Small Block

130 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9381 2244

Small Block was the first of its kind in Brunswick East, the forerunner of the cafe explosion that is still reverberating in a suburb previously more notable for being 'north of north carlton'. Small Block is still a trendy place, but these days it can be hard to know who's setting and who's following the trends. Amongst their in-vogue offerings are coffee cups stamped with the cafe logo (as at North and Baba, whereas The Press Club stamps their paper overlays), a Thai-style breakfast dish (Tom Phat) and service that can veer to the brusquer side of cool (A Minor Place).

Speaking of trends, as the first weekend of spring managed to maintain a temperature over 15C, some of Brunswick's best fashionistas were out and about: how about a super-short denim dress with socks and school shoes? This blogger pushes no fashion boundaries, but is happy to buck the trend when it comes to menu choice.

The chosen dish fell squarely into the 'I'm never going to cook that at home' category: herb and mascarpone polenta with mushroom ragout and pecorino. Doing its best to impersonate a baked cheesecake in looks, the polenta delivered on texture and flavour. The outsides were crispy - an important texture contrast to the mushrooms. It's a bland grain on its own but the herbs added enough interest it was subtly bulked by the mascarpone (presumably stirred through as one might parmaggiano). The mushrooms took their cue from the polenta and, with their deeply dark hue, impersonated a chocolate-cherry sauce to top the 'cheesecake'. The ragout had cooked down to a thick sauce, so it clung to the polenta, rather than letting rogue mushrooms escape around the plate. The sprinkle of shaved pecorino added some bite; I would argue for the sharper cheese to be mixed into the polenta instead of the mascarpone and to bulk out the ragout, rather than just topping up with rocket.

SG's choice came out looking ready to attack! Sitting alone on a dinner plate, it represented another trend, followed/set by Gingerlee across the road: the ungarnished, unaccompanied steak sarnie. In other dishes (such as the herbed polenta), rocket regularly shows up unbidden and unannounced. Why not throw some next to the sandwich, or at least serve it on a smaller plate so the customer doesn't notice all the empty space? A gristle-free piece of steak was ably accompanied by sweet beetroot and a not-too-powerful aioli. While there was no salad to pick at, the packed sandwich gratifyingly dripped morsels of food and sauce onto the plate to mop up with the ends of the soft ciabatta.

East Brunswick Project

438 Lygon St, Brunswick East

See original entry for Artisan Espresso

The Artisan Espresso site that opened in April has, after a short hiatus, re-opened as the East Brunswick Project. The interior feel is very similar, and many of the fittings are the same. The furniture has been slightly re-arranged, however, and with the back room now lit up and housing a coffee roaster there's a more expansive feel to the place.

It's worth popping in during its early days of operation and having the pleasure of observing and talking to the barista, Marinus, while he's at work extracting your caffeinated beverage. The Padre blend is still in the grinder - a sweeter coffee, aiming for a burnt toffee taste, which, with the addition of milk, makes for a caramelly latte.

There's a small range of muffins and mini slices available, but the focus is undoubtedly on the bean and its proper handling to create a drink of distinction.

(In its original incarnation the cafe featured a noticable, yellow-topped, circular table spruiking 'petit dejeuner'. A gold star to anyone who can identify in which local eatery it has ended up!)

George ventures north II

Exciting developments on George Calombaris' venture into Brunswick East. From John Lethlean's original mention of it being 'along Lygon St from Rumi', I picked out a shop being renovated near the corner with Edward St as my predicted location.

But no! Excitingly, he's venturing further north than that. The folks at Republic of Moreland were onto this last month and there is now signage on the site to confirm it: Calombaris will be opening his Hellenic Republic taverna on the corner of Stewart St, at the site of the old cheesecake shop. There's a lot happening on that strip: Each Peach and Vege2Go are two of the newer proponents, and with the traffic a new Calombaris venture will guarantee it will be interesting to see where we go from here.

In other local news, Artisan Espresso, which opened in April and had caffeinatics abuzz with its dedicated coffee cafe and accessible roasters, has closed for now, but my understanding is that one of the owners intends to re-open on the same site.

