Breakfast @ Magic Mountain Saloon

Magic Mountain Saloon brings the vibrancy of the Thai café culture to its breakfast offerings in Melbourne.

From the creators of Cookie, The Toff In Town, Revolver Upstairs and Boney, Magic Mountain Saloon opened in January this year and already has a loyal band of followers thanks to its authentic Thai cuisine which offers something distinctive for Melbourne’s breakfast culture.

Located at the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, a significant feature of Magic Mountain Saloon is its design - a fusion of industrial and contemporary. 

Green Curry Chicken Thighs, Apple Eggplant & Bamboo Shoots

The perfectly seasoned curry possessed the customary punchy flavours exhibited by South East Asian curries and was a great match for the beautifully cooked chicken. We loved the inclusion of tender eggplant and textural bamboo shoots.

Sour Orange Snapper Curry, Prawns & Morning Glory

The snapper curry was an outstanding curry which had a unique flavour and ample spice. It was a clean and bright dish with a perfect salt-sour-heat balance.

Black Sticky Rice, Strawberries, Banana, Coconut Cream & Dried Mango Granola

A modern breakfast take on the traditional Thai dessert of black sticky rice pudding with coconut, this bowl of goodness arrived as pretty as a picture, boasting a lovely deep purple colour. Magic Mountain Saloon’s version was absolutely moreish - luscious and striking without being too sweet. It was wonderful with fresh strawberries, banana and textural mango granola.

Magic Mountain Saloon provides a new dimension to brunch in Melbourne by offering an authentic Thai breakfast experience.

Location: 62 Little Collins Street, Melbourne

Phone: 03 9078 0078

Link: http://magicmountainsaloon.com.au/

Cuisine: Thai, Asian

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Magic Mountain Saloon.

Next of Kin

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Next of Kin.

Next of Kin exceeds expectations with superior brunch offerings at more than reasonable prices.

Melbourne has an ever growing brunch culture, making the café industry a particularly competitive and vibrant one. Next of Kin stands out by successfully crafting a convivial atmosphere in which to enjoy a lazy weekend brunch. 

Although the food menu is somewhat limited in size, you will find unique items that a carefully prepared with skill, precision and technique. 

Next of Kin is also particularly notable for the excellence of their coffee.  The profound respect for the humble beverage is palpable.  The Café serves speciality coffee from Proud poured by adept baristas.

Our espressos were, well made with luscious, dense crema sitting atop concentrated coffee.  The espresso blend was very easy to drink – it produced a coffee with light caramel notes and a hint of acidity.  

Their lattes and cappuccinos are similarly well made, with the slight sweetness of the frothed milk cutting through the residual brightness from the foundation espresso.  As expected, each arrived with an intricate rosetta in the milk foam.

Sheep Milk Yoghurt Panna cotta - Summer fruits - caramelised buckini granola - bee pollen

The Sheep Milk Yoghurt Panna cotta was as pleasing to eat as it was to behold. Barely holding its shape, the panna cotta was quivering on the plate. Smooth and well made, the panna cotta went well with the beautiful summer fruits and textural buckini granola. The scattered treasures of bee pollen were a playful and delicious addition. 

Cured ocean trout 

Sweet potato croquettes - avocado - pickled beetroot - fennel & dill

The fillet of trout had been cooked to perfection. It boasted a beautifully crisp and seared exterior and revealed a pink and delicate interior. The pickled beetroot added a desirable acidity which cut through the luxuriousness of the trout while the avocado, fennel and dill introduced a complex infusion of flavours. The sweet potato croquettes had a crunchy exterior and the mashed sweet potato inside was richly seasoned - it was a wonderful inclusion. In all, a truly remarkable dish.

Next of Kin is a delightful little café exuding modern chic charm with its cosy interior. The creativity and execution of the dishes at Next ok Kin are commendable – you will be hard-pressed to find similar quality dishes at comparable prices in Melbourne. 

Location: 546 Glen Huntly Rd  Elsternwick

Phone: 03 9041 8876

Link: http://nextofkincafe.com.au/

Cuisine: Breakfast, Coffee, Modern

Hobba's autumn menu launch

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Hobba.

Boasting a vibrant industrial space, Hobba is an impressive operation in Prahran which delivers honest, locally produced food with big flavour.

Autumn is upon us and Hobba have pulled together an invitingly new and warm menu to bring us into the season. Gastrology were invited along to a first tasting of this autumn menu.

The driving force behind Hobba’s food and drink offerings is head chef, Rhys Hunter. Starting his career early at Giuseppe Arnaldo and Sons in Melbourne and moving onto North Bondi Italian in

Sydney, both by the Iceburgs Group, Rhys has gained an impressive resume. 

With over a decade of cooking experience under his belt, this young chef has taken a fresh and exciting approach with his dishes at Hobba. 

Hobba’s Vietnamese ‘Banh mi’

Hobba’s rendition of the Vietnamese pork banh mi was the highlight of our evening. The sweet and buttery brioche buns crunchy bread roll was shimmered with pâté and filled with generous serves of marinated cooked pork loin, topped with Asian greens, fresh chilli and the most delectable pork crackling crumb. It was both fresh and very tasty.

Pan seared snapper 

served with cauliflower puree, potato gratin, asparagus and heirloom beets and purple cauliflower 

While the flavours of the dish were simple, the quality of the snapper was exemplary. The skin of the fish was perfectly seared to be very crisp while the flesh was delicate and moist. It was a wonderfully simple dish that allowed the natural subtle sweetness of the fish to be enjoyed.

Wild mushrooms

Woodear, enoki and oyster mushrooms, served with sherry jus, green chives and a slow poached egg (65 degrees Celsius)

A perfectly poached (at 65 degrees) egg was accompanied by a generous serve of exceedingly plump mushrooms, a top a slice of crunchy grilled bread. 

Chili con carne

Served with 10-hour confit brisket and goats cheese croquette. Topped with a slow poached egg (65 degree Celsius) and shaved dark chocolate. 

Alfa Feast

Southern style slow cooked pulled pork served with fried eggs, fresh alfalfa salad and pear cider reduction hollandaise. 

The feature component of this respectable assembly of breakfast items was the Southern style slow cooked pulled pork. Imparting a unique flavour from the use of southern spices, it was beautifully tender, and was slathered in a beautiful BBQ sauce. The alfalfa was a great addition which brought a lovely freshness to the dish. 

Hotcakes

Fluffy with some real "height", the hotcakes was adorned with seasonal berries, whipped mascarpone, honeycomb, vanilla bean and house-made maple syrup. A simple breakfast favourite that amalgamates the best things in life. 

We took home a little gift from Hobba to enjoy the next day... 

Classic brownie

The classic brownie was perhaps one of the best we have ever tried. Possessing the perfect exterior crunchy layer with a dense cakey layer to follow before a perfectly gooey interior.  It was captivating!

Hobba’s new menu caters for all tastebuds. Whether you’re after clean superfoods, something healthy but a little cheeky or simply downright dirty to cure that hangover, Hobba has you sorted.

Location: 428 Malvern Road  Prahran

Phone: 03 9510 8336

Link: http://www.hobba.com.au/

Cuisine: Breakfast, International, Modern Australian