Milk & Honey Nashville

I've been to Nashville quite a few times now, but rarely have I had the chance to grab a good brunch. Luck would have it that on a lovely Friday mid-Spring, I would up in Nashville within walking distance of Milk & Honey, a cafe that came highly recommended by a local friend.

Milk & Honey Nashville

A charming cafe by day, and a hip bar by night, it's a beautifully laid out, casual space with a great breakfast menu, and extensive drink options. Of course, I settled for a cold brew with a splash of coconut milk, perfect for the early heat of the day.

Cold Brew

Smooth and delicious, the delicious drink boded well for the food to come. The brunch menu has a heavy focus on sandwiches and bagels, but also has a reasonable selection of what they call "Other Good Stuff", including Shakshuka, Omeletes, Chicken & Waffles, and my order, the Hodgepodge Hash.

Hodgepodge Hash

This was a lot of food. With roasted red potatoes, sweet potatoes, pastrami, sausage, sauteed veggies and peppers, caramelized onion, pickled red onion, chipotle crema, feta, and cilantro, all topped with an egg, it was certainly a busy dish. Busy, but undeniably tasty. And filling. 

With a choice of sides, the fresh fruit seemed like the sensible option to offset the heaviness of the dish. All pretty reasonably priced too at $14 (pre-tax & tip of course).

My dining companion chose something a little less messy, but no less indulgent and delicious.

Alabama Pork Biscuit

Because when in the South, why not have a rich Biscuit for breakfast? With pork confit, caramelized onion, Alabama white sauce, white cheddar, onion spread, and an egg, it's a gratifying breakfast, smothered with silky yolk. What's not to love. 

Milk & Honey is a great choice for brunch to celebrate and indulge in food and life, with rich dishes and smooth coffee. Good service and a fun atmosphere top it all off, and I look forward to returning next time I'm in Nashville.

Milk & Honey Nashville
214 11th Ave S, Nashville, TN, USA
Sun - Thu 6:30am - 10:00pm, Fri - Sat 6:30am - 11:00pm

Bowery to Williamsburg

So it's been roughly a lifetime since I last posted, but the itch to blog about some of the food I consumed last time I was in Melbourne has caught up with me. Most of the pictures from my dining adventures turned out fairly blurry, so this might be a limited series.

First up though, a post on an American-inspired cafe in the CBD: Bowery to Williamsburg.

As a side note, living in America, I find the new wave of American-inspired restaurants in Melbourne amusing although somewhat strange (because I haven't found American food on the whole to be all that appealing). Regardless, I came for the company and the coffee and wasn't disappointed.

Long Black

Serving Padre coffee, there's definitely something to be admired about the silky smoothness of Melbourne coffee. My taste-buds may have been burnt by my time overseas, but this was a wonderful cup of coffee, with the sweet taste of being home. 

I was unfortunately less enamored with the food. I ordered the Lox & Potato Latkes consisting of mezcal & cucumber cured lox salmon, zucchini and potato latkes, horseradish, picked fennel, asparagus and poached eggs.

Lox & Potato Latkes

While the eggs were perfectly poached, and the salmon tender, I was sad to find the potatoes weren't crispy, and overall that the dish rather lacking in flavour. Which is surprising given the ingredients should have combined wonderfully.

My dining companions ordered the vegetarian version of the Shakshouka baked eggs:

Shakshouka Baked Eggs with Zatar Pita

The vegetarian version included sweet potato, silverbeet, feta and pinenuts. I didn't taste it, but the dish got both their stamp of approval, and their kiddo's (who ate most of the eggs). Their better informed view of the food in general is that "their burgers really are the star, but their brunch options are varied and fun". 

Being a bit behind on the Melbourne food scene these days, I feel like Bowery to Williamsburg is a pretty standard foodie cafe: good coffee, interesting (although not necessarily the tastiest in Melbourne) dishes, efficient service, and a bustling atmosphere with a line pretty much any time of day.

Bowery to Williamsburg

Mon-Sat 730am-3pm, Sun 830am-3pm

Top Paddock

One critical item on any itinerary when in Melbourne is to enjoy brunch with some friends. Indeed, what better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than catching up with friends over a Melbourne coffee and good food.

Top Paddock was a central location and given we were after a late lunch, seemed a good option to for delicious grub and (hopefully) not to long of a wait. Getting there at 2pm meant we snagged a table without effort as their rush hours seem to coincide with more traditional brunch times.

First order of the day was to get some caffeine into me (long black, no sugar) - living in the US, you really appreciate how wonderful Melbourne coffee is. Don't you lucky Melbourne residents take this for granted, ok?

