Palate, Prahran

With so much wank on your average modern menu it's nice to find a bit of wit. So with snappy titles like "Starvin Marvin" (the big breakfast) and "Halfa Marvin" (a half serve), you've gotta love the menu at Palate, 132 Greville Street, Prahran, Tel +61 3 9521 5540. But imagine my surprise when there, in the middle of the "Halfa Marvin", is what would appear to be a "Halfa Chubby". It's enough to put a bloke off his eggs.



I couldn't help but wonder how Trey Parker would feel about having a plate of eggs named after one of his creations. Rip-off or flattery? Is Palate passing itself off as an approved provider of South Park merchandise? What next? Kenny's Creamed Corn? Wendy's Testa-burger? Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls? Luckily, Trey's lawyers are too busy doing battle with Tom's lawyers to be worried by such trivialities right now.

But I digress.

Despite being a very slick venue, the food at Palate was a bit disappointing. The hash browns were fresh from the freezer. The sausage was a flashback to Qantas economy. The hollandaise was light-on. And the eggs, while fresh, were a bit under-poached.

On a positive note, the coffee was very good (and very strong), and service was fine.

13/20 "halfa marvin"