The Other Daze - 'Breakfast at Hey Jude'

When? - 19th of September, 2015

Where? - Hey Jude Cafe, 4/100 Keilor Rd. Essendon

Website? - http://www.heyjudecafe.com.au/

A little over a year ago I used to live in Essendon, more specifically I used to live in Berry St. Essendon, just off Keilor Road, across the road from the McDonalds (If you drive down Berry Street and see the building that used to be a church but is now apartments? That's where I was). A couple of months after moving in a new building next door went up, and on the corner opened a little cafe called Hey Jude. It was very exciting, as now I had more options for dinner that were walking distance besides McDonalds and KFC - Don't get me wrong, those fast food joints were a godsend on hungover Sunday mornings, but the new cafe on the corner quickly became our go-to breakfast spot.

Then, as I said, early last year we moved out, and Hey Jude was no longer our local (We didn't go far, still only a 5 minute drive). I can't articulate why, but it felt weird going back - like we were cheating on our new house with an ex, so for the longest time we gave Hey Jude a miss.

Saturday morning rolls around and it's a lovely day. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and more importantly I've got a bucks party to go to and need some fuel in my stomach for the 12 hour drinkathon that awaits me in the afternoon - We weigh up our options and decide to give Hey Jude another crack.

We arrived at around 7:30 to an already bustling cafe - The early risers are out in force and Hey Jude is already filling up. We took a seat by the window, ordered some coffee's and grabbed a menu.

I've never been a big coffee drinker. For the first twenty nine years of my life I hated coffee, tea ... pretty much any hot liquid was a no go. Then I turned Thirty and something changed - my brain rewired itself into grown-up mode and I discovered that this coffee stuff ain't so bad - So I'm still relatively new when it comes to the stuff, by no means an expert, but I know what I like and the cappuccino at Hey Jude is damn delicious.

Is there a combination of words in the English language sweeter than "All day breakfast"? (well yes, "open bar" comes to mind, but go with me on this one). The menu has had some retooling since our last visit. So many options I didn't know where to start, after lots of back and forth I settled on the B.L.T, while Reviewer Nikki decided on the Eggs Benedict.

I noticed that there was a schnitzel on the lunch menu - Will tuck that away in the back of my mind for future reference... Here's hoping they throw some cheese, ham and napoli on top once in a while and then we'd have a more official reason to come and visit.

We ordered our breafast, kicked back and enjoyed the view before our food arrived shortly thereafter...

Thats what I'm talking about - nothing worse than a B.L.T that is tight on the bacon, the Hey Jude BLT had plenty to go around. It was flavoursome, crunchy and tied in perfectly with the fresh tomato and crisp lettuce (no surprise there, there's a reason the BLT is a classic). The horseradish mayo was a great addition, I could've eaten it with a spoon, I might be getting a bit greedy but I just wish there was a little more of it on the sandwich.

Reviewer Nikki went for the eggs benedict - another breakfast stalwart, and usually my go-to when it comes to breakfast - so naturally I had to steal a couple of bites (What are wives for if not to steal bites of food that you didn't get to order?). Once again they weren't tight with the pig, hollandaise either. The eggs were perfectly poached, light as air and deliciously runny throughout.

There are a hell of a lot of cafes and coffee houses on Keilor Road these days, but Hey Jude is definitely one of the best. After the breakfast on the weekend I realise that I've been missing out by not travelling the extra two minutes to eat here over some of the other spots in the area.

Definitely worth a shot if you're nearby, I'd say try and get in early as I don't think there's a time when Hey Jude is not busy.

Oh, and if you're curious the bucks day was a rousing success as well - It's now Monday afternoon and I'm still a little hungover.

The search continues...

The Other Daze - 'Lunch at Hophaus'

When? - 9th of September, 2015

Where? - Southbank Promenade, Southbank

Website? - http://hophaus.com.au/

It was too good of a weekend in Melbourne to waste cooped up in the house, so on Saturday morning Reviewer Nikki and myself headed in to the city for some general wandering around in the sun. We were in the vicinity of Southbank when my stomach started to rumble, so we ventured to a spot in Melbourne I've been to quite a few times for beers - but rarely for a feed - Hophaus.