Update: Hellenic Republic is expected to open in early November; the East Brunswick Project is now open (Tues-Sun) at the Artisan Espresso site.

Satay Anika

140 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9380 9702

There are a considerable number of Asian-food restaurants along the Brunswick stretch of Lygon St. Gingerlee, the Alderman and Rumi might be getting all the press, but Thaila Thai and Kake di Hatti are serving up crazily well-priced meals, and on the other side of the road Singhs and My2K, to name but two, go big on dining space and menu choice.

Amongst all of this is Satay Anika, a Malaysian restaurant. In the middle is a fitting place to be: Malay food takes a mix of Indian, Chinese and Singaporean cuisine to create its own strand of spiced dishes and sauces.

The eat-in menu here doesn't extrapolate much on the dishes (the takeaway menu is more informative), but help is at hand from the floor staff (the chef gets out and serves as well so there's plenty of information available). An entree of plump vegetarian spring rolls was increased to four portions from the normal three, so that we could have two each. The rolls were super hot and crispy and came with an acceptable plum sauce.
Although not elaborated on the menu, our effusive waiter informed us that the Anika chicken involved deep fried chicken pieces with a plum sauce. Which it did - certainly no artifice in description but some veg would have been a welcome distraction in addition to the sesame seeds. It delievered more than expected, however. The batter was thick and crunchy and teamed up happily with the sweet, sticky plum sauce.
Char kuey teow, a Malaysian favourite, had a longer ingredients list. Wide rice noodles coiled amongst baby prawns, beef, egg, tofu and bean sprouts, along with a mixture of oyster, mushroom and kecap manis sauces. It was a satisfying meal, but again, some wok-fried capsicum or baby corn - something adding colour to the dish as well as flavour and texture - would have lifted it further.

Serving sizes weren't huge, and with the WYSIWYG approach to assembling the dishes I felt slightly let-down. The high turnover of takeaways on this Friday night and the steady filling of the small dining space, however, demonstrated that straightforward and reliable meals are often just the ticket to bring in the locals. The service is extremely friendly and welcoming and it's a comfortable setting in which to eat. The quality of the food is fine and the prices are more than acceptable: most of the menu standards hover around the $12 mark.

Each Peach

506 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9383 4529; Open Sat-Weds

The minimalist refit is a favourite of many inner north cafes. At Each Peach, the walls display a little more flare than somewhere such as Small Block or Julio, and the reserve is saved for the menu. This is a cafe to stop in on a rainy day, when you want to feel at home but have someone bring warm things to you on a plate or in a glass; or somewhere to bask on a sunny day with light filling the front room as you ponder between paninis and their biscuit selection.

The walls here are decorated with tea towels stitched into quilts; the front room is dominated by a hefty communal table perfect for spreading a newspaper on or resting your elbows as you become immersed in a novel (perhaps a book picked up from the cafe's bookshelf). Out the back there's a fire and subdued lighting, giving the room the feel of the loungeroom of a country relative. It's a good place for kids too, with toys and play area in both rooms.
All this atmosphere would be wasted if the produce on offer didn't stand up to scrutiny. There's no problems there. The staff at Each Peach know their way around a coffee machine and deliver a well-tempered drink. Just about everything served is organic (see right). Choose from one slice or two of sourdough raisin toast or cinnamon toast with fig apple jam; or ask them to heat up one of the paninis on display, perhaps filled with goats cheese and olive tapenade, or biodynamic proscuitto, tomato and fetta; or tuck into a bowl of nourishing toasted muesli.

Addendum: Having walked past Each Peach several times since they opened, I've been impressed to note how frequently they update their menu (a simple affair, chalked up on a blackboard on the wall). The panini fillings change regularly - there was a pork sausage and quince one last week, which I didn't act quickly enough to sample - as does a simple, cooked meal option. It's a great attitude to fresh produce and will keep curious palates sated.

Curiousity will no doubt increase following Matt Preston's glowing review in Epicure, 12.08.08.

