12/03/2018

Juno & May (Camberwell, Vic)

I had a pleasant visit for brunch recently. 

Juno & May's menu is large, varied and interesting. I had the sweet potato hash dish, and it was wonderfully presented, colourful and really generous in size. Overall was very nice, but lacking finesse. The hash was too dense to be a sweet potato hash, more like a gnocchi mix used as hash and with little sweet potato (or so it felt to me) and it was burned outside. There was a lot of thought about the mix of flavours put on the plate, but a bit of more thought on the textures of the different elements would have made the experience more enjoyable.

Nice coffee.

The place is really lovely, spacious and full of greenery. The ambience is quiet , relaxed and chatty, and, at least when I visited. Mum, grandma and family friendly. Perfect for a quiet pleasant catch-up during the week.

BurGround (Moonee Ponds, Vic)

I visited this place when they first opened and their burgers are really good, large and yummy! Their aioli, made in the house, is excellent. Their chips aren't crunchy enough for me, and forgettable. The staff were the kindest most loving people, really eager to please and very welcoming. The premises are ugly, sorry!, a bit too large, like a recycled shop that hasn't been properly furnished, so it lacked ambience.

11/17/2018

MOB (Camberwell, Vic)

Located in front of the Camberwell Sunday Market, this is a very vibrant large modern cafe serving healthy yummy food.

My smashed pumpkin (avocado is dead Melbourne!) with beetroot pure, goats cheese, crispy kale and poached egg on toast was fabulous. The serving portion was generous as well.

My coffee was also fab re taste and preparation; good body, strong flavour minus the bitterness. Hurrah!

Two main faults, there was a tiny egg in my breakky. If it had been a jumbo egg, I would understand, but this wasn't a jumbo egg, so why not adding two small eggs? I thought there wasn't enough animal protein in my dish. Of course, this is just my preference, and it might not be yours. The second downside was the size of the coffee cups, one of those I call doll-house-cups.

Service was fast and uber-friendly.
 
Standard prices.

Laurent Bakery (Camberwell, Vic)

I had one of the best cakes of the last two months in this branch of Laurent's. Le Jardin D'ete or summer garden wasn't only beautiful to look at, uber-fresh but also delicious, with many layers of yummy stuff and with the right amount of sugar. The place is really great, with many different areas: quickie family eat area, armchairs cosy classy corners, communal tables. I love the place. Service was fast and friendly but also distracted. I ordered an earl grey tea and got a green tea. No-no-and-no. Please listen to clients. I'll be back.

Hash Specialty Coffee (Camberwell, Vic)

The CBD Hash is one of my fav cafes in Melbourne, so I had great expectations about this cafe. Unfortunately, it falls short in all fronts if compared to the other Hash. As a stand alone cafe, this is a lovely place. The staff are really welcoming and genuinely friendly, the premises are very cool, and the menu is nice enough. My pumpkin croquettes on salsa were really lovely, as it was the coffee I had.

Sushi Hub (Hawthorn, Vic)

Fresh and yummy cold and hot dishes and a great selection of Japanese drinks. The nicest dishes aren't usually on the train but have to be ordered. It takes little time for them to arrive, though

Fast and friendly staff.

Good priced. 

Sushi trains are one of my fav things in the food world. The reason I go to a food train is because of the variety, the freshness and the fact that you have most things already on display, so you don't have to order anything unless you really want. And that is, precisely, what this place fails at, because most of the nicest things aren't on display, just the average ones, the rest have to be ordered. This being the case, part of the enjoyment of the train adventure vanishes like a puff. Said differently, this is more a la carte and takeaway sushi place than a proper sushi train, even though there is a train

McDonald's (Flemington, Vic)

You know, when you to to Maccas you aren't expecting a gourmet burger or meal, right? Yet, not every Maccas is the same. I decided to review this place because my experience was really good here. The place was very clean, the staff were fast and friendly, and my burger was perfectly assembled, pretty as if for the races, and calling for a photo. The chips, however, were a bit too 'mashy' for my liking. If I had to repeat and go to another Maccas, this is the nicest one I've been in a long time!