Luke's Eatery @ Highpoint Shopping Centre (Quick Post)

Menu

Just a quick post today, went to Highpoint Shopping mall this afternoon to get some stuff done. Stopped by Luke's Eatery to have some brunch to start the day. Interesting thing to notice here is that they used "UNO" numbered cards as their table number, something really unique. Both of us ordered the "Brekkie Burger set with Tea". 

Brekkie Burger with Tea

Tea came first in a small pot and there was a little cup of milk to go with it. Inside the brekkie burger was bacon, eggs and melted cheese with BBQ sauce, and a piece of hash brown on the side to go with the burger. Generous portion and satisfying breakfast/brunch. $15 for each set.

Photography by Fujifilm XF1.

Dukes Coffee Roasters @ Chapel Street, Windsor

Dukes Coffee Roasters

There are two of these outlets of Dukes Coffee Roasters, one located at Flinders Lane in Melbourne CBD, and the one that I went to was at Chapel Street, a walking distance from Windsor Train Station. Around 11am, the shop was already full of crowds enjoying their breakfast or brunch for some people like me.

Interior

By the time we reached the cafe, we were very lucky and blessed to have only one table left for us. It was so crowded at that it was a bit hard to walk around inside. First thing I realized when I sat down was the ambience. The lighting was kind of warm and there was not a lot of natural light. Good thing today I brought along my Canon EOS 7D with a fast f1.4 lens. The staff there was not very friendly though, maybe it was because they were really busy, but in my opinion customer service should not be compromised. Having a look at their menu, it was quite limited for breakfast which is served up to 12pm noon. So to start with, we ordered hot chocolate and a coffee.

Hot Chocolate and Coffee

Once again, great coffee art and the taste of both drinks were very satisfying. The hot chocolate was not too sweet and rich with the right amount of chocolate. The coffee on the other hand was very aromatic. For our main meals, I ordered the "Baguette with Scrambled Eggs, Crispy Pancetta and Hollandaise Sauce". I was actually aiming for the Egg Benedicts however I did not come across them. Mom had the  "Hummus Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs & Candied Honey Bacon Bits".

Baguette with Scrambled Eggs, Crispy Pancetta and Hollandaise Sauce

I did not expect the dish to look like this but I was really impressed with the presentation when it was served. By just looking at it, it was able to stir up my appetite. The baguette was nicely toasted while the scrambled eggs had a great buttery taste. I had experiences where scrambled eggs was tasteless but this is just the total opposite. The texture was just nice and blended perfectly with the crispy pancetta and hollandaise sauce. 

Hummus Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs & Candied Honey Bacon Bits

I'm not a big fan of avocado but the hummus sauce really brought out a good taste together with the toast. Refreshing salad to go with as well. The main highlight of this dish for me was the Candied Honey Bacon Bits. It tasted like honey glazed pork meat. If you know what is "bak gua" or "肉干", it had the texture of bak gua and lightly glazed with honey.

Counter

All together we were really satisfied with our breakfast today. Altogether it costed around $40. Honestly aussie breakfasts are really expensive compared to Asian food. I guess it's because of the labour cost as well. Anyway, a good place to try out if you are out for some Aussie food!

Photography by Canon EOS 7D

Cafe Gaia @ South Yarra

Cozy Home Style Ambience

Cafe Gaia located at Avoca Street in South Yarra, Victoria is definitely one of the popular places for Australian Style breakfast/brunch and lunch. Because I had read quite a number of good reviews about it so today we went the try it out. The staff was very friendly and made us feel at home and welcomed. To start with drinks, we had a flat white and hot chocolate.

Flat White

Nicely done coffee art and I could smell the awesome aroma when it was served.

Hot Chocolate

Some artwork done as well with this cup of hot chocolate. The chocolate is actually very thick at the bottom and I had to stir it well before I really taste it. It reminded me the taste of Spanish hot chocolate that I tried a few years back.

For our meal, we went around 10am so we ordered from their breakfast menu. There were many varieties from muesli to poached eggs...you name it. What caught my eye was the Pork Belly sandwich with corn bread and in the end I went with that.

Pork Belly Sandwich with Corn Bread

It was served on a cutting board like board but I'm not really sure if it is really a cutting board. The food presentation was nicely done and it definitely looked appetising. What's special about this dish is the bread. Well it is actually what they call "corn bread" and the texture was not like normal bread, it was a bit like cake texture yet it still maintained the bread texture. It was very soft and tasty. The filling of the sandwich was pork belly slices with their salad and the combination was nice with the salad dressing. Definitely a thumbs up!

Mom ordered Ham Hock & Chipotle Baked Beans with Fried Eggs....what a long name.

Ham Hock & Chipotle Baked Beans with Fried Eggs

Beneath the two fried eggs was a slice of corn bread. I tasted the baked beans and it was very special. It had a taste of herbs and spice that goes well with the slices of ham hock inside. A very filling dish.

Overall I am very happy with Cafe Gaia and looking forward to try out their lunch menu one day.

Photography by Fujifilm XF1.