If you haven't been before Hophaus is a pub on the second floor of Southbank Promenade that specialises in Bavarian beer and food, and with over 30 taps you're sure to find something to wet your whistle.

Hophaus opens at 11:30 on Saturday, and we rocked up at about 11:25, meaning the doors had just opened and we had the pub to ourselves, allowing us to score primo seats out on the balcony on this glorious Melbourne day...

Which afforded us this glorious view over the Yarra (if you squint, and have really good eyesight, you can make out Arbory across the way, the subject of one of our other Other Daze outings)

With so many beers to choose from its hard to narrow it down to just one (its before noon, can't hit it too hard yet), a flick through the menu and we settled on the Weihenstephan Hefeweizen - a smooth, full bodied and easy to drink with strong notes of citrus - Perfect for a warm spring day

I was very tempted to get the $16 stein of Bitburger Pils, which is what I'd normally get on my visits to Hophaus, but again, it was only 11:30 and didn't want to feel like a complete drunk while ducking out for a quiet brunch.

We checked the menu, and I spied my target -

While reviewer Nikki kept things a little on track for a website called "ParmaDaze", and opted for the schnitzel

We kicked back in the sun and awaited the arrival of our meals...

Hophaus is a spot you can easily lose yourself for a few hours on a Saturday afternoon, as before I knew it I was halfway through my beer with a delicious looking bratwurst sitting in front of me...

This thing was so good I could've easily downed another. the sausage was flavourful, the sauerkraut was fresh and crisp and the smokiness of the cheese paired fantastically with the curry ketchup (which was a revelation on its own ... Why can't Rosella sell bottles of this?!)

Now I get to talk about one of my favourite things that they sell at Hophaus, the Fried Potato Salad, which comes as a side to most of the dishes on the menu.

If you haven't had it before, the best way I can describe it is "freshly cooked, hot salt and vinegar chips", and if you've had them before you'll agree with me. the potates are sliced wafer then, deep fried, seasoned, topped with vinegar and served piping hot. It's probably the unhealthiest "Salad" I've seen in my life, but damn its tasty.

Now, on to Nikki's schnitzel -

While it looks damn tasty, our naive parma-addled Australian brains assumed "Schnitzel" meant "chicken schnitzel". The menu doesn't actually specify what kind of meat is used in the jäegerschnitzel, and additional research shows there is even debate amongst the German cuisine folks as to whether it should use pork or veal.

It was enjoyable, and tasty - the mushrooms and other toppings were piled sky-high and delicious - However we were expecting chicken (our mistake, I know), and not knowing exactly what meat the jäegerschnitzel was (in the end we decided it was pork... I think), took away from our enjoyment of it a little.

EDIT 1/10/15 - WE'VE JUST BEEN INFORMED THAT, DUE TO THIS REVIEW, THE FOLKS AT HOPHAUS HAVE AMMENDED THEIR MENU TO SHOW THAT THE jäegerschnitzel IS, IN FACT, A PORK SCHNITZ, THUS DOING AWAY WITH ANY AMBIGUITY. GOOD STUFF LADS!

In the end we downed our meals with gusto, I debated ordering another brat but decided another beer would probably go down just as well - which it did, then continued our day with full bellies.

Hophaus feels like a modernised version of Hofbräuhaus, good food and beers without the pageantry you find there. The bratwurst was fantastic and the fried potato salad is to die for, if it weren't for the "mystery meat" component of the jäegerschnitzel I'm sure we would have enjoyed that immensely as well. I'll definitely be back at Hophaus as it is fast becoming my go-to spot for any occasion that I find myself at Southbank. Worth a look.

The search continues...

The Other Daze - 'Lunch at the Dude Food Man'

When? - 5th of September, 2015

Where? - 191 Buckley St. Essendon

Website? -Visit the Dude Food Man on Facebook

I awoke on Saturday morning with a hankering ... A hankering for a good burger.

