We decided to give Matt a break from the super-urban vibe of Tokyo with a bike ride through some of Melbourne's inner-city greenery. Of course it wouldn't be a trip worth taking if there wasn't a fine breakfast at the end of it - luckily CERES markets (with the recently rediscovered cafe) connect nicely with the Merri Creek Trail.
We've covered the pleasant atmosphere in our last post - kids and dogs once again ruled the roost, and things were a little busier this week, with the sun shining through a bit more strongly. Nevertheless, we found ourselves an outside table and settled in to peruse the menu. I was tempted to go back for a second shot at the baked eggs, but the late start had left me starving enough to tackle the big vego breakfast: "eggs how you like them, served with oven-roasted mushrooms, spinach, marinated tofu, beetroot chilli relish and organic sourdough toast brushed with herb-infused olive oil." It was a fairly tasty brekkie - particularly the beetroot - but there were a couple of problems. Firstly, I asked for my eggs poached, but ended up with weird soft yolk fried eggs. Secondly, for $17, I expected a little more food than this - maybe an extra slice of tofu. For $12 this would have been fantastic, for $17, it was probably only adequate. 
Cindy decided to sample something from the lunch menu - a special: fresh tomato, basil, boccocini cheese and pesto bruschetta. It was too tomato heavy for my tastes, but Cindy chowed down happily - enjoying the tangy tomato and the fantastic pesto. She's not a huge boccocini fan, so I got to sample some of the chewy, pesto-dappled cheese, which made up for my 'big' breakfast being more on the medium side.The CERES cafe churns out mostly organic, veg-friendly treats - with eggs and various vegies sourced directly from the CERES farm. The service is friendly and surprisingly efficient given the chaotic nature of the place. It's a fine summer breakfast stop-off, with a nice little market on the side, and we'll no doubt be back again soon.
Read about our previous trip the CERES cafe here.
I love Ceres but am not a fan of the cafe. In my experience service is almost as chaotic as the clientelle. It has been colonised by families, which is fair enough but it is the last place in Melbourne to go for a quite breakfast/lunch. To some extent the prices are justified by being organic (especially if they buy anything from the Ceres market which is shop prices versus say the vic market organics) but there are too many ordering mix ups to make the place reliable. I wish they could lift their game a little and make a separate adult-friendly area too would be nice!
ReplyDeleteLooks good - haven't been there in a while but keep meaning to - but I am with cindy on the boccocini
ReplyDeleteAOF, we've yet to encounter the kind of service that you have! (However, similar experiences at Lentil As Anything have biased me somewhat against it.) I agree that it's not a place for a quiet 'adult' breakfast but I think there are plenty of those in Melbourne already. While I continue to receive reasonable service, I'm embracing the chaotic and carefree vibe. :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, Johanna, do you think it's related to our egg issues? All bland and kinda spongey... it's not bad when combined with tangy tomato juices, though!
I have wondered if it is a similar texture that I dislike - and this seemed backed up when I saw you didn't like it either!
ReplyDelete