Spilt Milk

Welcome to Carnegie's very own Spilt Milk. A newcomer to Carnegie, Spilt Milk has certainly made an impression with the locals. And not just the locals have they got tied around their little finger, having made a name for themselves in The Age Good Cafe Guide 2013, Spilt Milk is attracting coffee enthusiasts far and wide.

Rosella

For me, I chose the Rosella - a chicken salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, walnuts, croutons, and cranberries drizzled in honey, with a side of spiced aioli. All of which were attending a party in my mouth. In just one mouthful, there was a wonderful play in taste and texture, from the buttery walnuts, sweet cranberries to the creamy spicy aioli. However, one thing I did notice was that the salad leaves were a little bruised. No doubt that they were fresh, I assume the chef was just a little rough when handling these delicate greens. Nonetheless, a very impressive salad !

Toucan

When I think of toucans, I think of brightly marked colourful bills. And here, we see Spilt Milk translate those characteristics of a toucan to this dish. Vibrant colours of red juicy tomato, freshly picked green basil,  a spread of earth green nutty avocado, and buffalo mozzarella on rye toast with reduced vinegarette and olive oil. 

With such personal friendly service, affordable pricing and amazing coffees,  Spilt Milk is now my definite go to for caffeine hits.  Here, there is definitely no crying over spilt milk.


Spilt Milk
288 Neerim Road 
Carnegie

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Huff Bagelry

So what do I do, when my exam is just around the corner ? Obviously, the answer is spend hours choosing where to eat, eating and then add a few more hours on to blog about it. I know, procrastination at its best.  

Let me introduce you to the ever so popular Huff Bagelry. It's that café, the one with the endless streams of people in and out, in and out. You know the one. Upon walking in, you are greeted by the sweet smell of fresh bagels and aromatic coffee beans. Filled with warm lights, friendly smiles and colourful cushions, Huff felt extremely welcoming, like home.  Home sweet home. 

Soy Latte & Skinny Flat White

We started off with a coffee each, soy latte for him, and of course a skinny flat white for myself. I'd say it was a pretty decent cup of coffee and did it's job just fine.

Autumn Brekky Bagel

Oh, would you look at all that goodness ! Sandwiched between a crunchy garlic, salt and rosemary bagel was chopped egg, generous layers of ham, a delectable beetroot relish and melted cheese. Toasted, this baby was truly a great combination and we could not get enough of it. I'd love to see a new addition of a 'Winter Bagel', and what geniosity they would incorporate in it !

#3 Chicken aoli, lettuce & avocado

And here's C being an awesome hand model. C had originally ordered his # 3 with a poppy seed bagel, only learning minutes later that they were all sold out. And this was only at 1.00pm in the afternoon. Yeah, I told you Huff was popular. Given a few options, C chose the sesame, onion, garlic, salt and caraway bagel as a substitution. We had both started on the awesome Autumn Brekky Bagel and so had hopes for this dish. Not on par as the first, but still did the trick for a tasty lunch.

Here at Huff, I had nothing to huff and puff about. After a lovely lunch of delicious bagels and a promising caffeine hit, I was ready to go into study lockdown. 

Huff Bagelry
112 Koornang Road
Carnegie

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Capital Kitchen

I don't like eating at shopping centres. The food courts give me a headache, and inevitably, I end up going round and round in circles. Luckily, we had Capital Kitchen to brunch at. Situated around the corner from Tiffany&Co, Capital Kitchen sits with the big kids at Chadstone, the Fashion Capital.

Chicken Baguette & French Fries

My toasted Chicken Baguette was Scrumptious. Scrumptious with a capital S ! The heavenly aromas alone had me salivating like Pavlov's dogs. The buttery baguette was generously sized and filled to the brim with creamy chicken, smooth avocado, crunchy celery and fresh salad. 

To satisfy our fried food cravings, we could not look past the French Fries. Paired with a side of herb mayo, our golden shoestring fries dusted with herb salt were seriously addicting. Sated, we sat back and licked our fingers clean. 

Capital Kitchen made a delightful stop off point for a light tasty lunch and a place to rest our feet from a long day of shopping. All in all, Capital Kitchen scored well in my books and I will definitely be returning.  

Capital Kitchen

Shop G043, Chadstone Shopping Centre

Chadstone

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Shine Café Bar & Lounge

I've been going to The Glen a lot more recently these past few weeks. And boy are there a lot of eateries to choose from there. With a large hungry crowd of twelve, Shine made the perfect spot at The Glen to fill our rumbling tummies.