The coffee is Five Senses, and much of the produce is locally sourced (from paddock to table, get it?). The menu itself is typical brunch fare;  almost all the dishes featured some kind of egg but there were still enough variety, and an interesting Spanish spin, that deciding what to eat was still a difficult choice.

I ended up with this:

Roasted kipfler potato & leek omelette with padron peppers & taleggio on toast

Not particularly pretty but very patriotic with the green and gold. Since my last trip to Spain, I've had a craving for padron peppers. This didn't really satisfy the cravings given they were really for the roasted peppers, smothered in salt, with the occasional hot one to spice things up. 

I digress however, and this omelette was rich and filling, and the flavours worked together quite well, although I wish I had added a sprinkle of salt over the top. Really, that was my fault given I had ordered it without the taleggio (and got teasingly reprimanded by the waiter for that). I can appreciate how the addition of the cheese would have completed the dish. 

My dining companion were happy with there orders too, and in the process, taught me quite a lot about all the different types of cheese on offer.

Grilled broccolini & sugar snaps with avocado, toasted almonds, poached eggs & heidi racelette on toast

White anchovies & Jamon serrano with fried eggs, padron peppers & manchego on toast

Eggs benedict: poached eggs with hamhock & béarnaise on toast

Did I mention that I really, really miss Melbourne brunches?

Overall, it's understandable why Top Paddock is so popular. The coffee is great, the produce is fresh and mostly local, the dishes are interesting and the waitstaff are friendly and efficient. The space is airy and on a beautiful day, the patio is wonderful to relax on. What's not to love about Top Paddock,  except for the almost guaranteed wait for a table that is. 

Top Paddock

Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm

Krimper Cafe

You know when I said the my last post was final entry in my Melbourne series? Well, I lied. Not deliberately of course, but there was one more review hiding in my drafts.

It's a cliche, but one of things I miss most about Melbourne is the coffee culture. The little laneways, the hidden cafes, the great waft of fresh coffee as you walk through a heavy wooden door into a warehouse-like space. Sound familiar? This description could apply to every second cafe in Melbourne but that doesn't stop it from being impressive/comforting never the less.

Krimper Cafe

The menu is of course very different now to when I dined there with some wonderful friends, but at least one things stays the same: the coffee.

Espresso

A delicious roast by Proud Mary. You just don't get that type of coffee here in the States!

The lunch options on the day we dined there were varied and could easily be classified as modern-comfort food. Taking a quick look at the current menu, at least that theme hasn't changed with hearty sandwiches, a duck-meat shephard's pie, green risotto and winter salad on offer.

We dined on a glorious rendition of salmon and eggs:

Salmon & Eggs

Crispy skinned salmon that was lightly seasoned, fresh greens, sweet grilled cherry tomatoes, a slice of potato (because you always need some sort of 'hash brown'), pickled onions and of course, a crumbed egg.

Yolk, Glorious Yolk

Not quite as perfect as a Scotch Egg (because meat mince makes it inevitably better) but delicious anyway. Look at the runny yolk and try to not be seduced by it. Well, younger me would have hated it but I was much picker in my teenage years after all. 

Also ordered was a board special (so you'll have to excuse my memory) featuring duck. 

Duck Dish

You can see that it's slightly pink, and I did find that the meat was slightly on the tough side, but where else can you get a generous serving of duck for <$25? Well, I could never go past half a roast duck from Chinatown but this is a little bit classier and had a much more refined taste. The salad was a refreshing counterpoint to the oiliness of the meat as well. 

Krimper is one of those cafes I could see being a regular haunt if I worked in the Melbourne CBD. With an interesting variety of dishes, friendly staff,  funky atmosphere and most importantly, great coffee, it's got a lot going for it. The location is a little hard to track down, but once you've found it, it's definitely worth a return trip. 

Krimper Cafe

Mon-Fri 7am-5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-4pm

Brenda's French Soul Food

It's always a challenge finding a place to take out-of-town visitors for brunch when you still don't know the city yourself very well. This time though, I outsourced location-finding duties to the said visitors, mainly because I knew they'd be both thorough in their research, and interested in finding good food.

So we ended up at the very well reviewed Brenda's French Soul Food for a weekday brunch. A busy day was underway so I was thankful to start with a large cup of black coffee.

Community Coffee with Chicory

The coffee was more interesting than the usual fare I've been drinking with the hints of chicory, but my opinion that Melbourne does a better coffee is thoroughly in place. Still, caffeine is caffeine.

The first section on the brunch menu are beignets; New Orleans flavoured donuts. They were incredibly tempting but this was one day where a sugar-rush would just not do. An order for a return visit perhaps? 

