Chez Dre

February 9, 2013 Leave a comment

Opening hours:
Mon – Sun: 7:30am – 4:30pm

Coffee: Maling Room

Mr LB:
“Specialisation is not a new buzz word. In fact its been lingering around in the shadows for some time, wanting to pop its head out. Specialisation is about really knowing the ins and outs of a particular area. Long have gone the days where a project has a clear A to B approach with a generalist team able to deliver the goods. Business factors have pushed (or more like shoved relentlessly) for a work force that is specialised. Each unit or small team is dealing with one piece of a larger, complex puzzle. There is certainly pros and cons with this approach and this concept is creeping its way more and more into the hospitality industry. Most notably is the distinction between chef and patisserie chef. The skill set required is poles apart but when these unlikely skills join forces in theory they should make an unstoppable cafe. Or does it? We decided it was time for South Melbourne’s Chez Dre to be tested on both ends of the spectrums.

The one factor of Chez Dre that makes me fall in love with it on every occasion is its space. It’s so large and grand with the right selection of furniture that matches the dark and light colour schemes of the different dining areas. The kitchen is visually appealing, covered by a beautiful curved wall with a large slit in the middle to observe chefs at work. On the other side lies the counter, with an inviting patisserie showcase to drool over. The high ceiling reduces the busy sounds of the environment, but at the same time retains a warm ambiance. With an additional outdoor cafe area, the space has not only been well thought out, but it is executed perfectly. It’s the perfect place if you want to impress someone.

My Single Origin Long Black – Ethiopia Guji [$4] was ordered and arrived in next to no time, as I considered my biggest decision for my Saturday. As Miss SL will mention, we have been to Chez Dre on many non-blog days and I have personally found their coffee at times to be under performing. Persistence and improvement is the key and I can say that Chez Dre’s game has lifted over time. It came out showcasing a rich, bold tanned head. On first sips it displayed a very crisp flavour with noticeable aromas of blueberry, raspberry and pineapple. With a combination like that I couldn’t help but love it. A crisp, fresh and slightly tangy coffee equals the right balance of flavours for me!

Apparently, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Maybe not my heart, but I would reckon any mans-man who is given a big breakfast would be inches away. Given the hunger levels I was experiencing, I decided to go all out and order the Grand petit dejeuner – poached eggs on sourdough, bacon, spicy lamb sausages, potato rosti, sauteed mushrooms, smashed avocado with house fetta & tomato chutney [$19.50].

For a big breakfast, the plating was spot on. I instantly became the source of food envy. It was nice to see a big breakfast that had nice, considered plating. In terms of taste it was a good-all rounder, with the tomato chutney providing a great spicy kick with its rich, thick sauce that went well with the perfectly cooked bacon and fresh sourdough. The lamb sausages stuffed with fresh herbs were nice but didn’t lift the dish with its taste.

Grand petit dejeuner – poached eggs on sourdough, bacon, spicy lamb sausages, potato rosti, sauteed mushrooms, smashed avocado with house fetta & tomato chutney

The potato rosti was certainly a good addition, breaking up the meat. It had a nice crispy crunch and wasn’t too oily. What was a let down were the mushrooms. They were slightly rubbery, shriveled and just tasteless. They didn’t add any value and in some way brought the dish down, a level. Other than the mushrooms, this dish was a well executed and yummy big breakfast.

I had convinced Miss SL that if we were at Chez Dre, then dessert is mandatory. Upon much debate we had decided to order and shared the Chocolate Tart [$8]. This glossy tart with its multiple layers was the perfect end to our meal. The mousse was rich and complemented the base biscuit beautifully. It was easy to pierce through and share. The tart was truly an experience I would recommend it to anyone, however, I was glad that I had shared it. A whole dessert may have been too much for me.

Chocolate Tart

To visit and observe Chez Dre since its inception through to now, watching it achieve a high standard of food and sweets is something great to see. To create a truly special cafe with lasting memories isn’t something that is achieved by having a stagnant approach. Improvements are always needed and I’m sure when you visit Chez Dre, they will give you lots of love.

