Caravan

Traveling to another city (or country) for leisure means I get the luxury of going to a popular breakfast/brunch spot on a Monday morning to avoid waiting for a table. From what I hear, a visit to Caravan for a weekend brunch involves a wait given its popularity among Londoners as a brunch and coffee spot. Caravan is widely loved not only for their down-home classic yet creative food but this place is also a coffee roastery on its own.

The atmosphere is rustic with lots of natural light coming in. I decide on the baked eggs that come in a mini metal casserole with tomato and pepper ragout. There is an option of adding chorizo, which I gladly choose. The dish is drizzled with Greek yoghurt. The server recommends that I add a slice of toast since the baked egg has a good amount of tomato and pepper ragout and I can soak it up with the bread-- fantastic idea. The slice of the sourdough toast is generous in size. The one thing about dining solo is that one doesn't get to try other items on the menu but if the baked eggs are any indication of the rest of the items on Caravan's menu, I'd say that the Londoners got it right. No wonder Caravan is well loved place. After breakfast, I hopped onto the tube and make my way to Heathrow airport to return Stateside while still dreaming about breakfast.

--
Caravan
11-13 Exmouth Market
London EC1R 4QD

Omotesando Koffee

Omotesando Koffee is not a place where you stumble upon. You end up there because you intentionally seek it out. This itself makes it special. Hidden along the backstreets behind the Omotesando Hills shopping center, one will have to walk through narrow residential streets to get there. We walk along the street of quiet homes where there is no hint of Omotesando Koffee's existence. We faithfully follow the directions of the GPS on our iPad until it leads us to the address that we are looking for.







Inside one of the homes is now converted into an outpost for Omotesando Koffee. We walk into a small tranquil garden that leads us into the house where this pop-up coffee place is.





Omotesando Koffee is an espresso sanctuary. Right as we step inside, there is a setup that looks like an "open box" where the espresso machine and counter are. The owner carefully works to produce a good cup of coffee for each order. The set up is minimalistic which puts us right in the calm and serene mood for a good cup of espresso. The "living room" is where the coffee counter is. To the right are two rooms which presumably used to be bedrooms before the existence of Omotesando Koffee in this house. One of the rooms is set up as a reading space with shelves along the wall filled with books. The other room has a zen quality to it, perhaps just for relaxation purposes. We saw no one in these rooms though. Other than these setups, there are no tables or chairs. There is, however, a wooden bench in the garden outside. We are content with standing by the side of the counter and chat up the very humble owner.

We learn that Omotesando Koffee has been in business for 2 years. Mr Kunitomo, the owner and barista, asked how we knew about this place and we say Online. Website. We tell him that Bill Grainger, the famous chef from Sydney, mentioned that Omotesando Koffee has the best coffee that he has tried in the world. Mr Kunitomo smiles widely, looks humbled, and says thank you very much. He then tells us that Bill Grainger and Tyler Brûlé, the editor of Monocle magazine, are friends. He says to us the word article while gesturing to this coffee place. Ah, Tyler Brûlé had written an article about Omotesando Koffee in a previous issue of Monocle.


 

Showing interest about coffee in another part of the world, Mr Kunitomo asks us about coffee in Chicago. We lamented that though there are several good coffee shops back in Chicago, the overall standard of coffee is not comparable to other parts of the world that we've been to where people take the quality of coffee very seriously such as in Australia. In the U.S., people generally drink a lot of drip brew coffee and in Australia, drip brew coffee is practically non-existent as only espresso-based drinks are consumed. Mr Kunitomo comments that drip brew coffee is also popular in Japan though the espresso trend is starting to pick up. As for T and I, we love a good cup of coffee made from espresso. We want to be able to taste and appreciate the full and robust flavors; we're just not able to do that when chugging down a cup of drip brew coffee. So, Omotesando Koffee hits the right spot with us in Tokyo.

There are robust and full flavors from my espresso solo and T's espresso macchiato. We sip, savor, and chat with the very personable and humble owner of Omotesando Koffee. It is obvious that he is passionate about what he does and is not afraid to take risks. In a place like Japan where the espresso trend is only starting to pick up, he creates this pop-up place hoping to be part of the growing process where quality and well-crafted espresso drinks are available to the locals. Kashi, the baked custard square, is a unique feature of this place. The outside texture is solid and crisp; the inside is like melted custard. Get a piece or two and enjoy it with the coffee.

