District Brewer

Joining the likes of Little Tommy Tucker and Merchant's Guild, District Brewer is the newest kid to join the neighbourhood. I must say Bentleigh, I am impressed. Melbourne's north-side feels down in the south-eastern suburbs ? Hell freakin' yeah !

Skinny Flat White

Duck Rillettes 

Duck Rillettes ? Why the duck not ? Paired with the tenderness and sweetness of the grilled pumpkin brioche, richness and creaminess of the cauliflower cheese, the crispness of the salt & vinegar kale chips, the crunch of the Asian granola and runny goodness of the poached eggs ? It's pretty hard to say no.

Stuffed Fig French Toast

My brunch buddy, a sucker for anything and everything sweet had to have the Stuffed Fig French Toast. Complemented with a chocolate & coffee crumble, mango pop rock sherbet, brie custard and strawberry bitters, a sugar coma was inevitable.

Head on over and say hi to District Brewer. Go on, don't be shy.

District Brewer
36 Brewer Road
Bentleigh, VIC 3204

http://www.districtbrewer.com.au

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Little Tommy Tucker

Little Tommy Tucker is just one of those places that you want to spend all morning and afternoon at. With blissful rays of sun rays lighting up the entire room, it is truly a lovely space. The interior is adorned in blonde wood, beautiful flowers, soft tones and a beautiful flow. A perfect place for a perfect pair of friends.

Skinny Flat White

Soy Mocha

Organic Chicken Schnitzel, Fennel & Apple Slaw

The chicken schnitzel came out fresh from the pan and was piping hot. Moist, juicy and encased in a terrific golden crispy crust. The bright creamy slaw was made up of cabbage, fennel and sweetly tart Granny Smith apples that provided a great crunch. Simply done, well done. Oh, apple slaw how I adore you.

Located in the bustling shopping street of Centre Road, Bentleigh - this place definitely stands out from your usual Benners fare. An easily loved cafe for either a coffee or a bite to eat. I know I'm more than willing to sing for my supper at Little Tommy Tucker.

Little Tommy Tucker

432 Centre Road 
Bentleigh, VIC

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Merchant's Guild

There's a bit of noise surrounding Bentleigh East's refreshing new kid on the block, Merchant's Guild. Opened in March, they already climbed the ranks and has gained much popularity among the locals with its cool fresh vibes.

Prana Chai

Seeing as though they served the famed Prana Chai here, I opted for a Chai Latte today. The first sip was really something. It was gorgeously rich and creamy, with hints of honey, ginger, spice and everything nice ! On top of that, I adored the whole 'strain your own chai latte' concept. 

 English Breakfast Tea

E ordered an English  Breakfast Tea and noted how fragrant her cuppa was, something she could definitely get used to. Lovely presentation once again !

Sweet Pea & Feta

If you follow my instagram, you would know how obsessed I am with smashed avocado. It is no surprise that I felt the same way with the sweet pea and feta spread here at Merchant's Guild. Sweet peas infused with creamy feta spread on crusty dark rye, topped with Spanish sardines and a perfectly poached egg. With a sprinkle of herb crumb and a squeeze of lemon, this dish was pretty damn good.

Roast Bubble & Squeak

E was a little hesitant at first about the smoked trout, but was completely surprised at how well the whole dish came together. I stole a bite or two and there was a whole lot of texture going on with this dish. The smoked trout was beautiful and matched well with a crunchy acidic bite of cornichon and a dab of horseradish cream. A hearty serving, but nothing too heavy.  

Looking around, I would've never imagined I was in the suburbs of Bentleigh. Complete with a hydro setup of micro herbs, tendrils and shoots, crafty terrarium  centrepieces and excellent service, I was incredibly impressed with Merchant's Guild. Head on over and join the guild today.

Merchant's Guild

680 Centre Rd 
Bentleigh East

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Little Thai Cafe

Little Thai Cafe is the first choice for many of my friends local to Bentleigh. This little spot has popped up in our conversations countless times, and I decided it was about time I see what all the fuss was about.

Mini Thai Spring Roll

For entrees, we went for the Mini Thai Spring Rolls. Served piping hot, these Little Thai homemade spring rolls were filled with minced chicken. We crunched and munched on these dipped in sweet chilli sauce as the other dishes rolled out.

Satay Chicken Skewers

Our next entree were the Satay Chicken Skewers - a generous serving of six hefty sized chargrilled chicken skewers marinated in coconut milk and satay flavours topped with a thick homemade peanut sauce. I found the chicken to be a little on the tough side, and rather stringy, whilst the peanut sauce was too sweet for my liking. Tough I was assured by S that the skewers that we had that night were not the delicious bites she was accustomed to on her regular visits to Little Thai. Unlucky for us - perhaps it was just one of their off days.

Pad Thai

Now, who goes to a Thai restaurant and does not order Pad Thai? Certainly not me. Wonderfully chewy noodles with good smokiness from the wok was tossed among tofu, lean chicken, bean shoots, spring onion and a nice spritz of lemon. Topped with crushed roasted peanuts, and you have yourself a satisfying plate of good old Pad Thai.

Penang Curry 

S recommended the Penang Curry, which was her number one choice for curry here. A sweet and thick  coconut based curry coating slices of capsicum, carrot, broccoli and chicken. I shovelled steam rice on my plate before dousing it all in this rich Penang Curry - yum !

Pad Khing Tofu

For something to cut the fried factor of our mini spring rolls and the richness of the curry we opted for a more simple dish of vegetables. The Pud Khing Tofu was an asorrtment of vegetables and bean curd stir fired with ginger and onion. Again, I found that the chefs had added a little more sugar than I would have preferred. 

To me, Little Thai Cafe is just another one of your typical local Thai restaurants. You've got your spring rolls, curry puffs, Thai green curry and everything else you are familiar with. The prices are affordably prices and whilst I question what the uniform the staff are required to wear, they are friendly and efficient. However, the flavours I found were were too westernised, resulting in dishes being much to sweet for my liking. But having a look around, majority of diners were Caucasion, and so I guess they hit the nail on the head.

Little Thai Cafe

99 Centre Rd 

Bentleigh East

And of course, we finished the night off with some refreshing froyo. Toppings of choice this time round were blueberry compote, fresh strawberries, pineapples, and strawberry popping pearls with good old original frozen yogurt.

Yo-Chi

292 Carlisle St 
Balaclava

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