Miss SL:
“Chez Dre is the epitome of Melbourne living. Walking passed a tiny laneway in South Melbourne, a curious little sign pokes out written in gold, luring the curious. Cute little baskets line the bare red-bricked wall and as you enter the space of this establishment your jaw will literally drop open.

The space is breathtakingly larger than what first meets the eye – as you walk through the narrow path filled with green booths, the space opens up in a beautifully wide-opened main dining hall action takes place. A curved blue-tiled wall frames the kitchen allowing food-goers to watch their meal being prepared, while the main counter hosts a range of incredibly well-made patisserie items which tease brunch-goers into submission. Your mind will become hypnotised by the colours, the shapes and the variety and before you know it – you’ve got an array of sweet-treats in front of you.

Mr LB and I have been to Chez Dre many times and have succumbed to munching on their infamous macarons and pastries.

On this occasion we were catching up with my two best friends – Toy and Elly. It had been a long time since I’d seen them both and we were gushing over recent events that had taken place in our lives. It was a lovely sunny day and we had managed to get a table immediately inside.

Having recently returned from Europe my eyes immediately fell for a French classic – Croque Monsieur – smoked ham, Gruyere & bechamel [$12], but I pulled myself away as I was trying to be on the healthy side. I instead opted for the Veggie petit dejeaner – poached eggs on sourdough, potato rosti, sauteed mushrooms, smashed avocado with house fetta & tomato chutney [$17.50] and a double espresso to start my day.

The thing about Europe that any coffee lover will soon discover is that, well, both breakfast and coffee over there sucks! The coffee is instant or burnt and bitter and there are no eggs, fresh avocado or veggies in sight on the menu. The only place I was able to find a mildly decent coffee was at Rome airport, and of course, London where many Australian cafe owners are beginning to set-up shop. As Chez Dre was my first brunch pit-stop once I’d returned, I’d cherished every last drop of my espresso. Pure. Heaven.

Chamomile tea

Elly had ordered some chamomile tea to go with her food. I loved the adorable little tea pot and milk container that came with it. Cute!

Veggie petit dejeaner – poached eggs on sourdough, potato rosti, sauteed mushrooms, smashed avocado with house fetta & tomato chutney

When my main came out I had mixed emotions – the potato rosti was a lot more delicious than anything I could have ever eaten in the passed month, however the top of it seemed a little greasy. Digging my fork into it revealed that the potato was cooked well and managed to maintain its shape. My mushrooms were rather underwhelming and didn’t seem to be seasoned with anything particularly flavourful. They were oily, a little shriveled and seemed to be missing the punch that cooking them in butter would have provided.

The tomato chutney was beautiful as always – little bits of real tomatoes provided the ‘freshly made’ experience. The star of this dish was truly the smashed avocado – fresh, tangy and zesty, it pretty much carried this entire dish into the good books.

Poached eggs on sourdough add Smashed avocado with house fetta

Toy had ordered her standard Chez Dre brunch dish – Poached eggs on sourdough [$9] add Smashed avocado with house fetta [add $4.50]. She seemed quite pleased with herself.

Mr LB and I couldn’t go passed ordering dessert here. After all, that’s what they’re known for! There were so many good things to choose from, but we opted on the Chocolate Tart [$8]. When it came out it seemed to tease us. Perfectly coated ganache that was so shiny you could practically see your reflection on it. The tough, biscuit base secured the tart together and looked like it might be a challenge to crack through… but it wasn’t.

As I sliced my fork through the top layers, the tart gave way to a light, fluffy chocolate mouse that sat upon a beautifully made caramel. The base gave in to my fork and, without much trouble, allowed me to separate a slice of the tart. As soon as I put it in my mouth I felt that I was immediately transported to Edam, Holland.

Chocolate Tart

When I was travelling in Europe I became ridiculously addicted to something called Bakker Jooper – a treat made of two finely-made crispy waffles joined together by a chewy caramel. This tart had a similar taste – caramel atop a crispy, compacted chocolate base that almost tasted like crushed brownies. I was in heaven and immediately felt like I’d been cheating myself all this time by not having any of Chez Dre‘s cakes earlier.