--
Omotesando Koffee
4-15-3, Jingumae
Shibuya, Tokyo


It is highly recommended that to find your way to Omotesando Koffee, you have a map or preferably a GPS with you. It is located just about a 3-min walk from the famous Maisen Tonkatsu restaurant.

Urth Caffe

Urth Caffe produces beautiful latte art. Lest you think it's only about the fancy art foam, Urth Caffe makes mean lattes as well. It is pretty incredible how this place manages to not only produce lattes that are espresso-based but they also have lattes made from matcha (green tea powder), South African rooibos tea, and red Thai tea. The creativity is not what makes this place great but the execution of the creativity that makes the lattes taste so good. The flavors work so nicely together and the unique additions make the creative lattes work perfectly whether it is matcha or steamed condensed milk.

It was love at first sight between me and the Japanese tea latte. The deep green from the matcha was the first clue to the intense flavor of the drink. Too much matcha could sometimes give out a slight bitter taste but to my surprise, the latte had a natural sweetness to it. I think the adorable art foam in the form of a fish also made me like it more. The Spanish latte was made with steamed condensed milk, just like how traditional Spanish lattes are made. When it comes to coffee with condensed milk, we mainly only get to have it at Vietnamese restaurants so the Spanish latte at Urth Caffe was definitely a treat although of course very different from Vietnamese coffee. Growing up in Malaysia and Singapore, adding condensed milk to coffee (and tea) was a common sight that we miss very much.

The deep dish blueberry pie had me at hello. I knew I had to have it the minute I saw it sitting on the shelf that also had a myriad of other delicious looking pastries and cakes. But my heart was set on the blueberry pie mainly because it was labeled as deep dish pie. That could only mean two things: more crust and more blueberry filling. It also helped that the sugar sprinkles on top made it look rustic. There were actually whole blueberries in the filling and no, the blueberries did not get completely mushed up in the baking process. The entire filling was also not too sweet which made us feel like we could kept eating it. The shortcrust pastry was flaky and yet dense enough to hold the pastry together.

The last I heard, Jessica Alba frequents Urth Caffe and if that's true, she has good taste for their beautifully made and equally tasty lattes. And pastries.



--
Urth Caffe (has several locations)
67 South Beverly Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Balthazar

Balthazar is reputed to be the essential Manhattan brunch experience for anyone, locals or tourists. If you want to stay away from the tourist crowd though, go really early even if it means waking up early on a Sunday morning. We were told that local New Yorkers go to Balthazar for breakfast and brunch early in the day. Later in the morning is when more groups of tourists come in. If you get lucky, you might spot a celebrity or two at Balthazar. Unfortunately, we did not get lucky that day.

One of the classics of Balthazar is the huge bowl of cafe au lait. How could it not be fun holding up my bowl with two hands and sipping my cafe au lait?

We made early reservations for breakfast at 9am (they open at 7:30am). Yes, we wanted to blend in with the locals but as much as we also wanted to sleep in a little more on a Sunday morning, we had to catch our flight back to Chicago in those next few hours. Advance reservations are strongly recommended. We saw a continuous stream of tables getting filled in no time from the moment we got seated.

Balthazar offers a little Parisian atmosphere right in the heart of Soho in New York City. Everything about Balthazar screams classic from the decor to the mismatched wooden chairs and red vinyl booth seating. Space between tables are so tight that you really think this could be Paris.

The presentation of T's scrambled eggs puff pastry made me first wished I had ordered it when it was served at the table. I did have a taste of T's dish and we both loved that the puff pastry was very buttery in taste. Nothing beats the taste of fresh quality butter in a pastry. The pastry was flaky but not too light. The texture was hearty and thick enough for its petite breakfast size. I was very impressed with my Eggs Bella Donna that it made me stop wishing that I had ordered the scrambled eggs puff pastry instead. The pancetta was sliced very thinly and it was pan fried until delicately crispy, yet there was no hint of burnt sides at all. In fact, just by looking at the pancetta that sat atop the poached eggs, one would have thought that based on the color of the pancetta it was unfried and that biting into the piece of meat would feel like one was biting into soft fat. However, looks were deceiving. The pancetta was so delicately crispy, it didn't even feel like I was eating any fat at all.

