Eat @ Rathdowne Street Food Store

Breakfast is one of the most anticipated meals for many Australians and finding a place that has a good ambiance and delivers quality breakfasts can often be like finding a needle in a haystack. The Rathdowne Street Food Store (617 Rathdowne St, Carlton North Ph: 9347-4064) has become one of my favourite places to do breakfast on the weekends.

The café has been feeding Melbourne’s yuppies for more than 10 years with its home-made breads and lip smacking breakfasts and has managed to maintain its popularity ever since. On weekends, the food store is usually packed out and it is wise to make a reservation in advance to avoid disappointment. The scores of hungry Melburnians turned away for lack of available tables was astounding. And they have every right to be disappointed. The food is fantastic.

After ordering the drink du jour, a soy chai latte (which coincidently is made the ‘traditional’ way, taking 15 minutes to make), I ordered Eggs Benedict – a dish I usually never order for the richness of the Hollandaise sauce. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The eggs themselves were cooked to perfection with the yolk still runny; the ham was not too salty and thin enough to still replicate ham while the Hollandaise itself (the make or brake of the meal) managed to maintain the flavour without the unnecessary richness which usually would have made my stomach turn. The Hollandaise was drizzled onto the eggs without drowning them and overpowering the entire dish.

The coddled eggs with fried tomatoes and wilted spinach on brown multigrain bread also proved to be a hit. The extensive extras list is also very tempting with fried tofu, sautéed onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked potatoes and hash browns are just a fraction of what else is on offer. The coffee proved to be fresh, as did the variety of juices including the refreshing combination of orange and ginger.

Egg dishes are only part of what is on offer at Rathdowne Street Food Store. Croissants, porridges with yoghurts, hotcakes and even Coco Pop cereals are on offer. But it seems that the egg-based dishes that most people come for.

The Rathdowne Street Food Store is one of the better places for a lazy breakfast on the weekend. Wait staff seem to be frantic and rushed, but the service maintains a friendliness and speediness which can often lack at many cafés. Just remember to book.

5 of 5

For more information read The Breakfast Blog’s review of The Rathdowne Street Food Store.