Overall, Chez Dre is a wonderful venue. It is opulent, efficient, has great coffee and excellent desserts. If you’re looking to do brunch there I’d recommend you stick to their sweeter menu items – after all, sweets are their specialty. This venue is definitely worth the visit and worth travelling to from any side of the river. Chez Dre is a cafe I regularly hit-up and recommend to you to try.”

Final thought: “Incredible sweets to try- from macarons to cakes, this place will tickle your fancy”

Chez Dré on Urbanspoon

Filed under Big Breakfast, Brunch dessert, South, South Melbourne, Vegetarian Breakfast Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Henry and the Fox

January 17, 2013 3 Comments

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 8am – 10pm
Sat – Sun: Closed

Address:
525 Little Collins Street
Melbourne, Vic 3000

Coffee: Coffeehead

Mr LB:
“Is Henry chasing the Fox or is the Fox chasing Henry? It sounds like the old story of who came first, the chicken or the egg. It’s a mind bender that would result in any kid to debate back and forth, examining the equally persuasive arguments without ever approaching closure. While we may play down its effects, closure or perspective to a story is nice when told. Closing the final page to that chapter and ready for the next. This is similar to the story of Henry and the Fox. The story is that Henry used to work for head chef Michael Fox at a previous posting of Vue De Monde. With the opportunity to work with Michael again, Henry didn’t hesitate and raced over to the Fox where the stories of Henry and the Fox began.

Henry and the Fox is nicely tucked away on the bottom end of Little Collins street (between William and King). The design and layout of the restaurant is diverse, but also warm with its wooden paneling and mood lighting. Inside seating options consist of a variety of long and short tables, many of which have a clear view into the kitchen where all the action happens. We opted to sit outside which is covered in Astro Turf. Very summery indeed!

With my current fascination in find the best bacon and egg roll within the CBD, I went for Henry & The Fox bacon and double egg roll with HP sauce [$11.50] and a Coffeehead long black [$3.50].

Morning coffee is a crucial part to most peoples’ working day. Upon gaining possession of their “workers juice” it’s all go-go-go.. until they crash, of course. The flavours found in the Coffeehead brew is growing on me, but usually I’m turned off by the way the coffee is delivered. Almost every time I experience a Coffeehead as ‘have in’, there’s just a little bit too much water added to the shot, diluting the flavour. This time was no different. It did, however, have a smooth texture and slight nutty overtone. The brew lacked bitterness, however, as I came to the end of the coffee I found that the flavours were lost.

Henry and the Fox bacon and double egg  roll  with HP sauce

My food had arrived first and having compared with My Mexican Cousin, visually it just didn’t seem to have the same appeal. In terms of taste there were definite yums to had. The bacon was cooked very crispy, which at first I thought wasn’t very desirable. However, eating the roll as a whole it worked perfectly with the pan fried egg and the smoked HP BBQ sauce. The eggs were a little dry and the bun had been pressed flat, but the smokey sauce made these little issues seamless go away. It was just so good with egg and bacon! The smoky texture from the sauce elevated the other components in this dish to achieve a delicious egg and bacon roll. I’m such a convert that I have bought myself a bottle of smoked HP BBQ sauce to use at home.

I like the Henry and the Fox brunch menu as it caters for people on the run and those who like to sit and consume a well prepared brunch dish. It surely is a unique CBD location to grab a coffee and its brunch, lunch and dinner menu has ‘delicious’ written all over it. Worth a visit for any occasion.”

Miss SL:
“Melbourne city is a truly beautiful place. Having recently returned from a trip to Europe, I can whole heartedly say that upon my return I have come to really appreciate the diversity of culture and quirk that our fair city presents to the world. With bars that depict tennis clubs, science labs and hospitals and even other cities (I’m looking at you, Berlin Bar!) our cafes are slowly following suite (although perhaps not to that extreme!).

