A brunch spot + a cute hungry bear? It would dishonour the name of this blog if I didn’t pay them a visit. Seriously though, I just think the bear logo is too cute!
Le Miel et la Lune, literally means honey and the moon. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it is also the name of a french nursery rhyme or children’s story. What does that have to do with anything? Well nothing really, it’s just for trivia, I never actually figured out why the cafe near Melbourne Uni is thus named.
I visited this cafe with one of my dear friends, whom I don’t see as often as I’d like to , for some much needed catch up time. By the time we got there at around 10am, all the low tables had been taken and we had to settle for one of the high stools near the windows. For once, I knew exactly what I wanted to order (because I’ve been stalking brunch pics on urbanspoon the night before) and what I was drooling over was this…
Pork belly on harsh browns topped with mixed mushrooms, special sesame sauce and poached eggs ($17.90)
Just look at that tower of gluttony and gluttony it was. For some strange reason, this dish didn’t sound that big in serving size in my head, but obviously I was in another world because looking back on it now: potato, pork belly, poached eggs just spells out filling and protein overload. In the end, I didn’t eat lunch until 5pm.
Each element separately was quite exemplary. The poached eggs were textbook perfect – cooked just right so a river of gold ran freely, mixing liberally with the earthy combination of meaty shemeji and enoki mushrooms. The hash browns comforting – nice crunchy exterior, piping hot, soft potato innards. The sesame sauce was creamy and rich, though I felt it was a little light with seasoning and could have needed some garlic to spice it up a little. The pork belly was too oily. It seemed like the pork belly was either marinated or stewed, sliced thinly then pan-fried till the edges were charred and crispy. I liked the toasty bits that reminded me of crispy bacon, I just wasn’t really into the extra oil that it bought to the dish. Why am I talking about the elements separately? Because I actually have mixed feelings about this dish.
I really wanted to like it, because everything on it appealed to me: pork belly, hash, poached eggs, sesame, mushrooms (that isn’t button and boring). Everything on the plate represents some of my favourite foods, but I guess when they are all mixed together it didn’t work out so well. It felt like all the elements were in competition with one another: masking their qualities and exposing their flaws. What resulted was a dish that was overly heavy and greasy; screaming for some acidity or some leafy veggies to bring in some freshness. I guess the paradox is sadly true: too many good things can be a bad thing.
Chorizo omelette on toast with tomato relish
My friend who is a lot more sensible than I am, ordered this simple omelette on toast. Sorry I was too engrossed in our conversation to record down the price, so apologies there. She found it a little odd to have a slice of potato studded in her omelette, but didn’t mind so much. What I noticed was that the chorizo was chopped up into little pieces and mixed through the egg batter. Personally, I would have liked thin slices of chorizo embedded in the omelette to give it more bite and flavour. Overall though, I think her dish was a lot more balanced than mine.
Even though I had mixed feelings about this little place, I think I will visit again, because it shows much potential in the food that it’s serving up: the elements were all there, it just wasn’t fitting together. Not only that but this little cafe is as cute as a button and so close to Uni, so why not give it another go I say?
rumblingteddy 