Melbourne: Brunches of 2014 (Seven Seeds, Carlton)

Seven Seeds, Carlton

With a name more synonymous to that of an artisan coffee roaster, this was the last place I expected to find a brunch spot.  Last winter, I stumbled across this little institution about 200 steps from my friend’s abode in Carlton and had been keen to try it ever since.  Was their highly rated coffee as good as their brunch?  I headed there with XL’s housemate, KK to give the place a try.  He told me to expect a very healthy brunch which got me sort of concerned.  But without trying I would not know right?!

Housed in a refurbished warehouse, it was a busy place at 8am.  More interestingly,  diners are invited to see the Seven Seeds production line made in a room encased with glass.  More than half the space was dedicated to that whilst the kitchen felt no smaller than 10 squares max!  But hey, sometimes the smallest kitchens make the best food no?  Drinks here are fine, but the hot chocolate was not life changing one.  So duh right?  Its was a coffee place after all!

For my brunch, I decided to go for the WelshRarebit.  Imagine a toasted bread topped with a tasty cheese, and mildly pungent mustard mixture before being grilled momentarily to melt.  If you are a fan of both cheese and mustard alike, you would find that this was an absolute beauty.

Before I dug into the dish, I realised that Seven Seeds paid strong attention to detail.  On my dish, "fried poached eggs" sat on the rarebits with a refreshing mixed green leaf salad fixed atop. Altogether it looked sensational.  More importantly, this was not sickening in anyway as everything complemented each other well.  I am actually quite surprised that several greasy elements can come together without being cloying!  

While mine was not one of the healthier options, the Green Eggs was KK’s choice.

Whilst I had just a very little piece, it was yummy!   Nothing really outlandishly special but hard to dislike.  Perfectly poached eggs, well-presented and simple.   My only regret was perhaps not paying more attention to the sauce.  Was it a pesto?  Was it a chimichurri?  Or perhaps an avocado mix? 

Handmade crumpets with coffee-infused butter, toasted hazelnut crumb and coffee caramel was something I decided to share with KK to end our meals.

As a person who does not drink coffee, I actually enjoyed this sweet ending of mine for several reasons.  First off were the soft and fluffy crumpets which made eating a bliss. No knife or fork required here.  Additionally, the use of coffee gave this dish a lovely smell which made my senses tingle.  Lastly, its composition of which was sweet, salty, and fragrant altogether with the crunchiness of the crushed nuts was simply yummy!

Whilst I am unwilling to commit to saying that Seven Seeds is the best brunch in town, it would not be too far off.  Its casual yet relaxing environment makes this a likeable place to dine while still being conveniently located within walking distance from the city.  Add that to Seven Seed’s fair prices and well-prepared dishes like the green eggs, the Welsh Rarebit and coffee-infused crumpet, it was hard to say no!

Operator 25, CBD

Hardware Société, CBD

Hammer & Tong, Fitzroy

LE MIEL et la lune, Carlton

Breakfast Thieves, Fitzroy

WenY

Bites: The 7am breakfast, Architect & Heroes @ Subiaco

Waking up between 5 and 6 in the morning during my holidays sounds like an absolute waste after a long period of grinding.  Nevertheless, the term breakfast soon becomes something very relevant and interestingly rewarding.  My first morning at home was a breakfast date with my sister at Architects and Heroes.  This geek themed hipster-ish place in Subiaco has a cosy fit out which walls are graced by the many characters in comics.

My morning staple switches between a choice of tea or chocolate.  In this instance, it was the latter and I was glad to have ordered the hot chocolate here.  It is easily one of the best cocoa drink in town if not the best.  It tasted mildly sweet with a good cocoa intensity and more importantly, a smooth creamy consistency.  Give me a cup any day and I will gladly drink it up. 

Almond Croissant, what is there to dislike?

My initial choice for breakfast was the steak but the kitchen ran out of cooking oil or something. Taking a second look at the menu, I decided to go with a serve of green eggs.

Taste wise, the green eggs were really nice and the eggs were cooked well.  It was a shame that the yolks were not runnier.  My biggest dislike though was probably how the layout & presentation did not complement the eating.  I would have liked the slabs of ham placed on the toast before letting the eggs lay sexily on the toast and have the lot oozing with the green sauce.  Why the whinge?  The sauce was distributed quite poorly across the board leaving the dish quite dry at the end. =/!

Architect & Heroes is a promising cafe with heaps of potential left to tap.  Just not that morning whilst I was there.  As is, a little boring.  But with more attention to detail, and some TLC amongst the elements on the plate, this suburban eatery can propel itself to heroic proportions.  But its ok, most heroes never looked cool in their first costume anyway!  Better luck next time :P!

WenY

Bites: Modern Izakaya @ Bonsai Restaurant & Lounge, Northbridge.

During Halloween the canteen tried serving Teriyaki, I never knew a dish could be so relevant to a theme until I ate the Teriyaki Chicken they made. It surely was Halloween.  To help regain some comfort, I revisited one of the best Modern Izakaya in town, Bonsai.  Located on Roe St, this is my go to place which I visit for modern Japanese fusion that never leaves you walking out with a limp wallet.  My recent meal here was no different.

To start, we ordered a chicken salad topped with crispy wanton skin (extra $1.00).  Looking back at my previous posts, I labelled the salad here as a “convert” and this time around, it was not different.  This was simply my kind of salad; flavourfully robust, juicy, and fresh.  Always add the crispy wanton skin as it gives the salad a good crunch that matches with the fresh bite of the cabbage.

Next up was the Aburi salmon nigiri topped with a dollop of red miso.  Having the salmon blow torched gave the fish a really nice smokey fragrance while making it more tender too.  The Aburi here never fails to satisfy although this time around it could have been a torched a little more evenly.

A dish of seared scallops! Nom nom nom!  These little beauties were seared to perfection.  Loved the topping which Bonsai does for them lovelies.  It complements this dish well.

Some might consider the crab claws a little bit of a dud.  It is true, they are.  But when you bite into Bonsai's version of it, you will know why it is not.  So any perception you might have thinking that it is similar to the artificial ones bought from the oriental shop can now be discarded.  

Keep calm, dip into mayo.

Buta no Kakuni is a classic favourite of mine when I go to Japanese restaurants.  Braised for hours in a broth made from a mix of Mirin and soy, the humble pork belly is made into a melt-in-your mouth protein with a darkish brown appearance.  Its flavours are not meant to be overly salty or sweet but aim is to strike a good balance between them.  Here the sauce was all the rave but the pork felt lacking.  It was still hard and was not soft through.   It is in this aspect that Bonsai failed to deliver.  

For the mains we started with a crispy skin duck;

It was crispy skin with no doubt,while the duck itself was cooked to perfection with the middle slightly pinkish leaving it tender.  Equally impressive was its presentation which was pretty damn nice.  Looking on at the pictures I have taken, it was clear Bonsai was not there to make good food. But rather good looking ones too.  Imagine a manicured plant, because that is after all, the art of Bonsai.

The last main we ordered to share was the Teriyaki Wagyu Steak.

This has always been a favourite of mine since my second visit to Bonsai a couple years back.  With a  choice of how you want it cooked, we asked for medium rare and that is exactly what we got.  Topped with shavings of mildy pickled onions, they complemented the tender beef.  But the highlight of it all was the sauce.  A quality Teriyaki base with a subtle butter flavour made this dish simply sensational.  A dish which have been recognised by my peers, friends and family for not being 1 dimensional.Bonsai, you’ve done it again.  Thank you for the great hospitality and delicious food. 

WenY