Pappa's Fish and Chips II

79 Holmes St, Brunswick; 03 9383 4331

After posting about Pappa's Fish and Chips last year I received a couple of suggestions in the Comments to go beyond their namesake offerings and try the burgers.

Firstly, let me say that we are blessed in Melbourne with accessibility to cheap burgers (eg Fishbone and Danny's) that aren't unrecognisable as food . I'm happy to add Pappa's to that list. The burger was not extraordinary, but given it was less than $6 it's an achievement.

The good news starts with the condiments. There are two types of sauce: mayonnaise on the top bun and BBQ on the bottom. The pattie looked interesting (that's not a euphemism, it tasted fine!) - it looked like it had been chargrilled and blackened, but I think it was just some rogue onion or sauce that had spent a while near the hotplate. As is so often the case, the tomato left something to be desired, starting out soft and progressing to mushy. More good news: there's smoky bacon, there's non-plastic cheese and there's crisp lettuce.

The single pack now has competition!

Golden Pizza II

500 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9383 1386

Are you ever inclined to show no restraint when ordering a pizza with your own selection of toppings? To go for everything that you like, rather than just three or four complementary flavours? The staff at Golden Pizza have done just that with one of the gourmet pizzas on their specials board, the aptly named 'Fusion'. It features: three types of tomatoes (the standard tom base, sun-dried and roma), two types of cheese (mozza and bocconcini), three vegetables (eggplant, roasted peppers and pumpkin) plus a meat (Virginian ham).
Golden Pizza's standard base is a lot thicker than many, so it can handle the overload. And so can my tastebuds. This pizza was delicious. The thicker base is fluffy on the inside with a crisp base, and not too sweet. There wasn't huge evidence of the sun-drieds, but the romas added juicy bursts of tomato flavour. I think pumpkin is a natural fit as a pizza topping, but perhaps its preparation needs dictate the fact that it's not always popular. Here it was wonderfully mushy against the crisper base. My goodness, there are still so many flavours to describe! Both the eggplant and roasted peppers added their own degree of smokiness. The eggplant, happily, was finely cut so it didn't 'string out' as can be the case when it's laid on in larger slices. The Virginia ham contributed some subtle meatiness much as bacon might. All in all, I was thoroughly impressed.

SG did in fact construct his own pizza. Ordering from the everyday menu, he went for the chicken pizza, which invites you to pick your own accompaniments. His choices were capsicum and mushroom, with the requisite BBQ sauce.The chicken pieces were chunky and as such dried out a little in the oven. This pizza was perhaps more akin to something we'd be likely to rustle up in our own oven, as far as the toppings went in any case. But the proof for any pizza establishment is in the base, and Golden Pizza have a lot to lay claim to in that regard to make them well worth the stopover on the way home.

Golden Pizza I

Artisan Espresso

438 Lygon St, Brunswick East

I think this is a first for this blog: neighbouring posts for neighbouring businesses. 438 Lygon St was a blank shopfront when I was lured by India on Lygon's neon at Number 440 earlier this week. On Thursday morning, however, it revealed itself as Artisan Espresso. Hurrah, I say, finally this ever-burgeoning strip of Lygon St has itself a dedicated coffee shop.

The new shop's owners are currently involved with the Appetite Food Store in North Melbourne. Artisan Espresso is an existing venture, summed up pretty well by its name, that has been roasting small batches of coffee for supply to customers via their website, or to a select few cafes. The roasters will be moved from North Melbourne shortly and the shop already has their own blended, roasted beans available for sale.

The roasting area will be separated from a bright, welcoming dining area. The space has been well-used in the front room: the coffee machine affronts the door, so it has an almost magnetic pull on coffee-lovers, who will find their feet turning and their mouths ordering before they can say Colombian free-trade. The paint job and floor are straightforward, with the colour in the room coming from a range of knick-knacks on tables and shelves: scales, coffee paraphernalia and bottles of drink from the Phoenix range. There are some great canvas prints on the shelves and walls too.

To the drinks. Their house blend is Padre, a mix of Dominican, Brazilian and Sulawesi beans. The coffee formed a bitter crema, but the body provided the smooth start you want to your Saturday. A bowl of hot chocolate resisted being too sweet and would be a happy alternative if you've reached your caffeine limit for the day/week/month. Sip tea and Phoenix Chai are also available.

