Two couples, One breakfast at Two Birds One Stone.

If there's anything I'm wary about with cafés, it's an overhyped one. There was such a massive response to this café that it made me curious, yet uncertain about going there. 

Two Birds One Stone

12 Claremont St, South Yarra VIC

03 9827 1228
http://twobirdsonestonecafe.com.au/
Mon - Fri, 7am - 4pm, Sat - Sun, 8am - 4pm
[ train to South Yarra Station ]

It was a chilly morning in comparison to what we've been experienced over the week. When we got there at early 9am, it was already relatively full with the exception of the tables outside and we were put on a waiting list. At 9am!! Wow.

Demie and Billy were a little late, and Jason and I were seated about 15 minutes before they came. We got a couple of dirty looks from other customers who had their whole group ready to eat, and even from one of the waitresses handling the waiting list.

In a way, it was our fault and dirty looks from the waiting customers were completely understandable, but really, the dirty looks from the waitress was completely unnecessary and it really put me off despite feeling bad about hogging a table.

Strong latté, $3.80, and soy latté, $4.30. 

We thought the coffee there was good, but on the whole, pretty average in comparison to their competitors. I'm guessing Two Birds focuses a lot more on their food as compared to their coffee. Didn't really leave that big an impression on us.

Blonde omelette with hot smoked salmon, fennel, chili and coriander, $16.50.

Demie's smoked salmon omelette. Again, she said it was pretty average. Some parts of the salmon were overcooked and others undercooked. I find it a little strange to put fennel with salmon, but maybe that's just me. 

Scrambled eggs on toast, $9.50, with mushroom, spinach (+$3 each) and sausage (+$4).

Billy ordered a kinda custom made breakfast. I didn't really ask how it was cause he was relatively new to my dictatorship at the table and I didn't wanna scare him. But I do remember him saying that it's good, though in a non-committal way. 

Two Birds: eggs, bacon, tomato, pork chilli and fennel sausage, mushrooms, spinach and tomato relish, $18.50. 

Jason ordered their spin on a big breakfast. I tried a bit of the scrambled eggs and those were pretty good. Had a good look at the sausages and the bacon and I thought they were pretty oily but no one else had a problem with that. The tomatos were grilled well though.

25th Nov Specials: Beef Wellington - Scotch fillet, puff pastry, salsa verde, horseradish, and a fried egg, $16.50.

I was so excited when I saw this on the specials menu. I've been meaning to try beef wellington for ages; I've watched too much MasterChef US and Australia. 

Now, a beef wellington, as far as i know, is supposed to look like this:

And the one here, obviously, didn't look anything like it. It was more of a deconstructed beef wellington. If only they'd mentioned it in the menu, then I wouldn't be as shocked when it was put on the table.

(Yes, I actually ate the yolk. U proud?)

The puff pastry was really nice and crispy. The salsa verde was really good: it was sour but not too much, had a hint of salty and was just yummy. I really liked the mushroom as well. However, the main part of the dish, the Scotch, was rather average and the egg was slightly undercooked (saw a little bit of translucent egg white).

Naw cutie patooties. Thanks for joining us for breakfast, guys!

You could probably guess by now that I'm not very impressed with the place. It was all pretty average overall, to be very honest. What makes it worse is that it's miles away from it's origin, Three Bags Full in all aspects. Maybe it's because I expected so much more because of that, and because it was overhyped.

Food: 6.5

Coffee: 6

Ambience: 8

Value: 7

Staff: 6

Can't wait to have some guests in Melbourne again!
may.

Dancing Goat Café's Mini Marzocco and Mini Buns.

I just had the best breakfast I've ever had in a long time. I actually rushed home to blog about this one, while it's still fresh in my head.

I took Jason to Patricia's (post coming soon!) for an early morning coffee since he wasn't with me the first time I went. And when I say early, I mean, 7.15-am-out-of-the-house early. I remembered reading on Fatboo's Hidden Coffee Trail that Dancing Goat was near Patricia's, and that they serve breakfast there so we decided to give it a go.

Dancing Goat Café
Shop 4, 280 King Street Melbourne VIC
03 9670 4002
https://www.facebook.com/DancingGoatMelbourne
Mon - Fri, 7am - 4pm

It was quite a walk, from home, to Patricia's (Lt Bourke/Lt William), to Dancing Goat. I was really hoping that the food wouldn't let me down after all that walking, and it didn't. There were two staff members working at the time, and both of them were really friendly. I even had a chat with the owner about her camera.

The place was relatively empty at about 8am, but not for long. It wasn't crowded with a long line, but there was a little but of a buzz from a few walk-ins and take-aways.

You probably wouldn't notice the crazy, colourful paintings on the walls until you sit down. They're all for sale, painted by one of the owner's cousins (brother? cousin?).

It's a mini Marzocco! 

