Welcome to 3AW. Skip directly to: Search Box, Section Navigation, Content.

3AW - Fairfax Radio Network

Tuesday May 22, 2012

What we're talking about

Ela Carte's Tale of Two Breakfasts

Posted by: Ela Carte | 8 April, 2011 - 10:42 AM
Breakfast of Champignons at Duchess of Spotswood - 87 Hudsons Road Spotswood

A Tale of Two Breakfasts: Duchess of Spotswood – 87 Hudsons Road Spotswood  
Tom Phat – 184 Sydney Road Brunswick – www.tomphat.com.au

Duchess of Spotswood:

Tucked away in a small street in Spotswood, this café is a true oasis. So many simple things going for it - Simple but beautiful décor, faded timber tables, a butchers bench, chandelier and big bright windows. It’s light, and airy, and has a calm, relaxing feel (which is helped by the friendly smile and attention as soon as you walk in the door).

This is quite a menu, so extensive it’s hard to explain without listing the entire thing. Definite inspirations from old England, you can’t ignore the house made black pudding, salt cured trumpeter, stilton or cured ocean trout. The names of dishes alone are both mouthwatering and entertaining – from the Duchess of Pork (which contains crispy pig’s jowl), to Idle Tongues (with, yes, ox tongue) and Stormin’ Norman (featuring griddled ham and hand cut chips).

Exotic ingredients aside, it is possible to order your own favourite combination of bacon and eggs, which is exactly what Ruth Serum did – settling for poached eggs, dry cured bacon, field mushrooms and house made beans. Top quality ingredients all the way.

I decided on the wonderfully named “Breakfast of Champignons”, a crispy but gooey potato and barley hash topped with dark, dark field mushrooms and melted English Stilton, with toast and perfectly poached egg on the side. With my eyes bigger than my mid-morning post-show tummy, I was understandably concerned about the rich sounding combination, but was well with my world.

Speaking of calmness, and light, and laid back breakfast is all well and good, but it is only fair to warn you that this was devoured on a Thursday morning, and every indication I have is that sidling up to this place on a Saturday or Sunday brunch would no doubt be somewhat of a more hectic experience. You can’t book, and they do get unbelievably busy, but Duchess staff take numbers and will encourage you to have a wander and await a call and a table. At just two or three minutes from the West Gate, it’s but it is well worth the journey whether you live in the west or some way the other side of the bridge.

Tom Phat:
Not your average poached eggs with hollandaise, Tom Phat is proudly serving Asian inspired dishes at any time of the day, but I particularly love their broad, almost whacky breakfast menu.

Relaxed warm interior, laid back staff, kid friendly – it’s an easy spot to meet at and enjoy good tucker, particularly mid week. If you’re really not adventurous, you can get yourself some poached eggs, muesli or boring fruit toast, but if you want to taste the orient without leaving our shores, you’ll be inspired by the roti omelette tossed with bacon, chives and roasted tomato salsa; the baked beans with braised pork ribs, tomato, star anise and cassia with toast; or maybe even the wok kingfish with rice, eggs, curry leaves, cherry tomatoes and lime!

From the paper menu, we gave Uncle Ho’s breakfast a try – a grilled, marinated pork chop, crispy friend egg, tomato, cucumber and rice. A great change if you’re over bread and cereal, although expected the pork to be a bit sweeter or stickier.

The standout was one of the daily specials, an asian herb omelette with prawns, pork, basil, coriander, mint and nouk cham dipping sauce. What a flavour explosion! I loved it, and I’m really not one to order omelettes. Brilliant combination of sweet and sour, from fish sauce to sticky pork, fresh herbs and cruncy julienned vegies on top. This was such an enjoyable dish; and a reminder that breakfast simply doesn’t have to be boring or lumbered with carbs and fried foods.

3AW Food - Eating Melbourne

3AW Food 3AW is Food: Melburnians love to eat so it's fortunate we live in the culinary capital of Australia. On this dedicated food page you will find the latest recipes by Bob Hart as well as Tony Leonard's Pub of the Week reviews. La Luna head chef Adrian Richardson also serves up a dish from his own cook book and food reviewer Ela Carte visits one of Melbourne's hottest eateries weekly.

Blog comments Your Say

Post a comment * Mandatory fields