Vogue House Cafe and Restaurant

Today I was joined by two friends and my friend’s baby for breaky in Mt Eliza. This post was intended to be about the Village Pantry, when we went there, there were no bacon and eggs!! No bacon and eggs!! I know I’m repeating myself but I want to emphasize this, NO BACON AND EGGS!! THE HORROR! So we took ourselves off to the next cafe we could find that had a PROPER breakfast menu WITH bacon and eggs on it. Ok, rant over. On with my review of the lovely Vogue House Cafe and Restaurant.

Bacon and Eggs

6/10

Bacon was crispy, yummy and everything you want bacon to be. Thumbs up. The eggs on the other hand....we weren’t given any options as to how we wanted our eggs cooked and when they came out....well... we couldn’t quite figure it out. They didn’t have crispy edges so they weren’t fried, but they didn’t quite have the texture of poached eggs either. In the end we decided that they must have been microwaved. Ew. The whites were a bit undercooked and stringy and the yolks were a bit overcooked. Not great. There was no choice of toast either and what we were given was supermarket, white bread, slathered in butter, that turned to mush under the eggs. Not great either.

Optional extra

8/10

This time I had tomato and mushrooms as my optional extras. The mushrooms were juicy and tasty, and we were given plenty of them. The tomato was a whole tomato cut in half and fried cut face down in a pan. It could have been cooked for a bit longer but it was still tasty. Neither the mushrooms nor tomato were seasoned at all and needed extra salt and pepper to make them tasty.

Coffee

10/10

All of our coffees were good and came out before our meals (I hate it when they come out during. I’m not one of life’s multitaskers and don’t like my coffee to sit, getting cold while I eat. I know. I’m a fussy bitch.)

Value for money

7/10

Coffee, bacon and eggs with mushrooms and tomato came to $18.50. It wasn’t TOO expensive but for that price I would expect food that was a little higher in quality and some more personalised service. I feel a bit evil for saying that but there it is.

Service

8/10

The waitressing, cooking, coffee making and register was all done by ONE woman!! And she was friendly and efficient about it too! If I were doing her job I would be cranky as all hell, snapping at anyone who dared order more than a cup of tea and vegemite on toast. She managed it all with a smile and got our food and coffee out pretty quickly. Although her lonesomeness meant that the service wasn’t as personalised as it could’ve been with an extra waiter, she did an amazing job with all the responsibilities she had. And because she was so busy she didn't have time to ask us how our food was. Fab. 

X-Factor

4 extra points

- The interior was so daggy and old fashioned that I really liked it. Brown carpet, old gas heater, rickety tables, daggy pictures on the wall. I know it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I felt like I was sitting in my nan’s old lounge room....complete with all the old people eating around me. Loved it.

- I know I mentioned it before, but the fact that every element of the place was being run by one woman on a Saturday morning (prime brunching time in Mt Eliza) was amazing. We were super impressed.

- There’s a gift shop attached that you can wander into after you’ve finished your breaky.

- It’s a bit of an elderly hang out. Everyone in the place apart from us was over 70 at least. This might put some people off but a couple of them came over and had a chat to my friend’s baby on their way out, which made the place feel all friendly and welcoming. I liked it.

Total: 43 points

Shop Ate Cafe and Store: Mt Eliza

Took a solo trip to a very, very popular spot near me. I had to fight for a table but once I started pulling hair the issue resolved itself pretty quickly. Ok, that’s not true…..I actually punched her. Breaky was delish! Will definitely come back next time I have a special occasion or feel the need to work on my left hook.

Bacon and Eggs
10/10
Absolutely nothing wrong with these! Eggs were free range (although quite frankly I can’t taste the difference. I’m a food heathen) and cooked perfectly. The bacon was crispy, and my toast was crusty sourdough sodden in butter. Awesome! Couldn’t fault it.

Optional Extra
9/10
I had the mushrooms again and they were lovely. Well cooked, juicy and I was given heaps. I only knocked a point off because they weren’t seasoned and so they were a little bland when eaten on their own.

Coffee
10/10
I had my usual long black and it was also delish. Very stong and rich. Yummo.

Value for Money
9/10
At around $20, this is the most I’ve paid for breakfast so far. The food and coffee was delicious but if I was going to pay this much for breakfast every weekend then I would end up with a much depleted bank account. I think if I were to come back it would be for a special occasion or as a treat. I don’t think I could pay this much for a regular weekend breaky but the fantastic food made it ALMOST worth it.