We were lucky that out trip here wasn't a week earlier; they've just changed their menu and their supplier of the buns (Dench Bakers). The muffins were freshly baked, but both Jason and I couldn't stomach any more food after we were done, it was too early in the morning.

Soy latté, $4.40, Strong latté, $3.80.

We had our usual coffees, but Jason's palette was a little clouded from the coffee he just had from Patricia's. I liked the coffee there. Ironically enough, I've developed a strong liking for Seven Seed's beans. The soy is a little pricier than the average, though the low price of the food probably makes up for that.

Twice cooked 24 hour beef ribs: marinated, braised, and roasted beef ribs with spinach and a pickle, $3.90. 

According to the menu, it's 'magic' and I honestly agree. The beef tasted so good after all that work put into making it. I wish I bought another to take home. It was great that the pickle wasn't the mega salty, fast food quality kind.

Proscuitto di Parma with feta and herb ricotta, $3.50.

The feta and herb ricotta was really, really good. It was soft, tasty, and it went well with the proscuitto, and the whole bun too actually.

Pesto bocconcini tomato, $3.50

It's simple, and it was good. The slow roasted tomato really cut through the bocconcini, and the basil pesto was really aromatic. It sounds boring, but it doesn't taste boring.

Brekkie bun: crispy bacon and free range egg with a tomato chutney, $3.50.

I didn't taste much of this, but I tasted enough of the chutney to like it. It had a very nice, smokey, onion flavour to it, and the egg was cooked well enough to give the bun a different texture.

Field mushrooms roasted with thyme and garlic, with a (very) generous dollop of herbed ricotta, $3.50.

Of course I had to take the bun with mushrooms in it. How could i not?! I really don't know what crack they've put into the ricotta, and the mushrooms were just as good as the ones from Three Bags Full.

Roasted eggplant with truffle goats cheese and red onion, $3.50.

There were quite a few people waiting for coffee, so I think she left this one in the toaster a little longer cause it came a little flat. No matter, it just made the bun a little crunchier. The goats cheese went really well with the eggplant, though we both thought it was sour cream at first.

Aren't they cute?! Man, I feel like going back there NOW to try out the rest of the buns. But no.. I will control myself.. I will not.

All their mini buns on display are also on the menu, so you don't have to second guess which is which. The ticks are what they had so far while we were there. At least I've got a kind of checklist of what I've yet to try next! 

I would suggest going in a little later than 8am for you to be able to choose from the full range of mini buns. I saw them putting up a tray of another type when we were about to leave. It's okay though, I know I'll definitely return relatively soon.

Throughout our meal, I've concluded that they've got a relatively big return customer base cause the owner kept greeting quite a number of customers by name. Now that's what I call good relationship marketing (heh, I'm doing a lot of revision for Principles of Marketing now, sorry). 

Food: 9

Coffee: 7

Ambience: 7

Value: 8.5

Staff: 8.5

Is anyone going for JinnyBoyTV's showcase today?

may.

Getting naked ...espresso.

I've heard about Naked Espresso many times, and I've seen it once or twice when walking to Hardware Lane along Little Bourke. Decided to give it a try on a Friday morning, since it isn't open on weekends.

Naked Espresso Bar
390 Little Bourke Street
03 9670 3569
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naked-Espresso-Bar/173148329414285
Mon - Fri, 7am - 4pm

It's a very small café and it might be a little hard to spot if you don't pay attention to your surroundings or look up for the signboard. It's just a shop or two away from the intersection of Little Bourke and Hardware Lane.

I've been seeing La Marzocco machines in so many of the cafés I've been to. This one in particular was gleaming and shiny. Aunt Petunia (Harry Potter's aunt who's been rumoured to have OCD) would've been proud.

I like the look of the glass cloches, displaying pretty sweets under it. Adds a little bit of character to the place.

The menu is rather limited, and I was surprised the bagels that everyone was talking about wasn't on it. Maybe the menu changes by the day. I should've asked. Hmmm. The pricing was quite reasonable as well.

Soy latté, $4.40.

The price of my coffee threw me off a little cause I usually pay about $4 at most. At first, the coffee tasted bitter and I didn't like it. But after a few sips, the bitterness went away and the taste of the coffee got better with every sip. I think it was just the bit of créma on top with the froth that gave out the bitterness.

Double espresso, $3.90. (Proud Mary, Guatemala San Jorge)

The espresso was really good. It came with an equal portion of sparkling water, probably to cleanse the palette after sipping on such a strong taste. One tiny sip, and you get a massive explosion of coffee flavour. I may not be very patient when it comes to drinking my coffee, but I'd be willing to slow it down just for this.

Tabasco baked eggs, $10

For $10, this was actually pretty good. Cheese, eggs, and a mixture of different types of beans at the bottom, distinctly layered. I liked how they called it Tabasco eggs, yet they give their customers the choice of how much Tabasco they'd like by giving a bottle instead of just drizzling a set amount.

Toasted sourdough bread would've been a better choice though. Something as soft or gooey as baked eggs should have a bit of a crunch, just to add a different texture to it, as opposed to soft-ish white bread.