For a piece of Parisian atmosphere, Balthazar offers this best in the heart of New York City.




--
Balthazar
80 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012

Accolades
2012 James Beard Nominee for Outstanding Restaurant
2004 New York Magazine Best Late-Night Dining
2002 New York Magazine Best French Pastries

Queen Victoria Market

I think it is safe to say that Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne is our favorite market in the world. Borough Market in London comes in close. Every trip we have made to Melbourne never went by without paying homage to this place we love so much.








Queen Victoria Market has everything anyone could possibly want. It is complete with fresh produce and a fantastic selection of seafood and meat. Cured meats, sausages, and cheese are sold in great varieties. If you are like us and need instant gratification for food, we bought a piece of very delicious and spicy cured sausage and asked the vendor to kindly slice it for us so that we could enjoy it while walking around the market. We have bought a mini tub of marinated olives and stuffed peppers to enjoy at one of the outdoor tables at the market. There is wine for sale. You can buy different types of butter according to how much or little you need by weight.  Variety and quality are key here. The plethora of choices is impressive and inspires T and I to want to prepare a fabulous meal except that we don't have a kitchen to go to in Melbourne but just our hotel room. Oh why can't the Chicago French Market be even a smidgen of Queen Victoria Market? This place reminds us why we love food so much.

 

The highlight of each visit for us to Queen Victoria Market is to get the freshly shucked oysters and enjoy them right there and then. When the very friendly guy behind the seafood counter found out that we were visiting from Chicago, he joked, "Ahh, that's where the mafias are from."

And finally, the American Doughnut Kitchen. Oh, the American Doughnut Kitchen. Look out for the van parked outside the "I" shed at the market.

I know it sounds a little crazy for us to seek out the American Doughnut Kitchen in Australia when we flew all the way from the U.S. Some may wonder, why American doughnuts? Neither do we know where that name came from nor do we think the doughnuts are any more American than it is Australian, this doughnut van reputedly has a 50-year history in Melbourne. Be prepared to stand in line for these doughnuts. During our trip to Melbourne in 2009, we missed out on the doughnuts because we were a little too late and they were closed by the time we arrived. This time, we got smart and arrived earlier in time for some doughnuts for breakfast.

The doughnuts were perfectly crisp on the outside, soft and doughy inside. They were fresh and still warm with a dollop of jam inside. We just stood there on the grounds of Queen Victoria Market devouring them. We didn't want our doughnut experience to end.

 

St Edmond's

I don't remember when was the last time we stumbled upon an accidental gem that made us this happy and excited. This time we headed out to the fashionable precinct of Prahran in Melbourne, without any specific place in mind. The super planner in me decided to take a chance and see what surprises we could find. We chanced upon St Edmond's purely by chance. We got off the tram on Chapel Street and turned onto Greville Street, armed with the knowledge that this little side street is a shopping niche in itself with cafes and restaurants. We heard the sounds of silverware clanging and veered off Greville Street towards the clanging noise. That was when we discovered St Edmond's, a former garage space now converted into a brunch spot. There's so much character to St Edmond's that it was easy to fall in love with this local neighborhood gem.

St Edmond's only served to prove us again and again the quality of the cafe culture that pervades life in Melbourne. It is true when people say that Melbourne has such a strong cafe culture that you really can't go wrong with almost anywhere you step in to. And, the coffee in Australia. Oh my goodness. When family and relatives from Australia visit the U.S., they so frequently complain how bad coffee is in America and to which I would say, "What are you talking about?" After numerous visits to cafes in Sydney and Melbourne, and this time after St Edmond's, I concede. Holy crap, they were right. Australia has excellent coffee with a high standard; the latte and flat white are so much more creamy and rich. One thing we noticed was that in Australia, people generally have espresso-based drinks instead of regular coffee. Coming back to the U.S., we have realized that those drip brewed coffee served at so many brunch places that come with free refills only taste like water. Even the latte at Starbucks doesn't quite cut it anymore. Thankfully, there are several micro roasters in the U.S. that make pretty darn good coffee which we have come to love such as La Colombe Torrefaction and Blue Bottle Company. 