It's only Day 3 of operations, and I'll be very curious to watch the business grow over the next few weeks, as well as excited to finally have a local coffee haunt.

http://www.artisanespresso.com.au/

India on Lygon

440 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9388 8339

The shopfront of this northern-end Lygon St diner is all spattered paint and bright neon. It's relatively new, probably 12-18 months old. I'd picked up a menu early on, and had on a couple of occasions when walking past encountered someone out the front proferring small sample cups of curry. As a small, local business, I hoped things were going well, but from the amount of traffic I witnessed going in and out I had my doubts.

But then lo, someone from the all-knowing supplement that is Epicure paid them a visit, and wrote up one of their dishes for the Under $10 column. The dish in question was a goat curry, and coming in a full $4 under the column's maximum, it sounded like too good an opportunity to miss. I was suitably impressed when I first tried it for myself many moons ago.

Travelling home this week with a dismantled bike on the back seat, its back tyre as deflated as its rider was when he heard it go 'pop', some cheap, impromptu curry sounded like a good way to rescue the evening, so India on Lygon finally got its repeat visit.

Prices are up; but at $8 or so for most curries they're still at a suitable price for Epicure's column. Goat is available as either masala or biryani and, as before, I went for the former.If it all looks a bit indistinct in the bowl, it's not just due to the quality of photography! The goat meat comes on the bone: big slabs of it, with plenty of sinew to tear through to get the meat free. Don't bother with a knife and fork. Go traditional and get your hands and teeth in there! I like to imagine when I'm eating this dish that I'm in a tent in the mountains and in the distance I can hear bells from a herd of goats that, in order to meet our appetites, is now one less in number. On my first try the only obstacle to such a fantasy was the undeniable fact that I was actually in a flat in Brunswick East, and while there may have been bells, they were of the bicycle, not bovid, variety. This time, however, the meat let the dish down. I know it's not meant to be the tenderest of varieties, but it was too tough. It was saved, however, by the sauce, which was enjoyably spicy.

The butter chicken turned out to be a better option. When done poorly, this dish is just foul - just a bowl of oil and cream with some white meat floating in it. India on Lygon's version is a lot more subtle however, and they've taken care to make sure the spice dominates rather than the liquid ingredients.

We really enjoyed the garlic naan first time around as well. It was a bit singed on this occasion, unfortunately. It still held its consistency, however, to do a fine job of mopping up sauce.

And given two curries, rice and two naan cost just over $20, I think we got about what we paid for.

A Minor Place II

103 Albion St, Brunswick East; 03 9384 3131

Ah, the mid-week, mid-afternoon lunch. It's a wonderful time to be lazily perusing a menu; taking time over a coffee; stretching out a conversation over repeated top-ups of table water. And A Minor Place is as funky and fitting a venue for these activities as you could wish for.

The cafe uses organic bread and eggs, and takes some care to make standard cafe offerings a little bit unfamiliar. I did notice, to my chagrin, that their french toast has changed. Since it is pistachio season I should use that as an incentive to get some fresh nuts and cheese and whip up my own batch of pistachio ricotta.

My lunch choice was the Xanadu toast:The riot of green rocket covered fresh tomato, wonderfully thick wedges of avocado, and chevre, all sitting atop two pieces of aforementioned organic bread. The bread held its texture well, especially given the sandwich was drizzled with pesto oil. A good sprinkling of dukkah completed the flavour spectrum. It was quite delicious and met my late lunch requirements aptly.

My dining partner went with the fabulously titled 'Forget About It' meatball wrap. Try ordering it without either a straight face or a New York accent!The wrap came with tomato sugo, spinach and yoghurt. Rocket was rather more prevalent than spinach, and I would call that pocket bread, rather than a wrap, but they're very minor points (about a clearly ironically named Minor Place!). Each of the ingredients was subtle, but fresh, which meant they worked together to create a fulfilling lunch dish.

