The Breakfast Society.

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Servery and Spoon.

The suburb of Malvern East, located on Waverley Road, brings you Servery and Spoon- a café for breakfast, lunch, dinner and takeaway. First impressions count and mine were that it was spacious, modern and had nice decor. I wouldn’t say it had a ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ vibe, but it did have that homely Melbourne cafe feel to it. Upon being greeted and seated by friendly staff and ordering my morning latte, I looked over the menu, which was quite limited offering a few sweet dishes, and the rest savoury. I looked no further then the first item on the menu- ‘the breakfast mess’. I was feeling a little all over the shop that morning, so it seemed the most appropriate dish to be accompanying my thoughts.

 What exactly is the breakfast mess? The menu describes it as “organic Shultz yoghurt with granola, poached pears and stewed rhubarb”. Sounded good to me.



The dish arrived, and I hate to say it, but the breakfast mess was exactly as described; a little bit of a mess. The look of the dish was cute, as is anything presented in a little jar, so big points for presentation. Moving onto the flavour and texture of the dish is where I was let down. The first thing to note was that the ratio was disproportionate which ultimately affected the dish overall.
Too much yoghurt and not enough granola and fruit lead to the dreaded lack of crunch factor. Even though the granola was delicious, it was consumed after the first few spoonfuls and then I was left with an entire jar of yoghurt and not too much fruit. The pear was hidden inside the yoghurt, which had an enjoyable cinnamon flavour and was a pleasant surprise throughout the yoghurt, but again, there wasn’t enough of it. The yoghurt was quite sweet and had a nice rhubarb taste mixed through.

 I can see where they were going with this dish and it does have great potential. My advice would be less yoghurt, more crunch factor and more variety with the fruit. 

If you are heading to this café, I would recommend the dukka eggs on toast which were a true standout, or the scrambled eggs with the choice of your sides. Big points for coffee- I suggest asking for a strong coffee if you don’t like it too milky.



Last thing to note which shouldn’t be forgotten is that the coolest thing about this café is the little fine foods deli attached to it where you can find all kinds of treats and gift items from freshly made raw treats, salads and quiches to cook books, travel guides and homewares. Definitely worth checking out.



Overall, a great café with lovely music playing and a nice vibe. I wouldn’t be in any hurry back for the breakfast mess but I will definitely be back for those raw treats. 

If you’re in the area- stop by for a coffee, some eggs and a nice read of the newspaper.



FYI: the food in the display cabinet looked delicious- it would take serious self restraint to not treat yourself to one of the cupcakes.

 Rating: 6/10

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The Pour Kids.

Simplicity. There is something so beautiful about it. Nothing too fancy, not trying so hard, effortless and clean. That’s pretty much what this muesli was in a few too many adjectives. While I wouldn’t say that it knocked me off my feet, it was overall an appetising dish, both on the eyes and the palate. The pour kids cafe is located just off Glenferrie road in Malvern and is a real oldie but a goodie. The kind of café I go to when I want a guarantee of good food, quick and friendly service, some crossword and Sudoku time and a nice catch-up with a friend. After having my standard porridge or muesli battle inside my head, I opted for the latter.

The menu read, “toasted muesli with quinoa puffs and ‘super grains’, served with organic yoghurt and berries”.

I usually prefer untoasted muesli as I find toasted to be overly sweet and sugary. This toasted muesli fell under those two categories. Not to say it wasn’t delicious, because it was, but it was very sweet indeed. The muesli itself was a crunchy texture and had the addition of quinoa puffs and a few other grains and dried fruit mixed through which made it more special when compared to your regular muesli at home. The grains also provided the dish with some needed savouriness. The spoonful of organic yoghurt on top had a light vanilla flavour to it which enhanced the sweetness of the dish and the strawberries on top added some freshness. 

