Old Fire Station Cafe Gallery

For ... not much

378 High St Preston

I tried to like this place, I really did. It's local, the space is cavernous and the location fantastic, but (sigh) ... It could be soooo much better! 

Food: average

Coffee: god-awful

Service: consistently rude

I kept giving my business to the Fire Station when I was perpetually pushing a pram around Preston (say that 5 times fast); the couches and room for said pram and even the sad box of toys in the corner kept me hoping time and again that the food and bev wouldn't be too bad. I stopped ordering coffee and took to splitting a hot chocolate with the Boy instead; I occasionally ordered food, but after a couple of disappointments, including nearly breaking my teeth on unpitted olives in a pasta dish, I kept it to can't-cock-up snacks only – a bowl of chips, perhaps. 

In the end it was the lack of friendly service that did me in.

Incident 1: Boy removes sugar sticks from sugar bowl to line them up on our table (a favoured pastime; sticks are always back in the bowl when we leave, no harm, no foul). Staff member: 'Does he really need to do that? We have a box of toys.'

Incident 2: Just passing through, Boy wants a cookie, which sits in a jar on the counter. I open the jar and grab a cookie, only to see (same) staff member glare, not quite at me but at the air above the cookie jar where my hand was just now. Oops, I think to myself, I shouldn't have done that (I used to work in hospitality – I really should have known better, but I swear I only touched our cookie!). My turn to be served and she says, 'I don't mean to be rude, but ...' Suffice to say the lecture I received went on, and it was rude. 

Oh, Fire Station, what a waste of a great space.  

    

Nitty Gritty Super City

For Mr Barista

Scienceworks, 2 Booker St, Spotswood 

After a tough day on the piste, nothing beats a plastic cup of coffee, lovingly made by my favourite barista at the Nitty Gritty Super City cafe at Scienceworks. Oh, go on then, bring me another...  and another... and another... 

Dench Bakers

For more than just bread

109 Scotchmer St, Fitzroy North

Sugar sugar

Often, it's the simple things done well that make for good brunching, be it soft-poached eggs that ooze lovingly over freshly baked bread, or a deceptively filling bowl of bircher muesli with raspberry compote (mine! delicious!). Dench Bakers cafe mostly gets the little touches just right, down to the miniature wooden spoons in the sugar bowls. The service is friendly, the coffee well made and the prices reasonable (though $4 per additional breakfast item means holding the bacon is good for both wallet and waistline). The decor is hip but not pretentious, with a good mix of different-sized tables and bench seating. My baby-wielding companion noted no highchairs but ample space for the pram; whether that's the case at the weekend, well, I'd have to go back to find out. Would I? Most definitely.

Poached eggs with glossy green spinach

Bircher muesli

Boundary Espresso

For being in d'Preston

107 Plenty Road Preston 

 

Baked eggs and chorizo

This! This is what I've been waiting for – a decent, friendly cafe north of the Junction (only just but nonetheless). I've been here twice now, once for Sunday brunch and once for a mid-week bite. I relished my baked eggs with chorizo, avocado and rocket so much the first time that I had it again the second (on reflection, a silly thing to do as a budding food blogger). Still, the fervent lip-smacking and murmurs of approval from my fellow brunchers about the Green Eggs and Ham (baked eggs, basil pesto and THICK slice of ham) and halloumi and artichoke omelette instills confidence that this place is more than a one-hit wonder. I also rate the coffee, though my long blacks were more consistent on the Sunday – perhaps the barista's day off is Tuesday? I shall investigate further ...

Residential Kitchen

For the pizza

499–501 Lygon St, Carlton North

In all honesty, I was hoping to receive rude service and endure bad food here, so I could entitle this blog entry 'Residential Evil' (lowest form of humour, whatever – I love a groan-inducing pun). Disappointingly, however, the food and service didn't disappoint. Now, as I feel that photos of pizza, especially those taken on a smartphone, never look that appetising, I've not included one here. But I devoured their gourmet, Moroccan Lamb pizza (Moroccan-spiced lamb, Spanish onion, baby spinach, mint yoghurt and lemon) and also managed a slice of my partner-in-crime's Roasted Pumpkin pizza (pumpkin, ricotta cheese, walnuts, basil pesto and spinach); both were delicious but we agreed that, on this occasion, I won the menu lottery. Will certainly come back to explore the rest of the menu. The coffee was good, too. 

Constantia Glen

For imbibing with a view

Constantia Main Rd, Constantia, South Africa

 

A popular first stop for many visiting the wineries around Cape Town, the stunning Constantia Glen wine estate sure knows how to do 'scenic'. Very easy to sit back and just, well, drink it all in. The wine tasting itself is as free as the gorgeous vistas, and the purchase price of additional bottles (for immediate or later consumption) is extremely reasonable, especially with today's exchange rates. I also recommend the generous meat and cheese platters to go with the 'lekker wyn'. I'm only sorry I'm no photographer.

Even with clouds threatening ... 

... the views are not half bad.

 

e'Mondo

For brekkie

42 Hans Strijdom Ave Cape Town SOUTH AFRICA

In the immediate area around Cape Town's International Convention Centre, hotels abound. Its location – a 10-minute stroll to the V&A Waterfront, and perhaps 15 minutes' walk to the city centre – makes it a popular place to stay, though for my money the proliferation of high-rise hotels and offices (and dearth of eateries not joined to hotels) creates an impersonal Everycity feel, albeit with stupendous views. It's also a concern when one chooses to stay in a self-contained apartment with no on-site restaurant and no inclination to self-cater.
A found gem amidst this wasteland of concrete and steel is e'Mondo Cafe. Warm and inviting decor and staff, great prices, decent coffee (though the chalkboard is overstating things a bit) and tasty brekkies. Thoroughly enjoyed the Spanish omelette with olives and capsicum, the saltiness of the olives complementing the egg beautifully.
Tip: Asking for a long black earns you some strange looks in Cape Town. It's a large espresso.