Salmon & Asparagus

I was stuck on choosing what to have for brunch today. Yes, me, the little piggy stuck in a rut. After much deliberation, and a recommendation from a friend that works at Shine, I chose the Salmon and Asparagus. I hardly order Eggs with hollandaise for two main reasons. One, it will go straight to my thighs. Two, hollandaise is really hit or miss. On arrival, my dish looked ever so sinful. We start with a toasted thick slice of ciabatta. This was followed by folds and folds of smoked salmon, crunchy spears of asparagus, and poached eggs all smothered in a golden chipotle hollandaise sauce. The addition of chipotle added a nice kick to the rich hollandaise. The dish overall filled the empty spot, or should I say hole in my stomach, but was nothing outstanding. I would have loved it if Shine had a few more bread options, like sourdough or multigrain. 

Jumbo Breakfast

Synonyms of jumbo: enormous - huge - vast - immense - gigantic - tremendous. 

I'm just going to let the dictionary do the talking in this one. Served up was toast, eggs lemon-thyme mushrooms, grilled tomato, sautéed baby spinach, crispy bacon, sausages & parmentier potatoes. My friend commented that his breakfast was "really good"and the bacon was cooked exceptionally well. He polished off the whole plate and was one happy chap.

Overall, Shine was a comfortable place to start our day, to rise and shine. The food at Shine sticks to the basics and plays it safe. For a handful friends, Shine is the place to be for breakfast. But for me? I look for a little more. Still, on this occasion, our gathering here was the punshine to our day.

Shine Café Bar & Lounge 

74-76 Kingsway 

Glen Waverley

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Shyun

The little brother wanted to go to Shyun. And only living less than one kilometre away, it was an easy and convenient choice. A few years back, I used to visit Shyun quite frequently, for catch ups and  for quick snack attacks of Takoyaki. And seeing as it had been a while since my last visit,  I obliged.

 Niku Udon

First came the little one's Niku Udon. The broth was thin, light and flavoursome, with thick udon noodles that were wonderfully chewy and full of bounce. However, both of us were not big fans of the beef as it was as dry as a bone. I watched the little one slurp down the noodles happily.

  

Takoyaki

It wasn't until the Niku Udon was completely finished until the Takoyaki and my Bento Set arrived.  No explanation, no apologies. Though a little smaller in size, these Takoyaki as always, hit the spot. 

Bento Set

For my Create-Your-Own-Bento, I chose to add on Miso Katsu Chicken and Sukiyaki Beef to the set rice, salads and potato mash. The deep fried breaded chicken was very crispy with a crunch to it. However, I found the chicken to be far too crispy, leaving it quite dry. The Sukiyaki Beef was simmered with onions resulting in a delectable and sweet flavour. However, there was a downside to it - it had come out in an awkward lukewarm temperature. As the little one had finished his dish long ago, it was him who sat watching me eat this time. I ended up giving up on my meal and asked him to finish it off for me. 

Aside from the basics - that is the noodles, rice and soup, I'd have to say alongside the hiccups in service, everything else was missing the mark. I left Shyun filled with disappointment and an empty stomach. But, hey. That was just my experience.

Shyun

126 Koornang Road
Carnegie

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Mocha Jo's

M is for mouthwatering and M is for Mocha Jo's. I reckon these two go hand in hand. Any regular to the area of Glen Waverley knows you can rely on Mocha Jo's for coffee and dessert. Even better, is that Mocha Jo's is open late every day of the week. A night owl myself, this is perfect.

Skinny Flat White

 As always, I ordered a skinny flat white. Strong and bold, this drink paired nicely with my sticky date pudding. However,  it was sad to see no coffee art was existent.

1st Date,  Sticky Date 

Wowee ! Imagine this. Mocha Jo's homemade classic sticky date pudding, topped with two generous orbs of vanilla bean ice cream, and smothered in butterscotch sauce. Enticing, isn't it ? Together, the chill of the fragrant vanilla ice cream and the warmth of the butterscotch sauce tickled my tastebuds. Rich, sweet and warming, this dish made the perfect date. This was the ultimate comfort food and I fell head over heels for it. There was even a cute little note at the bottom of the menu indicating that this was very very yummy.  Indeed it was.

Mango & Coconut Mousse

My friend ordered the mango and coconut mousse off the specials board and was presented with this little number.  Heavenly layers of light and airy mango and coconut mousse, finished off with toasted coconut and zest of lime. This was polished off in no time. 

When night comes, Mocha Jo's is the perfect place to chill out over coffee and dessert. Service was warm, efficient and most importantly, they put up with our roars of laughter.  Not only was coffee and dessert delicious, my friends had further channeled their inner sweet tooth on the eye-candy. By the time we had reached the door to leave, they had already vowed to re-visit for dinner, to feast both their eyes and stomachs.