Upon entering Henry & the Fox, I was immediately pleased with the astroturf. “How rooftop bar!” I recall cheering at Mr LB. It was a warm spring morning and we were seated outside. I’d ordered our coffees (double espresso for me!) and brunches as soon as I arrived, ordering the Open omelette, smoked salmon, asparagus, feta w toasted multigrain [$15.50]. There was one girl working furiously on the coffee machine, taking orders and serving dishes. She seemed a bit overworked!

Waiting for our meals and accompaniments, I used the time to take in our surroundings. What’s immediately striking about the location is how well they had transformed it. Directly across from The Exchange building where I had previously worked at for a year was a dark, uninviting restaurant. Kartel next door provided a semi-decent coffee and the chocolate shop behind it provides some pretty good macarons.

Henry and the Fox immediately lifts the environment of the surrounding buildings and jolts excitement into the street with its green astroturf, beautiful woodwork and open, inviting space.

As I ran out things to look at, I started looking at my clock. Time ticked by. And ticked. And ticked.

It had been a full 15 minutes since ordering, on a relatively quiet Tuesday morning. There were only 8 people in the cafe in total. I didn’t perceive too many people coming in to order coffees, but perhaps I was wrong. The barista was furiously pumping out coffees, but whom I wasn’t sure. Another 5 minutes went and finally our meals came out. The barista / waitress was very apologetic – she said that they had been unusually busy as of late, perhaps with the approach of summer. Initially looking at the dish I wasn’t sure what to think.

Open omelette, smoked salmon, asparagus, feta w toasted multigrain

The omelette was cooked well – not burnt or overly dry on the edges. The bread was thick and well toasted which was quite alluring. The problem that I had with it was the overall lack of excitement in the presentation, but then again let’s be realistic. I didn’t really pick the most exotic thing on the menu, did I? My first mouthful spoke a different truth though. The feta immediately popped in my mouth providing a sharp yet targeted strike across my palate. The salmon provided clarity to the saltiness in this dish whilst the asparagus played the backseat role of adding texture more than flavour. The dish overall resulted in a salty, creamy open omelette that was perhaps slightly too thin. It was a delicious way to start the weekday morning.

Overall, Henry and the Fox provides a nice weekday breakfast. They were still experiencing some teething issues with staff numbers as they entered the summer months, but I’m sure that has all been resolved. If you’re in the south part of the CBD make sure you drop in as the decor is so chirpy it will lift anyone’s spirits.”

Final thought: “Beautiful brunch stop for a sunny day”

Henry and the Fox on Urbanspoon

Filed under CBD, Eggs (Other), Omelette Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Wrapping up Melbourne’s Taste buds

November 19, 2012 2 Comments

Today was the last day for the Taste of Melbourne festival and what a glorious day it was! By midday the sun was shining, a cool breeze kept us honest and the swans were out and about at Albert Park. We arrived around 1pm starving for something to start our day. We’d noticed on opening night that Mamasita had some really delicious street corn and tacos on the go and that their food seemed a bit more generous than some of the other restaurants on show. So we started making our way down to their stall when we got side-tracked by the beautifully made Rekorderlig Cider stand. We’d decided to try some of their newer flavours which we hadn’t had before – Miss SL opted for the latest flavour Premium Orange-Ginger Cider [8 crown] while Mr LB went for the Premium Apple Blackcurrent Cider [8 crown]. We’d never noticed how beautifully coloured the ciders were before!

Left: Rekorderlig Premium Orange-Ginger Cider Right: Rekorderlig Premium Apple Blackcurrent Cider

Continuing on, we queued up for Mamasita which surprisingly wasn’t as long as we expected. Miss SL ordered the Taco de lengua (braised ox taco) [8 crown] and Mr LB ordered the Taco de pescado (market fish taco) [8 crown]. We’d ordered some Elotes Callejeros – ‘Street Style’ Corn [6 crown each], which are really just a Mamasita staple. We have to admit, having some of these little samplers made us want to revisit this fine Mexican Melbourne establishment again.