My brother-in-law who lives in Melbourne told us, "You know how Starbucks is considered as one of the most popular coffees in the U.S.? Well, here in Australia, Starbucks is considered the worst of the worst. It went bankrupt because the coffee was so bad." Yikes.

Another thing we noticed about cafes in Melbourne is that all of them serve quality gourmet breakfast. This was confirmed by several other Australians we spoke to so it wasn't the case that during our one-week visit we just happened to stumble upon gourmet cafes. Admittedly, this whole breakfast culture in Melbourne was very exciting to us and we could not help but compare this with cafes in Chicago that serve breakfast and brunch. The food quality of breakfast places in Chicago that are very popular where you have to wait up to an hour for a table (e.g. Yolk, Meli Cafe) does not even come close to a regular breakfast cafe in Melbourne. This is not to say that those popular breakfast cafes in Chicago are not good. They just don't compare in terms of quality. To match up with the breakfast culture in Melbourne, it's as if every breakfast or brunch place in Chicago needs to be like The Publican which by the way offers fantastic quality brunch. I almost want to say that the novelty of American breakfast or brunch places are mainly for the wide choices on the menu and food portions, but not necessarily for its gourmet quality. Of course, there are many quality American breakfast places. They just don't make up the majority like they do in Melbourne's breakfast culture.

The banana fritters at St Edmond's made me feel like a happy kid. Between every couple of bites, I would make a remark to T on how much I absolutely loved it. The bananas were very thinly coated with batter so that it did not take away the focus of the natural sweetness from the bananas. The outside was fried until perfectly crispy and inside the bananas had the perfect soft texture. The clotted cream and maple syrup made the banana fritters even more perfect.

As much as my constant raving about my banana fritters to T throughout the meal, he loved his breakfast just as much. Sitting on the slices of toast were tomato and Brique D'affinois, a type of soft French cheese. The poached eggs completed the dish.

I am usually not a huge fan of sausage but I became one after trying the pork sausage at St Edmond's. I liked very much that the pork sausage wasn't too salty and yet it was very tasty. The housemade barbeque sauce was a very nice touch to the sausage.

If only every breakfast place in Chicago has a piece of St Edmond's, we will be instant fans.



--
St Edmond's 
154 Greville St

Prahran 3181



 

Seven Seeds

Seven Seeds, you had us at, well, coffee. Arguably the best place for coffee in Melbourne, period. Admittedly, Melbourne has such a strong cafe and coffee culture and you really can't go wrong with coffee at other cafes that you will stumble upon, but this micro roaster is very much worth a visit if you are a serious coffee lover.







The atmosphere at Seven Seeds was a combination of grunge + industrial + bohemian. We felt right at home with the high ceilings and loft feel with the rustic wooden tables and chairs. If anyone reading this is from Chicago, it reminded us of places you will find at the Fulton River District. The employees are a little too cool for school but hey, that adds to the vibe. If we lived in Melbourne, we would want to hang out here all the time.

The cold drip coffee was served in a cute glass carafe that looked like a mini milk bottle. Because the coffee was served cold, a separate small bottle of syrup was served if we wanted to sweeten our coffee. It's about the little details here that combine to make Seven Seeds excellent. It drives me nuts when seeing someone trying to dissolve raw sugar into iced tea-- it just doesn't dissolve effectively.

The siphon coffee was delicate yet flavorful in taste. Served in a red bottle that looked very much like the ones used to pour sake, it added even more character to the experience. We poured the siphon coffee into a petite tea cup and enjoyed every sip of it.


Seven Seeds makes sure to include all the details of the coffee when served. Accompanying the coffee is a small note card describing the aromas and flavors of the coffee blend that is used. And, if you love your brewed coffee, you can certainly purchase the beans sold by the weight. and take it home with you.



--
Seven Seeds
106-114 Berkeley St
Carlton 3053

Accolades
2011 Best Coffee by The Age Good Food Guide