A Minor Place has had a development application in the window indicating that they are going to become licenced. If one can linger as contendedly as we did over a plate of food each and a coffee, imagine what a glass or two of wine will do!

Gingerlee III

117 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9380 4430

Given the timings of our previous visits to one of Brunswick's newer chic cafes, it would seem that Gingerlee + public holiday = our presence. On this occasion we'd met our out-of-town friends at the corner of Glenlyon and Lygon Rds, leaving open as many cafe options as possible (Poached, Sugardough, Small Block to name but some) to suit our brunch fancy of the morning. Savoury was where it was at for me, so the Persian-inspired dishes at Gingerlee got my vote.

The notion of a tagine for breakfast seemed an excellent method of delimiting the morning meal; and while I would in reality be on the footpath of an inner-suburban street, maybe my choice would connect me with a parallel version of myself, on safari somewhere in northern Africa. And perhaps in elevating my choice of breakfast to such metaphysical levels, I inevitably set my expectations too high.

The tagine houses baked beans, a yoghurt lemon dressing and coriander, accompanied by a terracotta side-plate of sourdough.It didn't provide the exotic, spice-filled satisfaction I was after, unfortunately. The beans (chickpea and a yellow bean) were granular rather than soft. My disappointment with the texture could just be down to personal preference, although I would argue that a softer bean indicates that it's been cooked for a more appropriate amount of time. Had the beans and tomatoes had more oomph then the dollop of yoghurt would have been sufficient, but as the sharpest taste on the plate I would have preferred an extra scoop. I should have called in some more butter for the toast too: added to the bean consistency it meant the dish was a little dry.

My next visit, however, will point me towards the poached eggs with rocket, ham, pork and fennel sausages and chutney.Runny eggs, sausages dotted with visible studs of flavour, and a chutney revealing chunks of garlic. If it's savoury you're after, that's a quality breakfast!

George ventures north

Exciting news from John Lethlean in last week's Epicure:

"The Press Club guys have a new restaurant opening in October. Just along Lygon Street from Rumi, in East Brunswick, Hellenic Republic will be a new-style old-style Greek taverna, according to [George] Calombaris."

On an evening sojourn to Gelobar last night I marked out the shopfront that I believe will house said taverna, just near Comfortable Chair. Can't wait for October!

Link to article

CERES cafe

Cnr Robert and Stewart Sts, Brunswick East; 03 9380 8861

It's hot. Very hot. It's also March, not January. Cars are going round and round in Albert Park, a week ago the leaves in the same park were starting to turn yellow in preparation for autumn, and yet here we are, venturing out into the heat to at least nurture our bodies with good food, seeing as we can't keep them cool at home.

CERES is close, so minimises the amount of exertion needs to get there. Sure, it's not air conditioned, but that wouldn't fit with the ethos of the place, whose menu offers organic, garden-grown options wherever possible.

After hanging out with that rogue penguin at Lambsgo Bar last night, a carefully-made, restorative, organic fair trade coffee is definitely in order.

For food, SG chooses the baguette of the day: kangaroo with rocket, goats cheese and tomato relish.The crusty bread clamps on thinly sliced fillet, the tender meat pieces contrasting against the nuts and seeds in the bread.

I faced a tough choice between Verity's famed baked eggs, organic housebaked beans with sourdough, or French toast. I went with the last of these, served with organic maple syrup and a choice of free-range bacon or fruit compote. I chose the latter, which on this occasion was blueberries.It was a wonderful choice. The thick brioche was giving rather than crusty, which also made it much more able to absorb the wonderful syrup. Rather than a sickly sweet pour of liquid sugar, this syrup was more viscose, like a thin honey, and added chewy, almost nutty notes rather than just sweetness. The berries were a great complement, balancing the dish, so that while satisfying it wasn't too filling.

www.ceres.org.au

Vege2Go

452 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9384 6200

The former site of the Organic Wholesalers (now across the road and up a few shops) has been transformed into Vege2Go, a fresh and exciting new cafe and takeaway that is offering something truly innovative. The kitout is very impressive: the new owners have created a bright and welcoming space, proudly themed on the Italian tricolour. Eyecatching canvas prints of the Tuscan countryside and the quinoa plant adorn one wall.