I considered visiting one of my favourite spots in the Essendon area - Demazzi Stonegrill, but as I've already done a post about them I figured I'd expand my horizons a little, head down Buckley Street and check out Food-truck-turned-permanent-store the Dude Food Man.

I shot out some messages to the review team to see if anyone would be up for joining me and Reviewer Fridge was on board, I headed to Essendon and (after a quick pint or two at The Linc) wandered down and met him at the Dude Food Man.

The shop is barebones and simple - but everything you need. A counter for ordering and some tables both inside and out. The sun was doing its best to peek through the clouds so we opted on an outside table, then headed inside to place our orders. The menu, like the shop itself, is quite simple - but once again, contains everything you need...

I went with the Ultimate Double Cheese & Bacon Burger, while Fridge went for the Southern Fried Chicken burger, and we both gave in to temptation and went for the mac & cheese slappers on the side.

We went outside and waited for our tucker, about ten minutes later we were delivered the goods...

nawww, they make a cute couple, don't they?

It's been a while since I indulged in a good burger, and hot damn I made the right choice in the Dude Food Man.

Biting into this burger was pure greasy heart-stopping heaven. The wagyu patties were grilled to a perfect medium (I'm normally a medium-well kind've guy, but I'll be damned if they didn't sell me on medium).

The double smoked bacon worked perfectly with the smokey BBQ sauce that really drove home the flavour. I didn't want it to end, and from the way neither Fridge and I were eating in complete silence, he felt the same about his chicken burger.

Next up were the sides, the Mac & Cheese Slappers

Much like the burgers, these things were a revelation, from the name of them I'm sure you've guessed by now what is inside these little deep fried cubes of heaven -

So cheesey. 

I don't know why but I had it in my head that you wouldn't be able to taste the mac and cheese in the slappers, that they would somehow taste different to a bowl of mac & cheese. I couldn't have been more wrong - these geniuses have come up with a way to portably eat mac and cheese without the need for cutlery (something I'm still waiting for someone to work out how to do well with a parma). Absolutely divine - between us we had three each, and was I not concerned another serve would drive me to an early grave I definitely would've headed back for round 2.

They also came with a dipping sauce that I can best describe as Big Mac sauce with extra spice - I haven't come across anything quite like it before, and it worked great with the slappers (I think it'd go great with a lot of things).

The only way they could improve the Dude Food Man would be to put in a tap or two so I could get a beer, although if I could get a beer there I'd probably never leave ... so its probably for the best that they don't.

Now I'm not pretending to be a burger expert - parmas are my game, and I'm sure some of the burger connoisseurs that will read this are probably surprised that I'm so vehemently endorsing this burger with little criticism to go along with it - but god damn, to quote Jules in Pulp Fiction... that is a tasty burger. Go check it out (As I said earlier they also have a food truck roaming around should you not be able to get to Essendon)

You won't be disappointed.

The Other Daze - 'Dinner at Demazzi's'

[info]When? - 31st of March, 2015

Where? - 4/1142 Mount Alexander rd, Essendon North

Website? - http://www.demazzi.com.au/

[/info]

Lets cut right to it - Demazzi's would have to be one of my favourite spots in the Essendon area. We've done a review of the parma in the past - but last night the glorious weather inspired Reviewer Nikki (my partner in crime) and myself to stop in for a quick dinner in the sun.

I mentioned it briefly in the parma review, but Demazzi's signature "thing" is stonegrill, wherein your steak is delivered to your table raw, sitting atop a slab volcanic stone heated to 550 degrees, which you proceed to cook yourself while sitting at the table. It's kind've a novelty, a bit of fun, but there's something fantastic about every mouthful of a steak remaining piping hot from start to finish as if you're eating it directly off the barbecue (which you essentially are).

My one issue with stonegrill is that its work at a time you want to be relaxed. Kind've like the difference between driving yourself or calling an Uber - sure driving can be fun, but sometimes you just want to kick back, enjoy the ride and have all the work done for you. I was in one of these moods last night, so when we arrived at Demazzi's last night I decided to explore some of the other non-stonegrill menu options.

