Chez Dre, South Melbourne

Chocolate tart: chocolate ganache, peanut-cocoa nib tuile, 
chocolate mousse. Make sure you do not leave here without 
one of these babies!

I first came to this hidden gem while browsing for a new cafe for delicious cake and coffee.  After reading some online reviews I was hooked.  It is conveniently located near the South Melbourne Market and easily accessible by trams.  I love the decor, sort of revamp of an old industrial building with an open kitchen located in the heart of the restaurant.  There is a small outdoor area which is heated in the cold Melbourne winter - bonus!

One you passed through by the busy diners and hectic kitchen you will arrive at the cake display - oh wow what a selection!  There is a vast range of delightful cakes, petite macaroons and to die-for croissants available.  The first time I came here we shared cakes and quiche and later returned for brunch the second time.  To be honest that the cakes and the quiche were FANTASTIC, BUT...I was disappointed with the brunch food and their specialty hot chocolate (Ganache Chocolate is still the best in my personal opinion).  I suppose I was expecting more from their food with such good cakes available, this is why it is always dangerous to have high expectations...  If you're a fussy brunch eater like me this probably isn't the place for you.  However, I will definitely return for more cake and coffee once in a blue moon. The cakes are delicious but expensive, $8.50 per cake according to their menu online which I believe is an older version and think it was $9.00 when I went last week.  I will just have to add this place to the collection of my "treat list" for special occasions, since it is always so hard to resist delicious Gateaux!

Hazelnut-Praline Crunch: hazelnut dacquoise, gianduja mousse, hazelnut and chocolate crumble.  10/10 for desert.  Crunchy base, smooth creamy 
mouse and was definitely nutty from the hazelnut.
 YUMMY!

Quiche of the day: ham and cheese with salad. 

The pastry was so amazing my mouth waters just 

thinking about it.

Braised Mushroom Ragu: Swiss field and button mushrooms, soft polenta, poached egg & truffle oil.
This dish was delicious but lacked seasoning. I wish there was slightly more acidity to balance out the dish.  Towards the end of the meal it I found it was too rich to finish.

Brioche French Toast: caramelized pecan, vanilla mascarpone & berry compote.  The brioche was excellent and pecan nut were very delicious.  Individually they are fantastic but when you combined them it was sugar overload.  Maybe slightly more salt in the brioche, more acidic berry or more sauce could have helped.

OVERALL

FOOD: Coffee and cakes are delicious, not so convinced by their breakfast menu items.

PRICE: Cakes are expensive and brunch food price is on the high end or pricey.

SERVICE: Services have always been good with tentative and friendly staff members.
ATMOSPHERE: This is definitely a hip brunch place and it is also family friendly and a great place to catch up with friends on a lazy Sunday morning.

Summary:  Coffee and cake is all I need to say!

Hardware Society Cafe - Hardware Street, Melbourne CBD

There is nothing better than a good brunch in my book.  The Hardware Society Cafe came highly recommended by several of my Melbourne friends.  This place is fully packed during the weekend so be prepared to wait for about 30 min for a table!  On a weekday morning this place was absolutely buzzing so naturally I was very excited when I arrived. The decor of this place is really amazing, it is warm and rustic and just full of character.  You will feel relaxed and comfortable while you read a newspaper and drinking your coffee.  The staffs here were really friendly and it was great to see them kindly addressing the family sitting next to us that they were in fact putting salt instead of sugar into their, and a new pot of tea (minus the salt) was immediately brought over!

We ordered the baked eggs with chorizo and scrambled eggs with chorizo.  The food arrived quickly and I really like how they served the food - baked eggs came in a small cast iron casserole and the scrambled eggs was served in a mini iron skillet, both placed on top of a block of wood lined with baking paper.  Rustic and yet classic, just love it!  The scrambled eggs were just under-cooked, the way I like it with delicious and not too spicy chorizos, though could do without the cold sandwich that came with it, for me I would much prefer the sandwich to had been toasted or at least warmed-up.  The baked eggs was awesome and hits just the right spot in my belly - if you like egg and chorizo, this is definitely the dish for you.

A cup of coffee from a cafe means a lot, and here is just me being fussy.  I did like their coffee, it was good but wasn't great - this is just something personal as I find the coffee from Cafe Andiamo on Degraves Street suiting more my taste.  Their hot chocolate - WOW! It was served in a cup filled with melted milk chocolate accompanied with a pot of warmed chocolate milk - absolutely loved it!  To eat or to drink the chocolate, that is the dilemma I will leave for you to solve.  Both the coffee and hot chocolate came with a mini deep fried doughnut coated with cinnamon sugar - YUM!

Next time if you have a lazy morning to spare, definitely head to Hardware Society Cafe, give them your name and go for a 30 min stroll (while you wait for a table) then come back and enjoy a fabulous brunch ^_^

Hot Chocolate

Scrambled Eggs with Chorizo

OVERALL

FOOD: Delicious cafe food and love their hot chocolate.

PRICE: Moderate pricing for cafe food.

SERVICE: Friendly.