Service
8/10
The staff were very friendly and helpful and didn’t ask me how my food was (my pet peeve). Thumbs ups! However, I had to go up to the counter to order, my food took a while to come out and my coffee came out just after my food which meant that it sat getting cold while I ate. I prefer to have my coffee come out first so that I can drink it hot and enjoy it while I’m waiting for my food. Personal preference but, hey, this is my review and I’ll complain if I want to. All in all the service was fine but nothing super special.

X – Factor
4 extra points
- Lovely atmosphere. Warm, cosy and stylish.
- There were interesting bits and bobs on display for sale. I liked looking at the cook books while I was waiting for my food.
- My water was refilled without me having to ask for it.
- Most of the food they sell is organic or hand made by local suppliers, which means by eating there you’re supporting local business. Nice for the conscience.

Total: 50 points

Pop's Cafe: Mt Eliza

Off to Pop’s Cafe this week with a breaky partner whom we love for having particularly high standards. Did his delightful judgy-wudgyness rub off on me? Hmmm, maybe.

Bacon and Eggs
8/10
I had poached eggs and they were a bit overcooked but they had some dried oregano sprinkled on top which was yummo. I chose Turkish toast and you needed a bloody saw to get through it unfortunately. Very, very crunchy. The bacon was lovely though and there was plenty of it.

Optional extra
7/10
I chose mushrooms again and they were ok. I was only given a few and they weren’t seasoned at all, which made them a little bland. They were juicy and tasty when eaten with the bacon though. A bit meh.

Coffee
8/10
Mine was nice. My friend’s on the hand….He had a cappuccino and it was burnt and it had COCOA on top instead of powdered chocolate. How odd! He wasn’t very impressed. And when this particular friend isn’t impressed with something he will let you know about it. Loudly.

Value for Money
9/10
My meal and coffee came to around $15 all together which is pretty reasonable for the amount of food I was given. I had to pay extra for bacon with my eggs though. Is this normal? I don’t know.

Service
9/10
We found our own table and ordered and paid up at the counter, which made the service less personable than it might be elsewhere where you have a waiter come take your order. Our meals came out quickly though and the waiters were cheerful and helpful. Pretty good all up!

X Factor
3 extra points
- Lovely warm and bustling atmosphere. My friend and I sat out the front in the sun and had a jolly time.
- Leafy courtyard out the back to chill out in should you choose to do so.
- Good location. My friend and I popped into a few of the surrounding shops after breaky and there was lots of foot traffic, which made for fab people watching (ie. bitching)

Total: 44 points

Cafe on the Mount: Mt Eliza

My housemate popped my brunching cherry by taking me to the oh-so-suggestively named Cafe on the Mount. Let see how it stacked up shall we?

Bacon and Eggs
9/10
Very delish! I had my eggs poached (if I’m paying for them, I want them cooked in a way that I have never been able to achieve at home. Sigh.) They were a smidge over-cooked but still had a yolk runny enough to be acceptable. Good sourdough toast. They didn’t give too much either, which I liked because lots of bacon and egg plus lots of toast equals a sore tum for Kathy. Bacon was crispy but not burnt and I was given HEAPS of it. All in all, a good effort Cafe on the Mount! (hehe mount).

Optional Extra
9/10
I chose mushrooms. I don’t know what kind they were but they were small and came in their own little bowl, cute! Again, they were a little undercooked but they were sautéed in a pan rather than steamed like some places do (ew!). They were juicy and tasty. Thumbs up.

Coffee
10/10
I ordered my usual long black. It was strong and delish! Well done Cafe on the Mount (hehe mount. That will never get old.)

Value for Money
8/10
I had to pay extra for bacon with my eggs. Don’t they go hand in hand? Like peas and carrots? Was pricey but we got a good meal for our money.

Service
10/10
We were greeted at the door, seated as quickly as possible (it was packed), and our waiter was friendly and helpful. Our meals came out quickly and we weren’t asked how the food was. I hate it when waiters do that. As if you’re going to tell them it was rubbish! They’re just fishing for compliments.

X Factor
5 extra points.
- Water bottle was put on our table and refilled without us having to ask
- Warm, stylish, bustling atmosphere. Big windows, lots of light and people-watching potential.
- We were offered both lunch and breaky menus.
- They have someone playing music there in summer.
- Waitress pronounced ‘ bruschetta’ with an Italian accent.

Total: 51 points.