The remaining sections of the menu are more standard brunch options with plenty of egg dishes, pancakes and french toast, and sides including grits (ground-corn) and biscuits. 

Having never had Creole food before, I played it safe with a Creole Veggie Omelette (which made me feel like I was branching out a little, but not so far as to have crispy oysters for breakfast).

Creole Veggie Omelette

Creole Veggie Omelette

With plenty of vegetables in the form of corn, tomato, bell peppers and spinach, it was light but satisfying. I opted for an omelette without cheddar cheese so the omelette itself needed quite a bit of salt/Tabasco. I think it would have been great with the cheese though if that's your thing. 

On the side were breakfast potatoes (great and crispy) and a biscuit (not so great being too sweet for my liking).

One of my dining companions ordered 'Two Nice Big, Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes' and that's exactly what arrived at the table.

Buttermilk Pancakes

These are monstrously sized pancakes by my standards but they were incredibly fluffy and so didn't sit too heavily. With some maple syrup and a size of bacon they were a great pancake dish.

My other dining companion ordered the egg and bacon tartine with grits on the side.

Egg & Bacon Tartine

With bacon, scrambled eggs, gruyère and tomato-bacon relish on toasted french roll, this was a proper breakfast open-face sandwich. It's hard to go wrong taste-wise with crispy bacon, creamy scrambled eggs and melted cheese. A side of grits adds a serving of almost-vegetables, making this a complete meal. 

Overall I was impressed with Brenda's French Soul Food and certainly intend to return for brunch and to try the interesting donuts. The place was cosy, with high quality food, large servings and efficient service. It can get pretty busy though, so if you plan on going, plan on waiting in line for a while.  

Brenda's French Soul Food

Mon-Tue 8am-3pm, Wed-Sat 8am-10pm, Sun 8am-8pm

Third Wave Cafe, Prahran

There’s a successful cafe in Port Melbourne called Third Wave Cafe, and they’ve opened up a second location in Prahran. I’ve not been to North Melbourne’s incarnation, but if it’s anything like the Prahran one, it’s probably pretty decent.

I ordered their baked eggs, because I hate the roof of my mouth. In all seriousness, I do not have the patience for baked eggs, and should never allow myself to order it… but if I was going to break that rule, Third Wave was the place to do it. Specifically, they offer Spicy Ratatouille Baked Eggs, and as I had a vegetable craving, I was compelled to choose it. It didn’t disappoint: the vegetables are primarily very juicy peppers and eggplant, complemented with a decently spicy sauce. The sauce is strongly-flavoured, which I loved, but if you’re someone who doesn’t enjoy an intense curry flavour, your mileage may vary.

My friend grabbed the special omelette, mostly on the strength of the promised hot smoked salmon within. You see a lot of cold smoked salmon around the place, so when a hot salmon turns up, you’ve got to go for it. The omelette was I believe an egg white omelette, and almost disconcertingly well-formed. I’ve been burned by some desperately attractive omelettes in the past that have been somewhat bland, but here the egg, hot salmon and cheese worked together beautifully.

By itself, you might have accused the meal of being overly rich. But this was avoided by a delicious herb-salad arrangement with fresh mint, chives and dill. Maybe I’m not well-travelled enough to have had omelettes with salads before, but I like it. Add a bit of crisp and tasty herbs to a mouthful of delicious omelette, and suddenly it feels a lot more like a meal and less like an indulgence.

It's worth mentioning that the Prahran branch of Third Wave is into the Paleolithic era in a big way. While they don’t worship half-human, half-animal creatures… that I know of… they do provide a full Paleo menu. You can check out the thinking behind the Paleolithic diet if you like, as well as some of the controversies… but regardless of how accurate the term is, those of you with gluten or dairy sensitivities will appreciate it.

I feel like I should talk about the coffee, but it’s hard to say much as I only really have three levels for coffee: excellent, inoffensive, and oh my god someone has given me a soy latté by accident. So, er: the coffee was excellent.

I’d recommend Third Wave: our meals were delicious, and a little different to the usual fare. And if you get there while they’re new, you can snag yourself a fantastic breakfast without the hassle of fighting for a table.

Third Wave Cafe

Prahran, VIC 3181

Orange Windsor

Sometimes the Melbourne weather is so spectacular that you don't really care where you end up. Such was the case that a small group of friends wandered down Chapel St and into the unassuming little restaurant/cafe, Orange Windsor. 

Orange Windsor

Being seated in the outdoor area out the back had its upsides and downsides; the early spring weather was gloriously warm, but it meant that the waitstaff had a tendency to forget about us. Which meant waiting so long for water that I ended up walking up to ask the staff again, and a fairly long wait for our lunch to arrive. 