Porridge with coconut, apricots, dates and currants, $9

By porridge, of course, they mean oats. I had a taste too, and we both loved the dates in the dish. The apricots didn't seem to add any taste, and the taste of the coconut didn't seem to come out in comparison to the amount. Iryan reckons the taste of the currants was shadowed by the sweetness of the dates. The milk added a bit more flavour to the dish too.

Overall, the food was pretty okay. Not something I'd repetitively go on and on about. The coffee was good too, but it was on the pricier side. We both loved how the food was so well presented: on wooden chopping boards, good choice of colours, etc.

Thanks for following me out again! It great to have so many people around me who love food and coffee so I can get more input. 

Food: 6.5

Coffee: 7

Ambience: 8

Value: 6

Staff: 7

afor two internships: same company, different countries. fingers crossed!

may. 

Baos, baos, and more baos from Wonderbao.

/ this post has been edited from a previous post. it is just a compilation of two out of many trips to Wonderbao, i did it to get the posts' structure to look a little better /

Jason and i jumped up and nearly rushed out the door a few Sundays ago to check out Wonderbao, this place that recently opened about 150 meters away from where we live. Thank god i checked out the opening hours online and found out that they were closed. Decided to go a few day later, cause, really, we can never say no to bao(pau)s.

Wonderbao

Shop 4/19-37 A'Beckett St, Melbourne VIC 3000

03 9654 7887
https://www.facebook.com/wonderbaokitchen
Mon - Fri, 8am - 6pm, Sat 11pm - 4pm

The place was empty; no customers and one staff member (probably the owner). Maybe because it was 8.30am.. yeah. Maybe. 

They had a caldron of soya milk.. nothing beats Jenny Hong back in KL, but it feels good to have soy milk that's not from a box. If you like the raw, soya milk taste sans the sugar that usually comes with it, then this is a good choice.

Cheung chay bao (chinese sausage), $2

Da pork bao (egg, shiitake mushroom, chinese sausage), $3.20

Char siu bao (bbq pork), $2

Nai wong bao (custard), $1.70

The filling for both the chinese sausage and char siu baos were little, but for $2, you can't expect THAT much filling. The da pork bao (and da chicken bao, below) is worth the money; 'da' i'm assuming refers to 'big' in mandarin, and it was sufficient to fill you up a bit on it's own. The nai wong bao, while pretty alright, isn't the normal nai wong baos that I've had, the custard wasn't as 'Asian'-ny as the usual. 

Chai bao (shiitake mushroom, tofu and veggies), $2.

The chai bao tasted alright, nothing for me to sing and shout about at the top of my lungs; maybe it's cause I'm not the biggest fan of vegetable baos.

I was pretty happy with breakfast that day, though I was a bit disappointed that it was too early to grab the braised/roast pork belly gua bao. Went back the next day just for their gua baos.

Fried silky tofu gua bao with pickled mustard, coriander, sweet soy sauce and crushed peanuts, $3.80

Braised pork belly gua bao with picked mustard, coriander and crushed peanuts, $3.80

Roast pork belly gua bao with cucumber, pickled carrots and daikon and hoisin sauce, $3.80

I don't remember much about both the pork baos, but I remembered them being pretty good in flavour. The nuts on top made it a little messy to eat, but maybe that's the point. My favourite is the tofu gua bao though: I rarely pay the same price for a non-meat options but i've been back for the tofu gua bao  multiple times. 

And take three for the remaining baos i've yet to try! Hurr hurr.

Taro bao, $1.70

Da chicken bao with egg and shiitake mushroom, $3.20

The taro bao is really, really good. It's nothing like I've ever tasted before, so it had a different twist to it. It's the other bao that I've been going back for multiple times. 

I've tried everything on their menu in three days.. Not sure if that's a good thing or not. The baos itself were good: sweet in taste and fluffy in texture. Personally, i'd go back for a tofu gua bao if i feel like having a heavy snack, and the taro bao if i want something light.

Feels good to have great baos (usually i'd spell it pau, but just so no one gets confused here..). Usually we'd go to Nam Loong near Russell/Lonsdale, but probably not anymore unless I want the old-school coffee-shop style baos. I really hope Wonderbao's business goes well and it seems like it will.. It was full and had a pretty decent line when we went there the other day at about 1.30pm. A bit of a surprise since it was pretty empty for our previous two visits.

You probably can't imagine the look on my face when i saw about 20 bottles of sriracha* lying around the shop. 

*in my personal opinion, the best condiment in the world and one of Thailand's many gifts to the culinary world. 

Would i go back there? Uhm, I already have, multiple times. There's something about places that sell snack-like food (like Green lol) that would definitely keep me coming back. And I did, multiple, multiple times.

Food: 8

Coffee: N/A

Ambience: 6

Value: 7

Staff: 8

I think i'll go get more baos now.

may.