The premise of the cafe is fresh, vegetarian Italian food. The menu is designed with complements: there are mains as well as sides and snacks, encouraging provision of a full meal. The shop is open til 9pm (Mon-Sat), succeeding in that rare venture of providing healthy, inviting and affordable take-home food, at the time when you most want it. Not only is their food accessible, it's also very strong on quality and flavour. The absence of meat is relevant, but no impediment. Instead, a plethora of plant foods are given centre stage: zucchini, eggplant, beetroot, mushrooms, cannellini beans, asparagus, to name just a handful.

The savoury side of the menu is divided into Mains, Sides and Snacks, plus Soups and Desserts. Meal Savers encourage customers to mix and match. Of the mains, the three mushroom frittata is extraordinary, with mousse-like eggs enveloping a trio of earthy mushroom flavours. The asparagus and tomato risotto sings with sweet tomato tang. Jumbo-sized mushrooms are filled with pesto and topped with torn bocconcino and a basil leaf. It's incredibly simple but even a meatlover wouldn't be left wanting for protein or 'fillingness'. Aromatic vegie lasagne and parmiggiana are also on offer.

It's worth getting a Meal Saver to ensure you sample at least one of the sides. These daily-prepared salads all punch a big flavour hit. The rocket explosion (above) - featuring the holy combination of rocket, pumpkin, pinenuts and feta - is superb. The pumpkin is perfectly cooked and deliciously seasoned. I could happily sit down to a whole tray of grilled peppers (below), doused simply with olive oil, sea salt, garlic and parsley. Other sides include broccoli tossed with garlic and the Mediterranean rice salad, which flies the flag of all that is wonderful about the region, with a mix of antipasto, artichokes, olives, capsicum and brown rice.

Desserts on offer include a ricotta tart and vegan chocolate cake. The coffee, from Jasper and hence Fairtrade and organic, is excellently made. Soy, rice and lactose-free milk are all available. Juices, smoothies and Phoenix drinks are also stocked.

There are two aspects of this venture that are worth highlighting. One is the quality of produce. This is well-made food, prepared fresh and with love. Secondly, while it is a vegetarian cafe, and that is a strong philosophy amongst its proprietors, nothing is lost in terms of flavour, nourishment nor satisfaction.

http://www.vege2go.com.au/

Mains: $7.95; Sides: $3.25; Snacks (inc. calzone and pita pizza): $6.95

A Minor Place

103 Albion St, Brunswick East; 03 9384 3131

One of Brunswick's shopfront cafes (cf Ray's, Small Block, La Paloma), A Minor Place offers guests milk crates and fold-out tables outside. Inside, an easterly window welcomes plenty of sunlight over the wooden communal tables as well as a few smaller seating options. It's a minimalist fitout that is netting reward: on a Wednesday lunchtime at least 20 people are seated amongst the tables. Isabelle Lucas, former Neighbours star, notes it as one of her favourite spots in an interview with the age(melbourne) magazine.

Their menu features plenty of organic produce and an imaginative take on breakfast. My menu highlight is the french toast: casalinga bread dipped in free-range eggs, served with stewed rhubarb, quality maple syrup and moreish pistachio ricotta.

Their coffee is carefully made and strong. This mocha looked too well-decorated to drink, so I photographed it to allow it to be preserved on the web, then vigorously stirred and took my time enjoying the blended tastes of bitter coffee and rich, sweet chocolate.

Kake di Hatti

128 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9387 7771

It's 42C outside. It's after 8 o'clock at night. Your favourite Italian place is still on holidays. Where to eat? I admit not everyone would immediately think 'curry' in these circumstances, but plenty of people obviously had, since Kake di Hatti was pumping when we gratefully stepped into its air-conned dining room.

Kake di Hatti is one of the best-value eateries in town. The vast majority of its curries are served for under $10, the only exceptions being the Goa and Garlic Prawns. And you can order extras to your heart's content, with rice for $1.50, roti for $1.00 and naan for $1.20. It's BYO, but if you haven't brought anything with you Indian Kingfisher lager is $4 a bottle and astonishingly they sell their Australian house wine for $2.50 a glass.

