Mr Foxx

March 20, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

So we’ve had a good run lately and found another great brunch place! Lucky us! Mr Foxx has been a cafe in which we’ve driven past a number of times and one where we often say we probably should check out and then just never get around to it. Well on this occasion we made that effort and boy did it pay off!

Located on Malvern Rd in Glen Iris, we found parking instantly and entered into a lovely spacious cafe with a feature wall of artwork of foxes hanging out on a tree. Very cool.

We started off with some coffees. I ordered a latte and Davin ordered an iced coffee. My latte was strong and just how I liked it. Davin seemed to thoroughly enjoy his iced coffee and didn’t think about sharing until I asked for a sip.

For mains, I ordered the Fricassee mushrooms with garlic and thyme butter, cauliflower puree, toasted brioche, poached egg and truffle oil. I also opted for the extra chorizo. The serving was SO generous! The portions were huge! There was like a whole forest on my plate because there were so many mushrooms, and they were truly delicious! The combination of that with the cauliflower puree, the crunchiness of the brioche and the poached egg was divine! It was one glorious dish.

Davin ordered the dill cured salmon fillets with fondant potato, asparagus and lemon salad and pea puree. Again the serving was super generous. The salmon was cooked to perfection and not overcooked at all. The puree was nicely flavoured and complemented the salmon really well.

I have to also mention how attentive, friendly and efficient the staff were there. Customer service is everything these days and we will certainly come back because of that, and of course the great food and coffee! We were very impressed!

Mr Foxx
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 1491 Malvern Rd, Glen Iris VIC 3146
Phone: +61 3 9821 0001
Website: mrfoxx.com.au

Lord Cardigan

March 19, 2018May 6, 2018 by Davin Lee

Lord Cardigan…. what a name, it’s certainly got a ring to it! Established in 2007, this restaurant was started by a husband and wife combination, John Singer and Dominique Bolger. There’s only one reason why I would go to the effort to read the ‘About Us’ page on their website, it’s because I freaken love this place! What started out as a filler dinner, ended up being one of the best dining experiences for me in 2018. We’re still early in the year, so Lord Cardigan better put the brakes on a bit to allow the others to catch up!

The restaurant welcomed us to vinyl seats, wallpaper and hanging pot plants from the ceiling. There were also pictures of flowers on the wall. Had we jumped into a time machine and gone back in time!? We looked around and we were by far their youngest customers. Amidst feeling a little weird at the start, I soon relaxed and embraced an era beyond my years.

We were greeted by some of the friendliest staff ever, who guided us through the menu in a warmly fashion. It was a great menu indeed, as we really struggled to pick what we wanted. The confidence shines through, and I could tell that these guys were not afraid to ‘do it different’. After much pondering we finally settled on some oysters, various ‘taste’ dishes, the Flinders Island lamb shoulder baked in filo pastry, and the ocean trout fish special. The taste dishes were bite size and $7.50 each. It’s a great concept because it gives you the opportunity to try more dishes without having to spend a fortune.

The Pacific oysters were extremely fresh, with the mignonette dressing and lemon providing the perfect acidic touch. At this stage I was impressed, they got fresh produce and can make a mean sauce, but I was eager to see what else they could do. They respond to the challenge by punching out some of the best bite size dishes I’ve ever had! You know the competition is fierce when the most perfectly seared scallop loses out to quail wrapped in ham. This quail was boned and wrapped in Kaiserfleisch ham with a truffle and balsamic dressing. It was oh so tasty, so make sure you grab one when you come here.

Little did I know that the best was yet to come… it was so good that it’s made it to my top list of fish dishes in Australia. I had given up hope of eating a fish as good as a flounder I had at a particular restaurant in the Melbourne CBD. It was cooked so beautifully, I almost cried! I stared at this ocean trout in awe, as I couldn’t believe how good it was. Being the supportive wife she is, Helen left me alone to savour this moment between myself and this fish. The skin was ultra crispy, with the meat inside just barely cooked. Which chef dares to push the boundaries like this with a fish!?! I’m convinced there’s a madman lurking somewhere in the kitchen! The Asian inspired sauce accentuated the sweetness of the ocean trout. As it’s a special, I may not get to try this fish again. However the memories will live on for many years to come, this I can guarantee.

On our trip back home, we couldn’t stop talking about the memorable experience we had at Lord Cardigan. These guys really are the real deal, and we cannot wait to come back. No ifs and no buts people, Lord Cardigan is a MUST TRY!

Lord Cardigan
Approx $60 AUD per person
Address: 59 Cardigan Place, Albert Park VIC 3206
Phone: +61 3 9645 5305
Website: lordcardigan.com.au

Little Chloe

March 18, 2018May 6, 2018 by Helen Le

Amongst the many brunch places in Melbourne, we’ve yet again found another winner. Little Chloe is located on the more quiet end of Malvern Rd in Malvern East so parking wasn’t an issue when we arrived. This meant fast and easy access to glorious food!

Upon entering, my first impression was that it was quite spacious for a cafe. The decor was modern and clean, and we were greeted by friendly staff and seated straight away. We were excited by the menu because it had unique items that you wouldn’t normally see for a brunch style cafe.

In addition to the usual fresh juices, they also had drinks such as the house made lychee ice tea which consisted of earl grey tea, raw honey, lemon and lychee popping pearl. I couldn’t say no to that and there were certainly no regrets! The tea was deliciously refreshing. What I loved most about it was that it was not sweet at all and it was only the lychee popping pearls that added hints of sweetness to the tea which perfected the drink.

Davin ordered the Expresso on tonic which was Yuzu infused. Again it was nothing like we’ve ever had before and was quite nice. The tonic was served cold, and it allowed us to pour in the hot expresso when we were ready. The combination of the two actually worked.

For food, I ordered the Tasmanian smoked salmon which came with mango and lime chutney, smashed avocado, potato rosti, feta and a poached egg. This was a really good dish! Not only was the serving quite generous, every ingredient seemed to work together. The smoked salmon was not too salty, the chutney provided a nice sweetness to each bite, the potato rosti was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, and the egg was poached perfectly.

Davin ordered the Breakfast ramen. Yes, you heard right! They had ramen on the menu and so Davin couldn’t resist. It came with a soft boiled egg, mixed Asian mushrooms, chicken and dashi broth, pickled ginger and seaweed. Davin also got the extra optional pork belly. The ramen came out in a generous large bowl with a deliciously flavoured broth. The noodles were cooked well and the pork belly was flavoured. The chicken was however on the dry side. Overall it was a hearty bowl of goodness.

I also ordered a piccolo just to get a taster. It was nice and strong. I’ll have to come back next time and try a latte too. In fact, we will definitely be back again for their great food and drinks! Highly recommend!