The menu itself is an eclectic mix of Modern Australian, with Italian, Spanish and French influences thrown in for good measure. Fairly key to an Australian menu however is a good steak burger/sandwich and this one was fairly impressive. 

Steak Sandwich

With Black Angus minute steak, Gruyere cheese, onion jam, snowpea tendrils and pimento aioli all encase in lovely, soft turkish bread, it is a winner even before you decide to add in the bacon. 

Steak Sandwich

There are a lot of flavours going on in this, but sometimes that's a good thing. You can't call this burger subtle though. 

For those after lighter fare, the roast chicken salad was approved by its consumer.

Roast Chicken Salad

I did think the serving was a bit small, and the salad greens seemed half-hearted, but the pickled carrot and radish added interest.

The dish I ordered ended up being significantly smaller than I expected. 

Pumpkin Gnocchi

I'm not usually one to put prices on this blog, but $20 for this tiny plate of gnocchi seemed a rip-off! I understand that gnocchi can be fairly filling, but this was nowhere close to the size I'd expect for a main. Admittedly, it was tasty, but that doesn't make up for the sizing sin. 

Last but not least was the calamari.

Calamari

This dish was cooked well with tender calamari that weren't stringy at all, coated with a suitably light batter accented with pimento and schezwan (I feel the urge to add 'pepper' to the end of that for completeness, but what they have on the menu is what they have). This at least wasn't a bad deal in terms of size vs. price ratio.

While we enjoyed our time at Orange Windsor, it wasn't without its faults. The service was friendly but annoyingly slow, and the serving sizes were smaller than expected for most of the dishes. While well made for the most part, I can't see Orange being a place that you'd actually plan to go to. 

Orange
124 -
Mon-Sun 730am-1am

Little Tommy Tucker

Little Tommy Tucker is a sneaky little café on Centre Road in Bentleigh. I say sneaky, because even though my friend and I were specifically looking for it, we almost walked right past it. But we didn’t, because of all the people. Tommy is a popular boy, and rightly so.

We snuck in around lunch time and snagged a table for two: very soon we were told with some regret that the zucchini cake was unavailable. It turns out that this is the first rule of Little Tommy Tucker: get there early if you want guaranteed zucchini deliciousness. Instead, I went for the Eggs Benedict with Ham Hock—I hadn’t had one for a while, and someone on Foursquare boldly declared it to be the best breakfasts he’d ever had. I was not disappointed.

A lot of the time, eggs benedict feels like a hollandaise sauce delivery mechanism: all the flavours, especially the ham, get subsumed in creamy sweetness. This ham hock, however, really took the fight to the hollandaise: juicy, delicious and very generously proportioned. The effect was, indeed, one of the best benedicts I can remember consuming. I very much appreciated a sprinkle of greenery on top, as well. I don’t, strictly speaking, remember if it affected the taste, but it made the dish look far more appetising than the usual explosion of sauce.

My friend went for the lamb with chilli scrambled eggs. We later found out she’d ordered the dish most popular with dudes, but it turns out it has cross-gender appeal.

Despite not being a huge lamb-fan, she loved it: a decent serving, but not so huge that she couldn’t get through it. More importantly, it was not so small that I didn’t get a few mouthfuls. In general, I’m of the opinion that the addition of chilli to anything will improve it: these scrambled eggs did not contradict me.

A big endorsement for Tucker was the fact that we were desperate to come back: a few weeks later we did, and finally managed to get a zucchini cake (the last one of the day!). This, for those keeping track, is the most popular menu item with the ladies.

The texture of the cake was perfectly soft and moist. I have fond memories of my Granny's zucchini slices, but even with these in mind, the flavour was excellent, and even better with the asparagus. This meal’s a bit smaller than some of the others, but still perfectly filling: a good choice if perhaps you don’t want to stuff your face with the best ham hock you’ve ever tasted.

The service on both occasions was excellent and attentive: I was never wanting for coffee, which was good, because the Dukes coffee on offer was pretty delicious. All in all, this is one of my favourite cafés in the south of Melbourne: the only strong rival I can think of is The Little Ox… which is also “Little”. Coincidence? Well, yes.

Little Tommy Tucker

Bentleigh, VIC 3204

Guerilla Cafe

It's always comforting to see a friendly face from your past when you've transplanted to a new city. When I caught up with an old acquaintance, we realised that we've known each other for 10 years. 10 years. Now spanning over three cities, it amazing how big and how small the world seems at the same time. 