The Hatti prides itself on speedy service and it's a certainly a close race between two bottles of beer and two plates of curry to get to the table. The lamb degchi comes in a tomato-based sauce of spices, onion, ginger, garlic and capsicum.The meat has obviously been stewing for a suitable period of time, perhaps since the mercury peaked at 5pm or so. The sauce too has the balance and subtlety of flavour that shows it was prepared freshly but with time to mull over its contents.

The chicken korma lives up to its reputation as an entry-level curry, light on the spice but rich in creaminess and flavour.The garlic naan is exceptional: crispy bubbles from the oven, soft and chewy dough and lathered with minced garlic. Just fantastic.

Gingerlee II

117 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9380 4430

Gingerlee has taken the minimalist cafe aesthetic as far as it will go, without asking patrons to sit in an open warehouse. That's no criticism of the cafe: as long as the proprietors are serving quality food off a thoughtful menu and put some effort into their coffee, then artful interior design is just an optional, generally unnecessary expense. In the case of Gingerlee, bare concrete floor, unadorned walls and functional tables and chairs are more than sufficient.

Where the interior kitout follows the style of Small Block, the menu echoes Rumi (all three cafes/restaurant being within a block of one other). While eggs are available in various forms on the breakfast menu, they may come with persian fetta; their baked eggs are accompanied by Israeli tomato casserole. I believe, however, that it would be a rare table that wasn't served one of their signature, innovative breakfast dishes: the moroccan tagine style baked eggs with coriander, yoghurt and lemon; or the syrian french toast with orange blossom water, honey labne, rhubarb and pistachio.

As extraordinary a combination as the first of those two dishes sounded, my heart (well, stomach really) was set on something sweet, so the Syrian toast it was.
For visual presentation, what a way to start the day! The sourdough is almost too crunchy for cutting, but going in with fingers reveals a stickiness to the sweetness. The best method is to immerse it in the rhubarb-stained orange blossom until it moistens. While the flavours of the dish universally salute the sweet end of the scale, its textures provide variety: crispy toast, crunchy pistachios, smooth labne (an utter delight for breakfast) and the fibrous rhubarb. A wonderful reinvention of a cafe classic.

SG was in more of lunch mood, so his choice was the steak sandwich, with celeriac slaw, caramelised onion and tomato chutneyThe minute steak is seared on both sides, leaving a thin strip of pink meat in the middle. Nice to see such care being taken even on the sandwich meat, and the reward for the customer is a tender filling, offset by the crunch of the slaw and some bite from the chutney. At $14, and as a lunch dish, something on the side might have been expected, but any disappointment is assuaged by the quality sandwiched between the slices of bread.

(See earlier review from Gingerlee's opening week)

Gingerlee

117 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9380 4430

How does Brunswick do it? How does it support so many cafes, both established and burgeoning? And not just support, but keep them truly rocking and customers waiting for tables. True, my first visit to recently opened Gingerlee was on a public holiday, but within a couple of blocks Small Block and Poached were similarly rammed.

Gingerlee has recently taken over an old motorcycle shop on the corner of Lygon and Edward Sts. It’s your usual rectangle café fit out– cake display, till, and coffee machine to your left; tables against large, sunny windows to your right, and a requisite corner of bench seats at the back. Concrete floors, minimalist tones.

They have avoided typical on the menu though, which clearly shows someone had a think about what they could offer that would be slightly different – a critical approach as Brunswick proceeds towards what surely one day (maybe years off yet) must become a saturation point for coffee and brunch. Gingerlee has a Moroccan inspired menu, offering separate breakfast and brunch menus. Interesting options included Syrian French Toast, with orange blossom, honey labne, rhubarb and pistachios. Brunch included diverse options such as a goulash, confit of duck, and tuna linguine.

