restaurant. The background music was soft and soothing whilst the interior, made of wooden boards, gives it a really warm and cozy setting. There’s a slight smokiness to the place too that reminds me of Izakayas in Japan.

Would I return? Need you ask? Aoba has definitely made its way to the top of my list of Japanese cafés for a delicious, quick and cheap meal. Next time I return though, I’d be getting some sashimi as well as trying their desserts.

Ready...Get Set...

I am finally sitting down at a decently tidy desk trying to write my first proper entry into my blog. After many encouragements from family and friends, I’ve finally decided that instead of reading about other people’s experiences, why not write and share my own experiences. My passion is for food. All types of food from all places. I love spending an hour or two browsing the aisles of Woolies or Coles just to find new ingredients that can be used. Whenever I can, I drive to the local market at lunch break just to find inspiration for dinner and smell the fresh bread and donuts from nearby cafes. Mm...donuts....I love nothing better to sit in a small, hidden café drinking coffee. I get excited when people talk about new restaurants or good places to eat and feel a tingle down my spine whenever I’m presented with nicely plated food. Every night, I spend about an hour going through food blogs before bed which isn’t great because it almost always make me hungry and in need of some supper before bed.

I think you get the gist. I love my food. Whether cooking it or eating it, reading about it or dreaming about it...I thank God daily for food but more importantly, that we can have 6 meals a day and be ready for more the next day!! :D

So, I need some inspiration to write my blog. Should I just talk about food in general? Isn’t that just boring? What if I write about my eating adventures? That’s all good but where do I start? Unfortunately, I am a systematic person (most of the time) and I need a system. A way to discipline myself. Something to direct my path...After thinking about it for awhile, I thought, maybe, instead of random selections of eateries or random entries into the blog, I’ll start with A and slowly eat my way to Z. Not sure if my purse will like it but I’m sure my credit card company wouldn’t mind it. O well, at least I’ll have a legitimate reason to take lots of photos of food and not be too self-conscious about it.

Where do I find this first for my first 'official work?? Google, OF COURSE!!