After a recent management change the once bloated multi-page menu has been slimmed down to a two-sided single page - They've trimmed the fat and left a lean, easy to digest selection, First up is the non-stonegrill stuff -

Followed by the stonegrill selections -

Reviewer Nikki went stonegrill and decided on the aged eye fillet, while I landed on the Philly cheese steak burger. The Louisiana spiced crispy chicken burger sounded damn tempting, but I just cannot stomach chicken thigh meat so decided to stick to the safer option (and lets face it, meat coated with cheese is kind've my thing).

The beer list isn't too adventurous. All bottled, but enough to satisfy most palates -

I decided on a Little Creatures. We ordered our meals, kicked back in the sun and took in the scenery of all the almost car accidents at the Mount rd/Keilor rd roundabout. Seeing as the restaurant was relatively quiet (we were there at 5:30) and they don't actually need to cook the steaks, our food was out insanely quickly...

First up, Nikki's stonegrill looked on point -

When the waitress tells you the plate is hot ... she really means it.

The trick with stonegrill is you need to get a bit of a construction line going - Cut off a few slices and let them sizzle away on the plate for a minute, when the one you put on the grill first is ready to go, thats when you cut the new piece off the slab and get that going.

I stole a couple of dips of the mushroom sauce with my chips and it was also damn tasty - rich, creamy and not tight on the pieces of freshly sliced mushroom throughout.

But enough about food that I didn't eat ... on to the cheese steak!

I really enjoyed this dish. The steak was plentiful and oh-so-tender. The cheese was gooey, flavourful and everywhere. It was topped with a creamy mayonnaise that was pretty much a house-made replica of Big Mac sauce and again, worked well with the rest of the elements.

The coleslaw was crisp and fresh and complimented the dish also. I'm normally not a huge fan of brioche - I could take it or leave it over a normal burger bun, but in this case the sweetness wasn't overpowering at all. It was very lightly toasted with just the right amount of crunch - It all just worked. 

Oh and I didn't mention the pickles as I'm not really a pickle-fan, they were promptly picked off and handed over to the wife.

The chips were fantastic. Well cooked, served in a separate fryer basket and dusted liberally with chicken salt and herbs. A great accompaniment for a great meal.

When I went off-stonegrill for my menu selection last night I was a little worried, especially when the eye fillet hit the table I definitely felt a twang of food envy - but all my fears were allayed when I bit into the cheese steak, and I definitely feel that $19.90 is a reasonable price for what I got (deliciousness for under twenty bucks? No problems there) It was a fantastic dinner that I'd definitely get again ... If I have the will to resist the stonegrill a second time.

And now for a smidge of non-review stuff...

Thanks for reading to the end of a review! You, my friend, are made of awesome.

If you're not doing anything tomorrow for lunch or dinner (Thursday April 2nd) then consider getting down to either The Racecourse Hotel or The Rosstown Hotel. Both pubs are hosting a charity event from 12 noon till 9pm on Thursday wherein 100% of the profits from every $25 'parma n pot' deal sold is going straight to the Good Friday Appeal... This isn't a small donation per parma sold, this is all $25 for every parma n pot sold straight to help kids in need.

I had no hand in organising this event, but I wouldn't be here without the Royal Children's, so I'm doing my darndest to get the word out. We will be at The Racecourse enjoying a parma on Thursday night ... hope to see you there!

The Other Daze - 'Breakfast at Arbory'

[info]When? - 15th of March, 2015

Where? - Flinders Walk, Melbourne

Website? - http://arbory.com.au/

[/info]

It may surprise you to know, my dear reader, that I don't indulge in a parma for every meal of the week (a shocking revelation, I know, someone call TMZ). I enjoy a lot of food at other spots that aren't parmas which I have always wanted to share yet have felt bound by the unwritten laws of ParmaDaze to only write about chicken, chips and salad. Well its time for this chicken to spread his wings.