The yoghurt made the dish a little sweeter than expected; perhaps some natural yoghurt would be better- but for a sweet tooth like mine, I wasn’t really complaining.  The dish would have been quite dry without the addition of milk in which the waiter kindly asked me if I would like milk on the side when I was ordering.This was a necessity as there wasn’t enough yoghurt compared to muesli to have it without the milk. The strawberries on top were delicious, but nothing special for an $11.50 dish. When I read berries, I was secretly hoping it would be a mix of different berries- so some variety in the fruit department would really improve this dish.   The menu offers a huge variety from sweet to savoury to somewhere in between. If you're feeling like something savoury, my dining companion ordered the ‘smash and grab’ (your standard Melbourne avo/feta/tomato/poached egg combo) which was a true winner. Presentation was beautiful and tasted amazing too.

Overall, the dish didn’t fail to quench my muesli cravings. I wasn’t disappointed but I wasn’t blown away. I was simply satisfied. Rating: 7/10 Side note: the café is located right next to Coles which makes for easy parking in the Coles car park.

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Merchants Guild.

Feeling a bit under the weather, likely due to the storm clouds brewing outside my window, I decided to drag my mother out of the house and buy her breakfast. We’d previously taken Merchant’s Guild for a test-drive in the form of lunch (coffee and bagel), and it was so delicious that I was game to take it to the next level. I was back, and this time I had breakfast in my sights.

I asked for the waiter’s recommendation, as I couldn’t decide between the porridge and the muesli. His suggestion was the muesli, and I have to say I was a tad disappointed. For $12.50, my expectations were high. ‘Yogurt, “The Wild” super muesli, banana and sticky prunes’ is what I received, and unfortunately it didn’t blow me away.

It wasn’t all bad, though. In fact, it was mostly good! I think it probably just came down to personal taste at the end of the day. There’s no doubt this muesli combo would warrant a gold star for presentation, as anything parfait/trifle/layered in general gets my mouth watering with the knowledge that I can create my own perfect ratio of ingredients. The choice of yogurt was perfecto as it had just the right amount of tang, and the addition of banana always makes me happy. 

  Standout? The sticky prunes! These bad boys were a flavor sensation. Generally any muesli-oriented dish is served with either poached or fresh fruit, but these were a really cool take on the standard fruity options. They added the right amount of sweetness, and overall created a great balance between flavours and textures.

“The Wild” super muesli is a great alternative for those seeking a gluten-free option to our favourite meal of the day, however I look so forward to my dose of oaty-carb-loaded goodness first thing in the morning. So, what was it that let the dish down (in my eyes, anyway)? The actual muesli! I couldn’t find any website/instagram for these guys, but I’m pretty sure the museli is made up of puffed quinoa, coconut, and some other seeds/goodness, but the flavor and texture didn’t really grab me, and wasn’t what I was expecting when I read museli.

Would I go back for seconds of this? No. HOWEVER, I will be going back at least once a week to try out EVERYTHING else on the menu, as the service, coffee, and everything I’ve tried since has been exceptional. I’ll be sure to give the porridge a try and let you guys know!

Rating: 7/10

FYI: They have a great collection of specialty teas, and cold pressed juices (both fruit and veggie).

Address: 680 Centre Rd, Bentleigh East.

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Einstein's 251.

It was no surprise that TBS recently found ourselves back at one of our all-time favourites – Einstein’s 251. It truly doesn’t get more consistent or delicious than this café located in the South Eastern suburbs.

Admittedly, out of everything on their incredibly varied menu, it is in fact their ‘Acai Wake Up Bowl’ that keeps us coming back for more. This is not to say that we are not also huge fans of their Bircher muesli, which certainly doesn’t disappoint either. After an agonizing decision over what to order, we decided to go for the obvious choice and order as many dishes as socially acceptable. These choices included 2 Acai Bowls (organic acai and guarana smoothly blended with bananas and topped with granola), 1 serving of Bircher Muesli (topped with homemade apple and mixed berry compote, and yoghurt) and 1 serving of their Porridge (with banana and organic panella cinnamon sugar). Don’t judge us, we were just doing our job.