Some of the more individual items, such as the breakfast tagine, were a little above the price I’d like to pay for breakfast, knowing what competition is around. I was surprised too that they are charging 20c extra for skinny milk in coffee. The coffee, however, (I ordered full cream – I’ll take the fat and keep my 20c!) was excellent. They’re using only fair trade, organic coffee, and this latte had a thick crema, and that wonderful bitter but smooth taste that shows it has been made with care.

Mi Corazon

462 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9384 6153

New Year, new restaurant. Mi Corazon opened on New Year’s Eve at the very northern end of Lygon St. It specialises in a range of tequilas and cocktails, as well as offering a selection of snacks and meals, cooked in traditional South American style. The venue has been completely renovated from its former incarnation as Cafe Banter. The front area is expansive, with seating options at tables, cushioned benches, or bar stools. A small, semi-shaded outdoor courtyard is accessed through a cosmic blue brick-lined walkway at the back. The makeover has been tastefully done - the stone floor brings to mind walking into a cool Mexican cantina from the heat of siesta time. The walls are warm oranges and reds, and the Mexican touches - piñata, saintly statues - are not kitsch.

The drinks menu is extensive, with eight types of tequila, priced from $7.50-$16 a shot. There's no draught beer, but the fridge features several appropriate imports, including Sol, San Miguel and Dos Equis, most priced around $7.50. Bottles of local beer are priced from $5.50. The bar list also includes a range of cocktails, and the eager bar staff are happy to talk about selections.
A simple food menu offers snacks and mains. We had a beef taco, served as a soft folded tortilla, fried and filled with minced beef and potatoes ($12). The dish came with a generous green salad with salty dressing and a hot peppery dip. The menu reads as standard South American fare - quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos (served as a plate of corn chips with bowls of guac, sour cream and salsa), with snacks ranging in price from $8-$12 and meal options of fajitas or enchiladas for $16. However care is put into the food to make sure it's flavour and spice that stand out, rather than oil dominating, as is often the case with Mexican food.

Mi Corazon is a new addition to the Brunswick section of Lygon Street that enhances the range of quality, international culinary destinations on offer.

Thaila Thai

82 Lygon St, Brunswick East; 03 9387 0659

Busy, cheap, and very good, that’s Thaila Thai. A table here on a Friday night, even with outdoor seating, is no guarantee. We snagged the one by the kitchen, which meant probably about 400 people checked out our meals as they waited for takeaway or a coveted seat.

Why so popular? If you’re eating in, the Thaila Thai menu reads more like a sandwich deli. All main courses are available with any meat, each at a set price. You then pick the kind of seasoning for a stir fry (eg basil leaves and chilli, or oyster sauce), a type of curry (red, green, yellow, peanut), or noodles. Extras, rather than avocado or mayonnaise, include cashew nuts for 0.50, or prawns for 3.00. And the value spreads to both sides of the menu. Rice is $2.00 a serve, corkage 0.50c a person, and an entree of six satay skewers only $5.50.

We went for the mixed (chicken and beef) skewers. The peanut sauce was creamy, with a breath of heat, which unfortunately was more than could be said for our meat. We’d also waited about 15 minutes, and had to request a couple of times, for our BYO wine to be brought back to the table corked. All forgotten when the mains arrived. The green curry was incredible (as attested to by multiple people in the endless line waiting for tables!) The vegies reflected the colour of the curry - zucchini, green capsicum, bay leaves and, surprisingly, asparagus. The curry sauce hit with coconut creaminess first, with all the spice in your throat. In between was a mix of mint, sweet, and a definite lingering taste of the bay leaves. A lot of flavour for under $11.50, including the rice. In the spirit of make-your-own, SG went for pork with wide ribbon rice noodles with veg and blackbean sauce. The thinly sliced pork was tender, contrasting with crispy vegetables.

Starter, two mains bigger than we could finish off and corkage came to $29. It did take us almost 15 minutes of queuing just to be able to pay, given one person was handling take away orders and diners settling their bill (one per table, cash only). An upside was it gave us ample time to watch what must be one of the hottest kitchens in Melbourne, with every hob on the go boiling rice, flash frying veg and flaming sauces. The food is excellent, the price unbelievable, but go during the week, and hold out for a seat at the back.