November 1, 2010: Three Bags Full

On Monday, Michael and I met up for lunch in the Richmond/Abbotsford neighbourhood.  We had a tip on a new vegetarian restaurant but it wasn't yet open, so we shifted our sights to Three Bags Full.  We were lucky to snag a table for two before the much-hyped (see the 32 links below) cafe filled up entirely.

Michael had a good shot at the drinks menu, getting both a coffee and a #2 juice ($6; pineapple, strawberry, apple & mint) and loving 'em both.

From there, he had a shot at the specials board, ordering the crushed spring peas and poached eggs on toast with basil and tomato vinaigrette ($14.50).  The eggs were a perfectly poached centrepiece to a very good plate of food.

He did sneak a couple jealous looks at (and bites of!) my pumpkin fritters ($15.50).  Fluffy yet substantial, sweet and salty - they were bloody good stuff, especially when smeared with the creamed Persian feta.  The huge handful of rocket had the right texture and bitterness to offset the rich fritters and I dug the oven roasted cherry tomatoes too.  The grilled haloumi was the odd element out for me, adding more fatty saltiness where I didn't really think it was needed.  My mind boggles at the thought of the prosciutto that usually also accompanies this dish - it just seems like overkill.

Our meals weren't cheap but the quality stepped up to the price.  Service was pleasant and prompt in the face of a full house; I get the impression that there's rarely a quiet moment at Three Bags Full and they seem to have a handle on it.  The all-day breakfast menu is extensive and attractive even though it features a lot of eggs.  It's not vegan-friendly as is but given my skip-the-prosciutto success, it's probably possible to try the beans, avocado or mushrooms without cheese.  There's every chance they don't need it!

Update 07/11/2010: Unfortunately Three Bags Full is even less vegan-friendly than we imagined - K and Toby stopped by and found that the beans and mushrooms are cooked with butter.  That leaves toast with jam, vegemite or avocado as the only vegan options across a long breakfast menu.

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Three Bags Full has already appeared on many other blogs: Mel: Hot or Not, Melbourne Coffee Review, Ronnie's Spots, Gourmet Chick, Melbourne Dining Experiences, little eats, Daily Melbourne, Breakies Worth Getting Up For, I'm so hungreeeeeeeeee, Gourmet to Glam, See.Smell.Taste, Backseat Baristas, wherespresso, Review About Anything, FOOPhotos, melbourne gastronome, Sit Down Disco, betty loves blogging, Melbourne Cafes Photo Blog, Beansprout's Cafe, Kim Ong, Eri No Machi, Lee Jake Mariano, Do You Want To Stay For Breakfast?, Nouveau Potato, Brunchalot Brunch Blog, Thirty Minutes, EspressoMelbourne.com, Petit-Miamx, The Travelling Bean and The Lupaula Blog.

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Address: corner of Nicholson and Mollison Sts, Abbotsford
Ph: 9421 2732
Price: veg lunches $10-15.50
Website: www.threebagsfullcafe.com