Keen to explore my new neighbourhood, we caught up at North Berkeley favourite, Guerilla Cafe. It was an absolutely glorious day, so it was no surprise that the cafe was a popular choice. We managed to squeeze in at the bar stools, and happily chatted away while watching our brunch being prepared.

Guerilla Cafe

I'm still getting used to American coffee, and in general find it too weak. I suppose it's my fault for ordering a watered-down espresso this time around. Still, I've had many worse cups during my time here.

Americano

I wanted a wholesome breakfast, and luckily there were many healthy choices on the menu. After some deliberation, I ended up with the Mediterranean Plate. 

Mediterranean Plate

With two poached eggs, tomatoes, olives, feta and cucumber, it was both filling and refreshing. I resisted the urge to lather my warm bread with butter, but with such fresh, healthy ingredients otherwise, maybe I could have gotten away with a little indulgence.

What looked even more indulgent, and what I hear is actually the must-order from the menu, were the waffles.

Waffle of the Day

With waffle presented as beautifully as that, how could your day not start off on a great note? Fresh fruit, organic pure maple syrup and creme fraiche, it's simple yet decadent. Perhaps it should be paired for a fruit bowl to get the full feeling of summer, even as we transition into autumn. 

Guerilla Cafe is definitely a funky, popular cafe in a desirable location. Plenty of vegetarian options abound, with just the right amount of indulgence on offer for those lazy Sundays. Service is friendly and efficient but the space is small so be prepared for a potential wait. My idea of the perfect coffee is still not available here, but the food is worth returning for.  

Guerilla Cafe

, Berkeley

Mon 7am-2pm, Tue-Fri 7am-430pm, Sat-Sun 8am-430pm

Operator25

One thing that I love about Melbourne is the cafe culture; the cheerful familiarity that is seen in almost every establishment, the promise of at least half-decent coffee and a refuge from the crazy weather that we endure. Of course, San Francisco has it's own (decent) culture, but it's just not the same. A little more drive perhaps, and certainly a lot more people.  

With a quick pit-stop back in Melbourne planned, I was surprised to find an invitation from Operator25 in my inbox that fit perfectly into my schedule. An opportunity to try out a new Melbourne cafe while on a rare day off from work? Yes please!

Operator25

The name Operator25 references the history of the location: change building in Melbourne. The interior is sleek but a little bare at the moment - I'm told murals have been commissioned to liven up the atmosphere. A menu designed by ex-Bacash chefs Valerie and Felipe is a mixture of breakfast and lunch items, all with a distinct contemporary Australian flair. As they say, there really is a little bit of something for everyone. With this back-story, I couldn't wait to try a few items on the menu.

Operator25

First up, some CodeBlack Coffee. Have I mentioned how much I've missed Melbourne coffee? Especially when it's as delicate as this brew. While not a hard-hitting shot of flavour, it certainly showcases how simple can equal simply good.

CodeBlack Coffee

At Valerie's recommendation, we ordered two dishes to share. I know sweets are meant to come after savoury dishes, but the ricotta pancakes looked too good to not dig into straight away. So much so, that I forgot to take an Instagram photo before it was already half-demolished (bad food blogger!).

Ricotta Pancakes with Seasonal Fruits, Maple Syrup, Pecan Crumbs and Vanilla Ice Cream

The pancakes were beautifully light and not too sweet, with the fresh berries and pecan shards being good accompaniments. Not as good as ice-cream, especially for breakfast, and overall, I thought this dish was a winner.

The next dish was a twist on an old classic:

House Benedict with Potato Rosti, Cold Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs and Chives Hollandaise

Changing the English muffin base to a Swiss Rosti? Genius! Unfortunately it wasn't perfectly executed as the potato could have done with a little more time in the pan to give an extra crispy outside and thoroughly good center. My gold-standard for rosti is one made by a Swiss chef at a cafe that's now changed hands so I guess that's an unfair Swiss advantage. Overall for this dish, and for the menu as a whole really, the philosophy of using good quality ingredients certainly paid off as the cold smoked salmon was perfectly translucent to look at, and beautifully elegant in flavour. A nice, runny egg-yolk always brings a smile to my face.

House Benedict with Potato Rosti, Cold Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs and Chives Hollandaise

Overall, I loved breakfast at Operator25. Sure there are still some kinks to iron out in getting the menu perfect but for the most part, the food is fresh, honest and delicious, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is relaxed. A return visit may warrant trying out the Baked Eggs with Chorizito (chorizo's more glamorous cousin) and the Sweet Corn Fritters. It's about time that some decent food made it's way up to this end of the Melbourne CBD.

Thanks again to the wonderful team at Operator25 - you guys made for a memorable meal and morning.

We dined as guests of Operator25. .

Operator25

Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm