Henry Lee's

I wanted to try out this cafe mainly for the drinks, since they looked and sounded good on paper. Weather was perfect for trying out this courtyard style cafe, loved the vibes here. It wasn't really busy on a Thursday morning.

food spread

   

courtyard

Pleasantly surprised when I walked into this cafe, and to be honest, wasn't expecting it from a cafe in Redfern. It's set in a courtyard which has some covering so even when it rains, most tables won't get wet, but also has natural lighting which comes through. Although if you do sit on a table in the sun, those dots on the ceiling are going to cast heaps of 'dot' shadows over your table...

cute menu

Apparently they don't really have a popular dish since everything is popular. A lot of the dishes though are sourdough topped with something, or have similar ingredients but in a salad form/different presentation. I guess it really depends on what you feel like on the day.

White Lavender Hot Chocolate: white Belgium chocolate infused w/ lavender & served w/ your choice of milk-$6

I just decided to go with normal milk, since I wanted to try the 'og' version, well more like try the actual hot choc without the milk flavour altering the taste. Really loved this drink since you can taste the lavender without it being too overpowering. I love floral flavours in drinks. I'm not a big fan of white choc, but luckily it wasn't too sweet here. 

Aztec Chili Iced Chocolate: Dark Belgium chocolate infused w/ cayenne pepper & served w/ vanilla bean ice cream & your choice of milk-$7

Went with coconut milk in this one (50c extra). I don't think I could really taste the coconut in it, but I could actually appreciate the chilli in this drink which gave it a nice kick, then balanced but the smoothness of the dark choc. Again, this drink isn't on the sweet side either cause of the chilli. 

super big wooden square board

Tangier: Tagine baked soft eggs in mild spicy rancheros sauce w/ pumpkin topped w/ crispy kale, Mexican guacamole, Persian feta & served w/ crispy tortillas-$21

I actually didn't have any baked eggs during winter, which is normally one of my fav go to brunch winter dishes. Then again, I wasn't here much this winter, and when I was here it wasn't even that cold...The main difference in this one is that the yolk was still quite runny compared to others which are generally cooked through. They also added bits of pumpkin which helped reduce the amount of sauce in the dish, so it wasn't too salty or spicy. I could actually tolerate the spice, so pretty much wasn't spicy at all. Wished there was more tortilla to mop up the sauce, since they only gave one pieces (and on the menu it's plural lol).

Henry’s Dream: Sourdough topped w/ nasturtium & pine nut pesto, avocado, heirloom tomatoes, radish, lemon zest & whipped ricotta then sprinkled w/ za’atar w/ poached egg-$21

#yolkporn

I actually try to avoid having avocado toast at cafes (because I'm trying to save for a house deposit-jks). It's cause I can make avo toast at home, but just nowhere as pretty. I did cut into an unripe avo since I had a sudden avo craving the day before, so thank goodness for ripe avo on this toast. Loved how they added edible flowers to the dish. Wished there was more pesto in it, since I couldn't really taste it. Same with the za'atar since I found the herb/spice was quite subtle even though you could see it. I couldn't figure out what the black smear/sauce is...some slightly acidic/tangy sort of sauce..? The sourdough crust was quite hard to cut into even with a sharp knife. Yay for a nice runny yolk to soak up with the toast.

I also liked how they have bigger tables as well, I guess cause their actual plates are quite big. Would recommend to come here even just for the drinks.

The Hardware Societé

When you go Melbourne, even if it's only for 7 hours, brunch still has to be a priority. This cafe is known for its lines. We got there around 12:30pm on a weekday and waited for around 15mins. 5 mins after we got there, the line was massive. I didn't even realise they have another cafe in Paris, but then why would you go Paris to have brunch when Aussies do brunch best. You go to Paris for the pastries, macarons, unlimited amounts of desserts, and all that French food...As I've said before, I would go back to Paris just for the food...

food spread

drinks, love the pretty latte art

  

Matcha maiden green tea latte-$5, capp-$4

I had the capp and it had a good depth of coffee in it. I feel like to have good latte art which doesn't sink/disappear in the froth, the froth can't be too airy/foamy, and needs a thicker froth consistency which this one does. The coffee art is a lot more refined here, they did hire a good barista. Tried a bit of the matcha and it had a lovely intense matcha hit in it, more bitter for those who also like their matcha lattes not sweet.

Fried brioche, meringue, passionfruit curd, chocolate chantilly, blueberries-$18

The bread was super soft which is expected from a brioche. First time having fried brioche. I loved the acidity from the passionfruit paired with the not too sweet yet light chocolate chantilly. The blueberries added just the right bit of sweetness, and the meringue had a good crunch without being overly sweet.

Lobster eggs benedict: citrus hollandaise, soft herbs, bun noir, poached eggs-$26

#yolkporn

Anything with lobster just elevates a dish to another level, because lobster ain't cheap. There's not a lobster here, but the pieces you get were really fresh, sweet and juicy. It was balanced well with the citrus hollandaise which had just the right amount of acidity, although I do wish there was more sauce since the bun is more bready compared to just having a piece of toast. Yay for runny yolks. I feel like these days, you're cafe won't be successful if you can't make nicely shaped poached eggs.

Baked eggs: chorizo sausage, potato, piquillo peppers, queso mahon, toasted almonds, aioli-$19

Loved how this came bubbling in its cute little pot when it arrived on the table. I tried a bit of this and it wasn't too tomatoey or spicy.

There were other dishes which looked really good as well, but limited time/stomach space to try other things.

it's actually not too small inside

cute tea cups

Chef's Palette

Meeting my friend's kitten plus an overdue catch up at Chef's Palette. It's a bit dim inside with random spotlights here and there (which causes too many shadows). The staff are super friendly which is always a plus. You go up to order at the counter then they bring the food to you rather than the normal table service. I feel like the main problem with those cafes who do things this way is that if both of you go up to order, what if someone else comes in and sits at your table while they're looking at the menu and take your table? You don't want to leave your belongings behind, and if it was a busy day, that meant you ordered food and other people will come to take your table then you're left with no seat...Anyway, onto the food.

food spread

Capp-$3.50

Coffee was more towards the bitter side which I don't mind as long as it's not burnt. Milk was frothed well and smooth.

Baked egg: chorizo, tomato, grilled capsicum, jalepeno, garlic, onion, eggs, rocket, parmesan cheese, sourdough-$16

#yolkporn

I wouldn't call this a baked eggs because the eggs were poached not baked, and the sauce was served in a bowl rather than a mini baking dish like normal baked eggs. The egg was poached beautifully, but I have a feeling they might have those eggs machines since all the poached eggs had almost the same shape and roundness. Would have liked more bread to soak up that yolk rather than it running in the sauce.  More rocket would've been nice since it was too tomatoey and needed something light, and more chorizo since there wasn't much. The dish did have a good kick to it (guys, I'm ever so slowly appreciating chilli in food). The dish did get quite salty towards the end and very tomatoey since there wasn't enough bread to sauce proportion.

Chef's Plate-$18

We were both so full, but keen to try a cake next time

inside

Four Ate Five

This place had been on my list to eat for over 3 years, and finally decided to come here for a long overdue catchy up!

2xbaked eggs and 2xcapps

baked eggs: almonds, feta, moroccan tomato sauce, toast-$18

this yolk was good (the other a bit too cooked)

I heard good things about the baked eggs here so was keen to try it, and my first and last baked eggs for Winter. The first bite was good, but after the second, I knew it was going to get even more salty. I think the feta was a nice addition to add some creaminess, luckily they did hold back since it would've gotten even more salty. Loved the almonds for a bit of crunch. One of the eggs were cooked well, and both eggs looked like it covered the whole dish, but I thought there was a bit too much tomato in proportion with the egg. There was a good amount of spice in the tomatoes, just too much salt, not enough acidity or something to break through all the salt. The bread was toasted nicely, but not enough bread to help balance out the sauce as well.

regular cappuccino-$4 (soy behind, extra 50c)

Coffee was decent, and price of $4 is expected for Surry Hills, but we were a bit disappointed that both coffees weren't filled to the rim. Where is the lovely nice layer of foam you would normally find in a capp? It was a good drinkable temperature, but I think it could have been a bit more milkier. Flavour of the coffee wasn't overly strong.

Sol. Cafe

Lovely catch up with some church girls at this cafe in the Hills area. Wow, times have changed. I remember I used to always get driven to the Baulko junction to catch a bus to school, but now everything as been turned into property. Even though this cafe is quite quiet and we parked at the shops and walked over, I think once the buildings are done, it will probably get busy.

cute and simple decor

 

menu

Regular capp-$3.50

No coffee art, and too much cocoa powder combined with sugar. I never had sugar in mt coffee, so this added sugar on top made it too sweet. The coffee itself was nice, and loved the generous amount of foam on top. 

baked eggs-$17.50

parmesan on top :)

Loved the added parmesan which gave a huge aroma once it arrived on the table. Realised I haven't had baked eggs this winter/year, so decided to order this. 2 eggs, decent amount of ham and rocket. Sauce was slightly spicy, but a good amount of slice. Would have like 2 pieces of bread to easily mop up the sauce (although that would be even more carbs...)

Not a bad place for cafe hangs in the Hills area.

Chicken burger

Pulled pork burger

Smashed avo+poached eggs