So lets consider this an experiment, this may be the start of a new era for the site, it may be the last time you ever see an "Other Daze" post, as Einstein said in the opening cutscene for Command & Conquer: Red Alert - "Time will tell".

Oh and before we get started I want to make it perfectly clear that these posts, whenever they turn up, will not affect the weekly parma review. You'll still get a full review of a new parma each and every week as usual. This isn't a replacement, its an added extra. Anyway, I've blathered on long enough - On to the good stuff!

I had heard about Arbory a couple of weeks back when friend of the site Jimmies Burgers posted a photo of this amazing looking burger. I looked into the pub in the hopes that there would be a new parma for us to try (there isn't, FYI) and my curiosity was instantly piqued. Built on flinders walk, between the station and the river, running the entire span between the St. Kilda Rd. bridge and the footbridge with all the padlocks on it (the one that Nicholas Cage rode his flaming motorbike over in the first Ghost Rider movie).

After reading about the pub I wanted to check it out, and attempted to stop in for a quick pint before last week's parma review at P.J. O'Briens, directly across the river, but was met with two of the most depressing words a pub enthusiast can hear. Private function. 

So I left it and forgot about it for a few days, until I was in the city on Sunday morning and found myself with the need to kill an hour. It was slightly too early for a beer (although a few blokes I spied at Young & Jacksons on the way past didn't think so) so I decided to kill two birds with one stone - get my brekky on and finally see what all the fuss is about at Arbory.

First up - The use of the space is just plain genius. Yes the pub is narrow, but at no point did I feel cramped. The sound of the trains chugging through the station is almost therapeutic, and the unfettered view of the river is just remarkable.

It was getting close to 10:30 on Sunday morning, and while there were a few people enjoying breakfast it was by no means busy. There was a chill in the air but you wouldn't notice with the abundance of patio heaters, almost one per table.

On wandering up to the bar to order I instantly regretted not visiting a bit later in the day as the bar setup is impressive, with a great range of both tapped and bottled beers. Unfortunately I swapped out my alcohol addiction for my caffeine addiction, ordered a cappuccino and had a quick squiz at the breakfast menu -

I was eating with devoted ParmaDaze regular Reviewer Nikki, she ordered the Mozzarella & Bacon Toastie while I chose the lighter option and went with the Coconut Bircher Muesli. We retuned to our table and soaked in the serenity while awaiting our breakfast.

The cappuccino was fine - I'm not jumping up and down about it but it certainly did its job - I normally like my coffee served a tad hotter than what this was, but thats a personal preference that I can't judge Arbory for. Shortly afterwards the main event arrived -

^ Mozzarella and bacon toastie with fried egg and tomato relish

^ Coconut bircher muesli with vanilla macerated pineapple, coconut nectar & pecans

Instant food envy the moment the dishes hit the table - That toastie looked sublime, and even though the muesli was quite tasty in its own right its hard to go past a bacon and cheese sandwich.

And they weren't tight with the bacon! Generous lashing after lashing filled the sandwich. The egg on top was appreciated but seemed a bit confused - are you supposed to eat it with a knife and fork off the top? to eat it like a sandwich with the egg still on board? or open up the sandwich and slip the egg inside? (the latter being what Nikki ended up doing).

The muesli was great also. The macerated pineapple was sliced so thinly it was almost shaved. I've never been a big fan of pineapple but I think its only because I've only ever had it served in massive chunks - this was the perfect way to enjoy it, adding a subtle and not at all overpowering flavour to the dish. I was also a big fan of the pecans, adding a much enjoyed crunch to the texture of the meal.

And that's all she wrote! I was a massive fan of Arbory and will definitely be back. I'm very keen to drop in and enjoy a few beers on a Saturday or Sunday arvo before the sunny days disappear for the year (and to try those amazing looking burgers).

If you're in the city it's definitely worth a shot (They're open every day from 7:30 if you feel like checking it out) - I've got a feeling Arbory will fast become one of my favourite spots in the CBD. Now we just need them to get a parma on the menu.