OMG YUM @ Tree of Us

Last week I got an email from Christian, of the new Richmond cafe 'Tree of us' inviting me to come and visit. Tree of Us stands out from the formally industrial, now residential area of Richmond, thanks to a great tree and rooster artwork painted on one side of the corner cafe.

Inside, with two walls of the cafe windows, Tree of Us is a  lightfilled and cheery with potted plants hanging from the ceiling, and a church pew lining the solid wall. We were lucky enough to arrive on a quiet Monday morning, and the cafe had a easy vibe, welcoming us to the start of a busy week.

Cost wise, Tree of Us sits perfectly in the Poor Student Eats budget. My omelette sat well at around $14, and you can’t really beat a sit-down sammich for $8.

Although I debated between the smoked salmon and beetroot salad, I thought I'd live on the edge and ended up ordering the omelette with mushrooms, spinach, goat's cheese, and thyme. Omg yum. Textually, the omelette was spot on - soft and light without being firm or rubbery. I hadn't had mushrooms for ages, but this omelette has convinced me to return. Each component in the dish was well and truly present, complementary and flavourful without being too rich. I also enjoyed a substantial amount of goat's cheese hidden beneath the omelette's folds and there was just enough thyme to give a pleasant aroma to the meal. Top notch.

Antonia went for the less conventional pick of the 'chef's choice' sandwich, filled with peanut butter, honey and banana. A passionate banana detester for a long time, I never would have made this call, but a difference in preference is what friends of food bloggers are for. She really enjoyed the sandwich and its kooky combination of fillings, but said it would be nice to have another sweet element there as well, like strawberries for that added punch.

What I really liked about Tree of us is that it kind of bucks the trends most Melbourne cafes are following with vigor. The chairs have backs! The inside is warm and green, instead of cold and industrial! But the basic ingredients of a great cafe remain through their menu of quirky little dishes, great coffee and service that is informed and friendly, but allows for conversational-space too.

The Chef's choice sandwich

Both my friend and I agreed that it was great to see some new things on the menu. After a while, the brunch options from cafes begin to mimic each other - even with the quality ingredients they may contain. Sure, there are breakfast favourites that remain universally popular, but, to quote Antonia when everyone is serving 'smashed avocado with Meredith fetta' you can feel like you've read a menu once, twice, or three times before - but not so here. The simple dishes aren’t too foreign and you should be familiar with most of the offerings, but each is done so in a way that will bring new light to a old favourite.

Still in its first month, I look forward to seeing how Tree of Us grows in the future. They have strong the potential as a young cafe all ready to grow up. Pricewise, it’s spot on for a easy, hassle free breakfast, and I am looking forward to trying their dinner menu soon, and making a visiting their little courtyard for a Sunday session in the coming months. So if you ever find yourself in that strange divide between Bridge Road and Victoria Street, take a short walk down to Tree of Us for some good and wholesome brunchy fair. 

The hanging pot plants were super cute 

TREE OF US 

 

71 CHURCH STREET

RICHMOND  

 

Good for: Easy and informal dining with groups of any size, a solid cup of coffee, cruisy breakfasts, dinners and for doses of sunshine, when the courtyard opens. 
Vegetarians: Will be happy with the selection on the menu as it caters for most eating preferences, with lots of healthy breakfast foods like eggs, mushrooms, lentils, beans and a couple of meaty options.
Wait time: Nil- we walked right on in.
Food waiting time: The perfect amount of time- about 10 minutes. Just enough to time to settle in before eating.
Cost: Good value, and one of the cheaper breakfast options I've encountered in Melbourne. You could easily come home with change from a 20 dollar note. 

THE BEST HASH IN TOWN @ Proud Mary

I just started a new job this week, so the week before I began, I took advantage of my short lived freedom to eat like crazy and brunch like there was no tomorrow mornings off.

 This was breakfast. This is why they tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If everyone started their day like this, Melbourne would be a beautiful place.

The first port of call was Collingwood’s Proud Mary to begin a chilly Wednesday for breakfast. I used to visit Proud Mary a lot when I was an intern in Collingwood but as it’s almost on the other side of town, I don’t get there too much now. Either way, as I was reminded, the cafe is well worth the trip and food here is top notch.

Crowded for breakfast, lunch and take-away coffee, Proud Mary is a Melbourne favourite for all of the above. Despite being packed almost every time I've visited, wait times are minimal and it’s not a huge challenge to find a table on a weekday morning. When we arrived, menus were distributed within a few minutes of sitting, and our coffee arrived a few minutes after that. Generally, service is fast and organised, without lacking in care. At Proud Mary, they have crowd-management down to a fine art, and live between that fine line of wham-bam-thankyou-ma'am service and a nicely paced eatery.

We both ordered the Potato Hash, which usually is made up of a thick hash brown, grilled bacon, spinach, a poached egg, bagna cauda (a light italian sauce, made up of anchovies, cream and garlic) which proved to be a good choice on a miserable Melbourne morning.

My meal involved just the right amount of potato, spinach and salmon (my substitute for bacon) with a well poached egg. It was hearty and warm, but I was thankful for the salmon, which added a change of texture and some lightness to a heavy dish. However, my friend altered hers by swapping the eggs for tomato, and was just as pleased with her meal as I was with mine. Both dishes were perfectly sized, leaving us pleasantly full.