Top: Mamasita kitchen Bottom left: Elotes Callejeros - ‘Street Style’ Corn Bottom middle: Taco de lengua (braised ox taco) Bottom right: Taco de pescado (market fish taco)

We walked around a little bit admiring some of the stalls on display. Miss SL took particular delight in the High Tea In the Bath stall, which sold soaps in the shape of cupcakes and other edible treats.

High Tea In the Bath

Monsieur Truffle were doing their bit for Movember, selling moustache shaped chocolates for $4, donating $1 from the proceeds to Movember!

Monsieur Truffle

As continued wandering around the festival grounds we noticed that Cacao Fine Chocolates were selling Salted Caramel Donuts [2 for 6 crown]! What a bargain that was! Miss SL pointed out the Cacoa Fine Chocolates do great macarons, as she used to work near the store off Little Collins Street on the South side of the CBD, but we really didn’t need any swaying to order this dish.

Top: Cacao Fine Chocolates – macarons Bottom: Cacao Fine Chocolates – Salted Caramel Donuts

High on our sugar buzz of delicious salted caramel donuts, we were approached by the lovely people at the Plumm Wine Theatre asking if we were interested in attending the Sake Samurai School (sake taste testing session) for a mere 6 crown. She didn’t have to ask us twice!

The session was very educational, hosted by Gourmet Wine Traveller’s Nick Stock, featuring some guests (one of which was one of Melbourne’s top sommeliers).

Plumm Wine Theatre – Sake Samurai School

We learned the about Junmai sake (sake made purely from rice and water) and Ginjo (which is the acidity of the sake). The session was very educational, as our hosts explained that the different water from the different parts of Japan resulted in different flavours in the sake, and that the rice went through a series of polishing that resulted in the varying levels of purity and quality.

Almost as soon as we exited from our taste testing session, we stumbled upon the Sustainable Living session hosted by Scott Eddington from Mamasita, who was Making Goat head tacos using goats cheek and tongue. Mr LB was so inspired by this somewhat squeamish demonstration that apparently he’s going to give this recipe a try at home!

Sustainable Living Main Stage – Scott Eddington (Mamasita)

Enjoying the warmth of this brilliant summer day and the live music playing in the background, we stumbled upon Miss SL’s friend The Doctor, who was at the festival with her friends. How lovely! Breaking away from them we decided to spend some crown on B&Ps cake pops [2 crown each], snagging the very last two that were up for sale. We also bought some salted caramel in a jar. What we can use if for, we have no idea, but we’re sure we’ll find some use for it!

B&P – cake pops

Passing by the Malaysia Kitchen cooking stand, we noticed that Masterchef contestant Poh Yeow was cooking up a storm. Miss SL went all gooey eyed as she watched Poh, one of her favourite on-screen cooks.

Malaysia Kitchen – Poh Yeow (Poh’s Kitchen)

It seemed to have been a rather productive day of cooking demonstrations, free tasters, paid tasters and booze. There was just one thing left for us to do, and that was to pick up a cocktail making set from Sensology [34 crown]. We’d simply loved the equipment we used at The Art of Cocktail Making class that we did on the opening night and the equipment was really great. With our new purchase in hand we had 6 crown left to spend, deciding on a slice of Margarita pizza [6 crown] at ItaliCo., a somewhat new pizza bar opening up in St Kilda. It was approaching the end of day so the gentleman at the bar threw in a couple of extra slices in for free! Score!

Italico

Taste of Melbourne was certainly just that, exhibiting some of Melbourne’s finest restaurant talent going around. We heard a couple of people whining about portion sizes, or how ‘they can no longer get photos with George Calombaris because it’s become so big’, but that’s really not what this festival is about. This festival is all about fine food and fine beverages. The festival was managed exceptionally well and was a real joy to go to and experience. Would we go again? Most certainly. We’ll see you there next year for sure!

Final thought: “Looking forward to Tasting 2013″

Filed under Albert Park, Brunch dessert, Other Brunch Foods, South, Strictly Not Brunch Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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