Mocha Jo's 

87 Kingsway 
Glen Waverley

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Axil Coffee Roasters

Melbourne weather is unpredictable, we all now that. So to wake up to clear skies, and warm light on a winter's day was a cheerful start to the day. Like every other Melbournian, this translated to a nice lazy Sunday breakfast out, and today we got our fix at Axil Coffee Roasters. 

I really do love visiting eateries here, there and everywhere. Not only for the food or coffee, but for the dining experience. In particular, I love to see how they use their space, the decor and the ambience. Having said that, Axil is one of the many that really has me wowing over their interior. How quaint are the details of the lighting and the wall of pot plants ?

Every item off the menu sounded inviting, from the sweets selection, specials to the everyday mains. Both my friend and myself are big chatter boxes, the I-talk-so-fast-I-have-no-time-to-breath kind, and we had loads to catch up on. As a result, our waiter patiently came back time after time to check if we were ready. And finally, after the fourth time, we were ready. 

Skinny Flat White

Now, Axil being a specialty coffee roaster, and owned by one of the best baristas in Australia, Davis Makin,  it only seemed right to order myself the single origin of the day. Today showcased the specialty coffee from Brazil Clovis. Smooth and full bodied, my skinny flat white went down well with hints of strawberry and orange.

  Scrambled Egg and Chorizo Breakfast Wrap with Rocket, Avocado & Tomato Salsa

I'm not one to usually order scrambled eggs, normally opting for poached eggs for that yolk porn goodness. But today, the thought of golden pillows of eggs was too tempting. And boy, I never knew a wrap could looks so inviting, just feasting my eyes on this only made me hungrier.  Filled with fluffy folds of scrambled eggs, thicks slices of spicy chorizo, this breakfast wrap was gigantic! Topped with rocket, fresh cherry tomatoes and creamy avocado, the flavours together made a mouthful of heaven. And yes, I did manage to finish the entire dish.

Bircher Muesli with Raspberry, Cherry & Yogurt Sorbet

My friend decided to go for a healthier option. Having had an entire weekend of eating out breakfast, lunch and tea, she opted for the lighter choice of Bircher Muesli. Now, both of us having made Bircher Muesli before ourselves, we know it's pretty easy and simple. And for it to be a dish to make it's way onto a menu, we would hope it was pretty darn special. The result ? Deliciousness. Soft rolled oats, mixed with a combination of cherries and raspberries, and garnished with almond flakes. And of course, we can't forget the scoop of yogurt sorbet that crowned the dish. The friend titled it the best bircher muesli she's ever had.

On this busy Sunday morning, staff were warm, patient and attentive despite our endless chatter and indecisiveness. Breakfast was top notch and value for money. If you're yet to visit Axil, head on over – it’s worth it.

Axil Coffee Roasters
322 Burwood Road 
Hawthorn

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Ped's Kafé

On a cold Melbourne winter night, our spontaneous Friday dinner date meant a rather late booking. Having just parked, I rang in to ask if they could squeeze in two hungry girls in the next two minutes. Escaping the gustling winds and endless downpour of rain, my friend and I were warmly welcomed into Ped's Kafe.

Golden calamari 

Served on a delicate rice crisp were four perfect pieces of golden calamari. The fresh calamari was sweet, juicy and encased in a crunchy well seasoned batter. A sweet peanut sauce accompanied the dish, however I was happy to just gobble down the calamari on it's own.  My friend enjoyed the sauce though, and with quick hands transferred the sauce dish onto the table so she could have it with her mains. A Thai-riffic appe-Thai-ser !

 Spicy Lamb

The first to our mains was the lamb backstrap, button mushrooms, basil and chilli stir-fry. Dissapointingly, the flavours of this dish was a little too boring for my tastebuds. That is, the flavours that we could taste that was hidden under the excessive use of salt. Maybe there was a mistake in measurements, spillage of condiments or whatever may have happened, however we found this dish far too salty.

Soft Shell Crab Dry Curry

Next up was the soft shell crab curry wok tossed in a dry curry. Four generous halves of soft shell crab were found to be wonderfully deep fried and lathered in a dry curry sauce that had just the kick and spice a curry should have. Topped off with a fresh salad of carrot and cucumber provided a refreshing contrast to the strong curry. I could see this dish having a lot of potential, however the over use of salt was also present in this dish. Again, much too salty.

The restaurant had a really nice vibe to it - warm, friendly and inviting. However,  the use of too much salt was just too much. Something endless glasses of water and spoonfuls of rice could not save. On a positive note, sneaking glances and other diners' meals and of course observing our own, we did notice that a lot of thought and creativity had gone into the dishes as they were presented magnificently. 

Ped's Kafé

319 Waverley Road 
Malvern East

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