What I really noticed about our meals, and those of people around us, was that both dishes were beautifully presented, full of colour and delicately arranged. The salmon on my plate has been perfectly folded into a little round nest, while the other components of the meal looked wonderful alongside. There is no real benefit to eating food art, but it certainly made me slow down and enjoy my meal a little more then usual and I appreciated the effort that had gone into the look of our meals. 

I also liked how much choice the meals were. With a huge selection of sides on offer beyond the regular menu, you get the impression that Proud Mary is willing to cater for everyone. Although the hot breakfast menu is not huge, the set menu is adaptable to almost any taste, so if your favourites aren't there, try the 'sides'. 

Price wise, Proud Mary reaches, and almost exceeds my $20 budget, especially after I added my latte to the bill. But this breakfast experience was really, really great and with sufficient staffing, minimal waiting times and decent serves (the big three, am i right?) I left feeling more then satisfied that it was money well spent. So, if you're having a flash week and find yourself in Collingwood, head to Proud Mary.   

Proud Mary roast their own beans. Thus, best coffee out. 

PROUD MARY

172 Oxford St (off Smith Street)
Collingwood, Victoria 3066

Monday – Friday : 7am to 4pm
Saturday – Sunday : 8am to 4pm
Public Holidays : 7am to 4pm

Good for: Coffee; both the take-away and in-house options are quick and really good. Also good for groups of friends because of the long tables, but I'd stick to smaller groups during peak times.
Vegetarians: Will be able to eat well-  for breakfast, there are more vegetarian options then there are meat-options with additional vegetarian sides available.
Wait time: We walked straight in and found a spot on a communal table at around 10.30am last Wednesday morning.
Food waiting time: Not long at all- less then 15 minutes in total. 
Cost: PM added an extra dollar for the salmon, making the meal and my latte $21.00 all up.


 

COFFEE AND BAGELS @ Manhattan

I'm all for hitting the town hard on Friday and Saturday nights, but I'm going to be honest and tell you that I'd much rather wake up fresh faced and early so that I can sink a million lattes in a cafe and not feel like I've wasted the day. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen too often and usually by the time I wake, brunch time is over. Last Sunday however, was the exception and my friend Antonia and I visited Manhattan in Toorak Village for an early morning breakfast. I hadn't been here before but it always looks busy when I drive past on my way to work, so I was kind of keen to check it out.



 Without being chaotic or child-ridden, Manhattan on a Sunday morning is a busy place, but we got a table out the front and arrived just before the real breakfast crowd hit around 10am. We kept it simple by ordering smoked salmon bagels (The 'Lox on Bagel') and avocado and goats cheese on toast- pretty classic breakfast dishes. I was pleased to see that they didn't skimp on the salmon and my meal was just as I would have wished, but made better with the accompanying lemon and rocket. 

The staff were cheery and upbeat, which is always a winner- even if they brought out our coffee after we'd received our food, which is probably my biggest peeve in a cafe. But the guys serving us were friendly and fun, which is nice during their brisk Sunday morning trade.

All in all, brunch at Manhattan was a pleasant experience. The biggest qualm I have with the place is that the menu wasn't exciting and I didn’t get that nice little feeling of anticipation that I like to get when I order (this probably sounds really sad, but look, I just really love eating). I know that this isn’t the most substantial of issues, and for an area like Toorak, keeping Manhattan’s menu as a conservative one probably works well. However, Manhattan is an upmarket 'eggs and bacon' eatery. They are catering for the 'classic' breakfast experience, which makes it hard if you are vegetarian. Vegans on the other hand- don't even bother, unless you're willing to make some serious adjustments to dishes as almost everything has eggs, cheese or meat in it.

Although I wasn't dissatisfied with my meal at Manhattan, the experience did make me think about eating out for breakfast, and I realised that the more that I go out for breakfast and brunch, the more I've come to expect something a little different to choose from, instead of a dish I could create myself at home.



I do see Melbourne as a town that thrives on ‘food surprises’ and I’ve come to appreciate, and rely on creativity in a menu- especially as vegetarianism and to some degree, veganism are now no longer considered unusual. Now, it's almost a basic requirement now to cater for these eaters in a way that is both filling and interesting, instead of resorting to making substitutes within a classic breakfast fry up. We noticed this particularly here, as I have been avoiding meat since my jaunt to Huxtaburger, and my friend doesn't eat eggs which gave us some serious limitations when trying to make a selection.

But perhaps (actually, there is no doubt) I am spoilt for choice in Melbourne, and if you're looking for a classic breakfast experience I can recommend mornings at Manhattan to you.

MANHATTAN

448 TOORAK ROAD, TOORAK 

Good for: Family breakfasts, coffee and 'the bacon and eggs' experience.
Vegetarians: Should be fine, but you won't find anything super innovative for you. Vegans, don't bother- there are better places to eat.
Wait time: We walked straight in without issue around 9.30.
Food waiting time: Maybe 20 minutes- not bad as the restaurant was filling as we arrived, but our coffees did arrive after our meals.
Cost: I paid $19.50 for a latte and my salmon bagels. My friend paid $18.50 for latte and avocado and goats cheese on grain.