ATMOSPHERE: Warm and relaxing, and can be quite busy.

Summary:  A great place for a lazy morning brunch and you will walk away with not only a satisfied belly but also an unique experience.

Takapuna Beach Cafe

Needing to go somewhere hip and with good coffee while the summer lasts in Auckland, New Zealand?  Why not venture to the Takapuna Beach Cafe located at the end of the Promenade Parade, literally right next to the Takapuna beach - perfect location on a sunny day.  They have a great selection of breakfast/brunch food (including many gluten free options), fantastic coffee and what is more important is their big selection of Gelato including the classics as well as the exotic flavours like coconut, which is amazing by the way!

Coffee lovers, you cannot leave this place without a proper ice coffee - two generous scoops of vanilla ice cream, a shot of espresso and a small pint of milk to go with it (otherwise you just have an affogato which is also fine by me).  It comes in 3 separate vessels so you can choose to eat your ice cream first or have it as an affogato and then wash it down with milk or you can combine them all! - the choice if yours, you have the power :)

For many years now, one dish has drawn me to Takapuna Cafe - their pan fried sole with garlic butter served with grilled sourdough.  Unfortunately 2 years ago it seems to have disappeared from the menu which is a HUGH disappointment to me as it was delicious, reasonably priced and you get a whole sole to your self!  Since the disappointment I had to find replacement, so here it is below, Crispy Agria rosti with baby spinach, feta, free range poached eggs and hollandaise sauce, served with crispy organic bacon and greens - delicious! The bacon is cripy, the rosti is crunchy and you have the egg yolk slowly oozing out that get mixed up with the hollandaise sauce, this is my kind of heaven :) 

This place could be overwhelming for those not used to the crowds. They do try to squeeze as many people in as possible, so you will be very cosy to your friends and families as well as your new found neighbours.  They had approximately 15 waiters on deck on a busy sunny Sunday afternoon, and it took all 15 waiters approximately 20 mins of walking pass a group of us to realise that we existed and needing service.  But after the first encounter, their service was great, tentative and the food came out fast.  So if you find it hard to get their first attention, don't feel it's personal.  What I love is on a sunny day, the waiter goes around and offer people hats to wear - though from a hygiene point of view I wouldn't accept the hat, but it is good to know that the option is there.  Lastly, if you do want a more personalised service, avoid rush hours and you would be fine, or just come for the coffee and gelato and enjoy what Takapuna Beach has to offer.

So why not try something different and try the Takapuna Beach Cafe, and what is great is you get to walk along the white sandy beach and enjoy the gorgeous view of Rangitoto Island and maybe some sailing to aid your digestion :)

OVERALL

FOOD: Great cafe food.

PRICE: Moderate to high  for cafe food price.

SERVICE: On a busy days (sunny Sat and Sun afternoon) you can be ignored but other days they are very good with their service.

ATMOSPHERE: Noisy but lively inside and great outdoor area.

Summary: Sunny day spent in Takapuna Beach Cafe is just great over a cup of delicious coffee and finishing it with even more delicious gelato.

Everybody's Bar & Bistro - Imperial Lane

Looking at the bar.  Entrance on the left and dining area to the

right.  Note the sudden change into the wooden flooring on a

downhill slope - I nearly fell over TWICE! They need to stop

polishing the floor :p so be careful if you wear high heels like

I do, ladies and gents!

Looking for something hip and yet retro with a twist of glamour to relax with your group of friends?  Look no further!  Come to Everybody's at the newly opened Imperial Building, Auckland CBD.  You can access through 44 Queen Street or 7 Fort Lane.  After an afternoon spent looking at the exhibition "Degas to Dali" at the Auckland Art Gallery, this was a lovely place to chillaxe and finish off the Sun afternoon/evening.  Although I have to admit, I only had drinks and tapas there, so cannot comment about their dinner, but the drinks and service was excellent!  Everybody's and Roxy's Executive Chef is Sean Marshall who was the Head Chef at Wellington's iconic Matterhorn while the drinks are designed by Riki carter, who also according to the website is the Cocktail and Spirits Ambassador of Matterhorn, which could help explain why their menu design, layout and style looked familiar...like the one I saw in Matterhorn, Cuba St. Wellignton!

The first impression to anything or anyone is always the most important.  My first impression was that the place is elegant, fashionable and yet not too posh.  The overall experience was top rated, helped by the excellent service.  When we arrived and were offered to be seated, and water was brought over to our table promptly.  The waitress after hearing that this was our first visit took the time to explain to us the history of the Imperial Building - it once housed the Roxy and Everybody's Theatre and recently had a $13-million makeover.  The Imperial Building now houses the Imperial Lane (cafe on the ground level), Roxy (fine dining restaurant) and Everybody's Bar and Bistro.  If you're interested in the new architecture check it out here.  The waitress then offered us to take a look around the upstairs area even though it was reserved for a wedding photo shoot later.  I have to note, we did arrive about 3pm, when it was pretty quiet so we were well attended to.  Even saying so, it was great to see the staffs taking the time to make sure you're settled and more importantly, we had a very entertaining waitress!  She even bought over free sample of Pinot Noir that she became infatuated with recently and introduced to us a little about the wine, which was great as I hadn't try that particular wine before.  I was drinking the 2010 Mt Difficulty 'Roaring Meg' Pinot Noir, delicious!