Now, we always like to save the best for last, so let’s begin with the Porridge. Although presented as nicely as a simple porridge can be expected to look, we all agreed that it was slightly too milky for our liking. The banana and cinnamon sugar also made the dish quite sweet, which some of us quite liked and others didn’t. As far as porridge goes, it certainly wasn’t unappealing to the taste buds, but in comparison to their other breakfast options, we wouldn’t recommend choosing this, unless you’re in desperate need for a warming dish.   

Moving on to the very delicious Bircher Muesli. There is no shortage of poached fruit and yoghurt to ensure that the muesli is well coated and far from dry. While some may find the berry compote quite overbearing, we must admit that when all mixed in together, the flavours seemed to balance each other out quite beautifully. If you’re a fan of fresh fruit, this may not be the best Bircher for you, but seeing as we finished every last morsel in the very generous portion size, we didn’t seem to have an issue with any of the flavor choices. It’s fair to say that it’s not the best looking Bircher on the market, but it’s definitely still appealing on the eye and the three separate strips of color create a lovely little rainbow effect.

And finally, the Holy Grail, G-d’s gift to earth, the definition of heaven – the Acai Bowl. This bowl of goodness is not only super healthy and refreshing, it simply ticks all of the boxes when it comes to taste, texture and appearance. For some reason unbeknown to all of us, it is quite difficult to find an Acai bowl in Melbourne, let alone one that tastes so damn good. The sweetness of the apple juice and banana, paired with the tanginess of the berry and finally the nuttiness of the toasted granola make every mouthful taste like absolute bliss. The only thing better than an Acai bowl is an Acai bowl on a hot summers day – with it’s chilled temperature, this brekky choice leaves you feeling invigorated and fresh. For those of you who don’t adore banana, the dish itself may be a tad overbearing as it is used in the mixture and as a garnish, but perhaps asking for the extra banana on top to be left out could be an easy fix. The same goes for the muesli; feel free to order it on the side or not at all if the idea of oats doesn’t float your boat.

  All in all, our adventure to Einstein’s was as wonderful as we knew it would be. Although the porridge probably won’t be on our order list next time, we can hardly wait to dig into many more bowls of Acai and Bircher.

  Porridge – 6.8/10.

Bircher Muesli – 8/10.

Acai Wake Up Bowl – 10/10.

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Couple Cinos

In the suburb of Kensington, a gold mine for breakfast-loving cafe-hunters, Couple Cinos is often overlooked. Bellair street, opposite the train station, is lined with rows of tall, gorgeous trees and cute, welcoming food places underneath them. If you're looking for a place to wander and spend your next Sunday brunch, this might be it.

However, with the wide variety of options on hand, Couple Cinos might not be the best pick of the bunch. After eating at every other place on the block at least ten times, I decided it was time to give this understated little shop a go. For the most part, this is a respectable choice. The decor is simple, the owner is absolutely lovely and the food is fine, it's just not quite as trendy, modern or exciting as it's neighbours (most of whom have recently undergone building renovations and menu makeovers).

I ordered the 'muesli and fruit' while my partner in crime got a chicken, avocado and salad toasted sandwich. Simple order, simple food.

Good thing I love me some fruit salad! Unfortunately, it was quite a cold and gloomy day, so I was looking to be filled with the love of a thick, gooey and filling bircher. This meal consisted more of a very generous serving of strawberries, banana, pineapple and some orange numbers which I left, plus small bowls of yogurt and muesli on the side (as you can see). Perfect for a hot Summer's day where all you want is a refreshing colour hit of fruit, but not enough to satisfy my cravings. The notion of having to construct the meal is one others might not prefer, but  adding the different ingredients all together as we talked meant that I could find the perfect fruit:muesli:yogurt ratio. 

I'm a fruit lover myself, but anything citrus-y needs to stay as far away as possible. Mandarins, oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes are not my friends. If you're a fan of these juicy little bad boys, then maybe you'll enjoy the selection more than I did.

Overall, I'm the quality and presentation of the food was absolutely fine, just not what I had my heart set on. I believe fruit should be the cherry on top of the cake, not the main event.

Side note; the pressed sandwich did look awesome. I recommend.

