Miss Marmalade

Update 12/06/2023: Miss Marmalade is now closed.

November 6, 2011

For reasons I can't fully explain, my Sunday morning started with my riding to Moonee Ponds to do a fun-run at 8 in the morning. Cindy, wisely, opted to stay in bed, so we scheduled a post-run meet-up at a point on my ride home. A bit of research turned up Miss Marmalade, well situated in West Brunswick and regularly recommended by Carla.

Despite not looking (or probably smelling) my best in my post-run glory, I snuck into the window seat while I waited for Cindy and kicked back with the paper and a pretty decent soy flat white. The staff are friendly and efficient (although they mostly steered clear of me until Cindy arrived) and the cafe itself is charmingly fitted out, with a tram scroll on the wall the highlight.

Once Cindy arrived we got stuck into the menu. There are a good mix of sweet and savoury options, with vegetarian dishes well represented (less so vegan, although given Carla's recommendation they must be a bit flexible). There wasn't anything in the way of gluten-free info on the menu, so coeliacs should probably call ahead to make sure they've got options. I couldn't resist the farmers market breakfast (home made corn bread, hash potatoes, cherry tomatoes, the pick of market vegetables with a poached egg, crushed avocado and micro-herbs, $15.50).

This was a nice change-up from the usual brekkie options - lots of spring veggies (broad beans, peas, capsicum, cherry tomatoes, green beans, sweet potato), fresh herbs, little crunch fried potato hash pieces and a perfectly poached egg all burying a small but dense chunk of cornbread slathered in delicious avocado. An excellent and refreshingly healthy start to the day.

Cindy wavered over a few options before settling on something from the specials board: Jack's cheddar on sour dough with pesto, caramelised onion and tomatoes ($10.90).

Unsurprisingly, this was pretty cheesy. How much you like it will depend on your cheese tolerance - I was a fan (especially once Cindy picked the tomato off!) - but the rest of the ingredients did their work as well. It's simple but effective, and pretty sizable for $10.

Miss Marmalade hit the mark pretty well for us - good service, decent coffee and an interesting menu executed effectively.

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Despite being a bit off the beaten track, Miss Marmalade has become a darling of the blog scene, with positive write-ups on Coffeearn, Quick, grab your camera, Fashion Rebel, Melbourne Coffee Review, Days Designed, Little Eats, Food Rehab, Eat Play Shop, Chomp and Slurp, A Place A Day and Melbourne gastronome. Only Makers of Melbourne and Mel Hot or Not have been a bit unimpressed.

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Miss Marmalade
126 Union Street, Brunswick
9388 8202
veg dishes $6 - $16.50
http://missmarmaladecafe.com/

Accessibility: The entryway is flat and the interior is relatively spacious. Ordering happens at the table while payment takes place at a lowish counter. We didn't visit the loos, but a few reviewers have particularly noted the baby-friendliness of the facilities.