PhotoMonkey here - It has been a few drinks between posts due to WordMonkey back visiting London so I have had to pipe up.
Liar Liar
After hearing good word about a few places in Hawthorne but never having been up that way since we arrived, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give one of the lauded cafe's a try. So we jumped on the back of the scooter and made our way to Liar Liar in the middle of Hawthorn.
Having come back from a weekend in Sydney where friends tried to convince me that Sydney was better than Melbourne and learning that Sydney is the home of 'the very average brunch', I wanted something that would kick goals back in the hometown. So arriving at Liar Liar the place looked small but accommodating. Even on a long weekend Monday we only had a 3 minute wait until they seated us. Another big diff from Sydney is the service we received. The 2 girls that served us were so helpful that they were there when you needed them and invisible when they weren't.
Decided it was time to upgrade from the standard flat white and decided to have a long black. Good time to shift gear too as when the coffee was delivered they explained it was a special 25%, 25%, 50% blend. So 2 thumbs up so far.
The owners have a limited amount of space - but geeze do they use it well. Pretty much all the space is given over to share-tables and ambient lighting.
No disappointment on the menu as at 11am you could order off both the breakfast and lunch menus - So WordMonkey could destroy some eggs while PhotoMonkey could jump in to the sandwich selection. Having been around the traps recently we will be putting together Melbourne's Best Pork Belly Sandwich. It seems like everyone is trying to get on the bandwagon with only a few achieving the excellence expected.
Anyways - WordMonkey decided upon Smashed avocado and feta on toast with poached eggs and candied bacon. The eggs were cooked to perfection - mouth-coatingly gooey - apparently - which worked perfectly with the salty feta cheese. All components came together better than many other brunch places have tried. Even as an anti-egg person - it did look good!
An Aussie English Breakfast
PhotoMonkey went with the steak sandwich which had cheese on both the steak and bottom of the bun - never too much cheese on a steak sandwich, bacon, tomato, rocket and mustard mayo. This was all topped off with a beetroot raison relish which was the perfect accompaniment of sweet to offset the savoury of the overall dish. The big test is would I have it again - and I can and will go back - not just for that dish but the half-dozen others on offer which I will gratefully plough through.
Steak Sandwich
This is a little place off the well beaten tram-track - but one well worth seeking out. read more