Rating: 6/10

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MONK BODHI DHARMA.

Tucked away in a little lane way off the bustling Carlisle Street, is this hidden treasure known as Monk Bodhi Dharma.  I don’t know if it’s the wooden décor against the backdrop of grubby chipped walls that makes you feel like you’re in an old industrial-warehouse, or the grungy Berlin-like feel to it. Whatever it is, there is something so damn cute about this place that’s keeps us coming back for more. This vegetarian/vegan-friendly café has become a popular breakfast and lunch spot for The Breakfast Society, something we couldn’t be happier about! The café is known for its healing teas and roasted coffee blends, as well as an array of their café specialities. We will admit, we have tried and loved plenty of items on the menu, but the bircher muesli is a true hero, and one we just couldn’t look past (no surprises there). 

Due to its popularity, the likelihood of getting a table if you are in a big group is not great, however this café is definitely worth the wait. After being greeted by friendly staff and seated at the communal table in the centre of the café, the waiting game began. Three “Bodhi Birchers”, or perhaps just a bowl of TLC (tender love and care) would be a more suitable name for this dish, as that’s exactly what it provided. The service was great, pricing reasonable ($10.50) and the taste was even better. The bircher has a great crunchy texture, with beautiful pieces of fresh apple diced throughout as well as sitting on top (crucial for a good bircher in our opinion) and a big dose of dutch cinnamon, roasted almonds, pecans and sultanas spread throughout. The biodynamic natural yoghurt dolloped on top balanced the sweetness of the dish out wonderfully. 

The only flaws about this dish are that it may be a little too sweet for the faint hearted, so prepare for some deliciously rich dessert for breakfast when ordering this one. Also, presentation could be better- maybe the addition of some other fresh and colourful fruits, or if it were put together a little bit neater, we could award it a perfect 10/10!. Although the dish may look dry, it was surprisingly moist and succulent.

While we are slowly becoming experts on bircher muesli, our mouth-watering pallets told us that this one was definitely a keeper and one to be put atop our short-list of best Melbourne cafes. Additionally, if you’re a coffee and tea lover like I am, then this place will have you sorted. They have their own coffee roaster, specialising in different coffee blends from around the world. The staff are very knowledgeable and more than happy to help choose the right blend for you. If you’re not a coffee drinker, the chai latte with almond milk is of high quality and a definite recommendation from TBS, as well as their extensive range of teas, which each have an individual brewing time! Other popular menu dishes include “The avo”, “Marlo sweetcorn ricotta hotcakes” and “Umami mushroom”, as well as their organic soups and stews, which are usually on special and shouldn’t be looked past. This café knows how to impress, and that’s exactly what they did. We’ll see you soon, Monk Bodhi Dharma. Rating: 9/10

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GARAGE ESPRESSO.

The first seven times I tried out Garage Espresso clearly weren’t enough, so I had pop in for another visit, just to make sure it was as delicious as I remembered. Melbourne decided to turn up the heat last Sunday, affording the perfect opportunity to take myself out for our favourite meal of the day here at TBS – Breakfast.  

Located just near the corner of Chapel and Carlisle streets, I am fortunate enough to work just around the corner. This, however, meant that I was tormented for months on end while Garage was under construction, as I waited in anticipation to see what they had on offer. When the doors finally opened, they did not disappoint. A family owned business - with Dad behind the coffee machine and son taking orders - there is a homey feel to this great addition to the ever-growing list of Melbourne Cafes.

In cooler months, perhaps the porridge, or even the standout avo mash with fresh mint and chili would suffice, however this sunny Sunday definitely called for the bircher muesli. Before the waiter even had time to place my menu on the table, my coffee was on its way and my breakfast in the making. The service was great, and fast, an important factor to consider when you’re so hungry you could eat your own right hand. My breakfast was sitting in front of me within 10 minutes, and it looked even better than I had remembered.

Fresh is the first thing that came to mind when looking at this gorgeous bowl, with mint, strawberries, apple, blueberries, and raspberries sitting pretty atop the muesli, coated in a layer of delectable pear nectar. What really appealed to me was the variety of fruits, as each mouthful was packed with a different flavour sensation, which is my favourite way to serve (and eat) food.