One of the six bar seating areas.  The seats were leather and comfy, just needing it some

back support there.  I like how they "closed" this little area with just a simple design

featuring a row of plants, an attempt to make it outdoor without deterring from the

glamorous vibe. 

When outing with friends, I really enjoy a good quality wine, and here at Everybody's the wine menu didn't disappoint.  They stock mostly local NZ wines and also added a few overseas varieties that you can have in individual "glass" rather than having to buy a whole bottle.  Sometimes when you're out with a group of friends, everyone has different liking and taste for wine and so you find that you have to opt for your second choice just because your first choice only comes in a bottle,  however, you probably won't find this to be a problem at Everybody's.

Now comes to the only negative part of my review...I didn't 100% enjoy their tapas.  We ordered the "Crab Toastie", "Duck liver & cognac parfait, brioche, pear chutney" and "Tokyo Chicken".  Soon after we received our food, the manager came around once and check that everything was to our satisfaction and anything else we were in need of, which I believe is very important part of hospitality that are lacking in many "posh" restaurants in New Zealand, so kudos on that part.  Aside from this, it is very disappointing when you're at a place drinking delicious wine to be then accompanied with food that do not match the quality wine selection, friendly staff or great atmosphere.  I am sure the chef used the freshest crab in the "Crab Toasties", made their own brioche, but for $14 per dish that was an okay price for size of the food but not for the delivery of the food.  Okay I ADORE CRAB!  Crab is light and delicate and I found by putting it in the butter-rich brioche then "toast" it, I couldn't really enjoy the crab.  It was very nicely toasted, well done on that.  However, if the bistro did indeed have fresh quality crabs, wouldn't it be better turning into other succulent dishes that will bring out the natural sweetness and the delicate texture of the crab?  It was about this time when we need another glass of wine.  T'was great to see the waitress watching our glasses attentively and promptly asked whether we would like another one and collected the empty glasses swiftly.

Upstairs: Love the rich red coloured couches and that luxurious teal couch on the right

hand side, a great contrast yet fitting with the wooden flooring.  When I go back next

time, I want to sit on those couches!

Oh the duck liver & cognac parfait...I heart parfait and I think the chef did very well here.  The parfait was smooth and light textured with intense liver flavour that was not overpowering, as it can sometimes happen when they get the balance wrong.  I just wished there were more brioches to go with it... or should I say better brioches... I wouldn't say I am a brioche expert, but I've had enough brioches in my time to say the one I had from Everybody's bistro was below par.  There are many styles of brioches, some are savoury and some are sweet.  The accompanied brioche for the parfait was thin, and so crumbly that I spent more times picking up the crumbles from the table than eating it.  I didn't really feel the "richness" that usually comes with brioches.  The parfait was slightly sweet; together with the pear chutney just did not match well with the brioche which was also slightly sweet.

Cute and cosy two-person seating for people who just 

want to enjoy a couple of drinks and nibbles.  The 

seating allows you to look down into the dining area,

I think this is a fabulous design and great use of space.

Lastly the Tokyo Chicken - the friend I was there with was as puzzled as I was about what exactly is a Tokyo chicken?  On the menu there was no description of what it is, a very negative part of their menu as there are other items that you would not be able to guess from its name alone.  When we asked the waitress she described it, as I quote "like popcorn chicken from KFC"...I thought it was cute and humours but why would I want to pay $12 for popcorn chicken when I can get it for $5.50 from KFC?  Also the description was not very helpful from the waitress.  Wished she knew more about the dish.  It was basically bite size chicken meat, lightly coated with flour and herbs, deep fried and served with what I suspect was Japanese mayo.  The dish was good, not mind blowing but not bad.

At the end of the evening there was a DJ entertaining us with some hip music, wish they would play Jazz...but that's just me!  Not sure how loud this place will become with the music and people chattering, with a high roof and wooden flooring I suspect there isn't  much sound dampening available here so you may struggle to hear when the crowd gets bigger.  So if you finding it hard to hear for all sort of reasons or just like to enjoy chit-chatting rather yelling at your friends, there is an outdoor option for the clear and sunny occasions.  Nevertheless, I think this is a lovely place to hang out whether you're in a small or large group.

OVERALL

FOOD: The tapas were okay.

PRICE: Reasonable.

WINE SELECTION: Very good selection.

SERVICE: Excellent!

ATMOSPHERE: Glamorous! and I really enjoyed the grandeur design of this place with tasteful furniture.

Summary: So here you go my personal review.  I have also read reviews from others on the website and unfortunately, majority aren't so good so far, however, it is still early days!  Personally, I would return and be soaked up in the atmosphere with excellent service and drink my wine but will try out other tapas dish.  For the next visit I would like to sit on the comfy couches upstairs and try out the duck fat potatoes, surely you cannot go wrong with anything fried in duck fat especially potatoes!