Proud Mary

Please don’t question why it took me forever to visit Proud Mary. Shame on me, I know. I’m not proud of it.

With so many new brunch spots constantly popping up in Melbourne, sometimes it’s easy to get caught up with the new and upcoming and overlook the brunch pioneers. But I’m here to make my amends. So to visit a golden oldie, it only made sense to check it out with some (golden) old uni friends.

Skinny Flat White

Ox Tongue

Mmm, ox tongue - so meltingly tender and flavours so wonderfully deep and rich, matching beautifully with peppers full of natural sweetness, crunchy smoked almonds, and crispy onions. Let’s not forget the perfectly poached egg that oozed liquid gold onto the crisp slice of hot sourdough toast. A playful dish filled with magical flavours and textures.

Proud's Granola 

My friend went for Proud’s Granola, a dish which seemed to be the exact opposite of mine. An energy-boosting house-made granola brought to the next level with lemon balm, coconut sorbet and almond milk.

Avocado

My other neighbour’s brunch choice was simply faultless. A mountain of creamy avocado on farmhouse toast, charred corn, green onion tabouleh, ricotta and roast baby tomatoes on a bed of harissa. A serious case of food envy from my end of the table.

Proud Mary was buzzing and deservedly so considering the inventiveness of their menu, generous serving sizes and hearty brunch fare. Delivered with pride - food, coffee and service were all spot on.


Proud Mary
172 Oxford Street
Collingwood, VIC 3066
http://www.proudmarycoffee.com.au/ 

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Rumi

No doubt about it, Rumi is charming. The space is warm and sophisticated, with its intricate poetry etched into wooden screens, and room filled with the aromatic flavours of Middle Eastern cuisine.

Arak Fakra

We started the night off by warming our stomachs with some Arak, an aniseed based drink distilled from wine and aged in clay jars. Arak first, water second and ice last - following this order, we watched as the once colourless drink transformed into a translucent milky-white colour.

Sigara Boregi 

We then kicked off with Sigara Boreki - brilliant little things. A lethal trio of haloumi, feta and kasseri, the blend of the cheeses was soft, rich and salty - all rolled delicately in a crisp and flakey pastry. 

Freekeh Salad

We then transitioned smoothly onto our mains of the Freekeh Salad and Spiced Lamb Shoulder. The combination of the Freekeh Salad was lovely and a medley of exciting tastes and textures. The nuttiness and chewiness of the freekeh, crunch of the almonds, light tang from the ewe's milk feta and the sweetness of the pomegranate dressing made a substantial and tasty salad.

Spiced Lamb Shoulder

The lamb shoulder itself was cooked beautifully, benefiting from long slow cooking times. Despite its dark and dry looking appearance, with only a gentle prod, the meat slipped off easily the bone, revealing a tender and pink flesh. We did however find that the lamb did not deliver as much flavour as we had hoped for, even with the sweet sirkanjabin mint sauce.

BBQ Lamb Ribs

Timed perfectly, we then progressed onto our next wave of dishes. In contrast to our previous dish, these BBQ Lamb Ribs were full of flavour and perfectly seasoned with za'atar. I tackled three of these moreish ribs with my hands, there's really no time for cutlery in these situations. I know, very lady-like of me.

Roast Field Mushrooms

Our final dish of the night were these wonderfully meaty roast field mushrooms. A bite into one of these had us singing praises for the rest of the night. With our flat bread, we mopped up every last drop of its accompanying creamy garlic yogurt. 

Rumi delivered on all fronts, with a special mention to their impeccable service. We walked out of Rumi with full bellies and smiles on our faces - a night at Rumi certainly promises to be a feast for both the eyes and palette. 

Rumi 

116 Lygon Street  

Brunswick East, VIC 

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