I nursed this bad boy for an hour or so while I caught up on some reading and did anything but study, and still had enough to take home for a midday snack. This was fortunate, as I was dreaming of my next fix before I even got home, and let me tell you that it was just as satisfying the second time around! For $10.50 I think it’s great value for money.

Nothing is perfect, however, and this brilliant bircher did have a couple of flaws. Firstly, the description on the menu does not do the dish justice. Reading “Bircher muesli soaked in pear 
nectar, served with passionfruit
curd and pink lady apple”, you are bound to be disappointed if it’s passionfruit curd you’re after. That being said, the actual dish is oh so much more appealing than the description with the addition of a plethora of fresh berries, so it’s definitely still worth a try! The only other criticism I have is that the pear nectar is very concentrated, and was too overpowering at times. BUT – all in all, yum.

TBS TIP: Ask for pear concentrate on the side, and decide your own dosage.

 Rating: 8.5/10. Any sunny Melbourne morning would be complete with the addition of Garage Espresso’s bircher.

 P.S. – The bathroom was groovy.

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Mart 130.

"It's got to be the ugliest, but most delicious bircher I've ever had."

Mart. What a perfect location for our very first meeting of The Breakfast Society. This little hidden gem of a cafe is located in Middle Park, built inside an old railway station, and has just about the cutest decor you've ever seen. It's how you might have dreamed your future home would look - on the walls hang large world maps, vintage picture frames and various retro posters. Bonus points are awarded for the bay seat windows, because who hasn't dreamt of curling up on one of those and gazing wistfully out the window as if in a music video?

The atmosphere is perfect for a relaxing brunch, whether you're refuelling after pilates, trekking across town, catching up with old friends or looking for a solo date with yourself and that book you've been putting off. It's nice and quiet, with only the 'ding ding' of the occasional passing lightrail outside. We were warmly greeted by friendly servers, seated and presented with menus, which we politely pretended to deliberate over even though we all knew what we had come for.

"Three bircher mueslis, please."

Mart is famous for their bircher muesli and rightfully so. Fair warning though, if you do order the bircher, you'd better be hungry. Their serving  is truly fit for a king, and definitely worth $11.90. This could easily be shared between two and still make a filling and delicious brekky. If you're not as hungry (or want to order additional fruit toast, as we did), you can opt for the half size serving for $6, which is still probably larger than most other cafes and more than satisfying.

Upon first inspection, the dish appears almost like a simple bowl of granola with poached rhubarb and pear on top. While this is partly true, digging your spoon in reveals underneath a very generous serving of heavenly bircher. The majority of the meal consists of soaked oats, sultanas, nuts and prunes mixed with a rich vanilla bean yogurt, while the toasted cereal and flavour-packed fruit make a delectable top layer. It wasn't overpowered by the berry compote, nor was it overwhelmed with nuts, so the overall texture was perfect. There was also a surprise hit of orange, giving the bircher a spectacular zest of citrus (not to mention the benefits of vitamin C!). 

As for presentation, sadly Mart misses the mark. It's not the prettiest, but hey, it can't be 100% flawless, that just wouldn't be fair. The photo doesn't do it any justice and it's definitely more enticing in real life, but it's still mostly just sitting all together in the bowl. Luckily, we (and the rest of Mart's adoring fans who frequent the cafe) think the taste more than makes up for it.

Munching away on our oats, we also observed that the corn fritters delivered at the table next to us also looked delectable. Perhaps if you're not a muesli person (does such an individual exist?), these might be a suitable choice. If it's a nice day, we recommend finding seats outside on their sun deck, filled with fresh plants and streams of sunlight.

Fun fact: Mart is 'tram' spelled backwards, and 130 is the stop number where the cafe sits. Brilliant!

Rating: 8.6 

(it's our first review, we can't go giving out perfect 10's and set an impossible standard to beat, but trust us - this place is good)