Dundas and Faussett, Albert Park

It's all about omelettes and eggs. No eggs, no omelette. And it depends on the quality of the eggs... Some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes.

Jose Mourinho explains why footballers are like eggs

Young players are a bit like melons. Only when you open and taste the melon are you 100 per cent sure that the melon is good.

Jose Mourinho explains why footballers are like melons

I think that former Chelsea coach Jose "The Special One" Mourinho may now be working in the kitchen at Dundas & Faussett, 111 Dundas Place, Albert Park, Tel +61 3 9645 5155. Who else would serve omelettes and melons on the same plate? And who else would serve a Portugese omelette?



Technically, I didn't order one of the omelettes. I ordered scrambled eggs. But it was cooked like an omelette, so I'll call it an omelette. I'm also calling the salmon croquette a hash brown, since it was more like a potato patty with a few trace elements of salmon spotted through the mix. And the "chive cream" was light on chive and heavy on dill, so I'll call than a dill cream. It was all OK. But what's with the melon-apple garnish?

Actually, it gets worse. Not content to garnish eggs with fruit, they offer a breakfast blog first: caramelised banana omelette. I dare someone to order than and tell me what it's like. I resisted the temptation.

The omelette frenzy continues with a "farmer's omelette" (potato, bacon, tomato and herbs), a "Portugese omelette" (red peppers, ham, tomato and basil), a goat's cheese omelette and, I kid you not... a prawn omelette. Or, you can design your own. Maybe prawn, banana, bacon and melon?

So, there you have it. Dundas and Faussett. A great place for freaky omelettes. And a great place for Albert Park poseurs to check each other out. Otherwise, not that great.

12/20 "banana omelette"

Icoco, Albert Park

Coffee is the main event at Icoco, 143 Victoria Avenue, Albert Park, Tel +61 3 9690 7638. But they also serve a pretty decent breakfast. The Icoco Benedict, for example, was most enjoyable.



Not perfect. But most enjoyable. I had it with plenty of crispy bacon and a big serve of wilted spinach, topped with poached eggs and fresh hollandaise, and served on a couple of slices of sourdough toast. If you prefer, you can switch the bacon for smoked salmon and salted baby capers, or roasted flat mushrooms. You can also switch the sourdough for homebaked gluten free bread. Decisions, decisions.

I made the mistake of adding potato roesti as a side, which was far too limp, dark and greasy for my liking.

If you stray out to the back courtyard you'll soon discover why Icoco is a coffee-maven's paradise. They have their own fancy roasting machine, and big brown bags of beans stacked in every corner.

Mart 130 Muesli

After much raving about the eggs and fritters at Mart 130, today I decided to test drive the Bircher muesli. A big bowl of wet bircher, topped with fresh strawberries, pear, melon, orange and grapes, and sprinkled with a top coating of crunchy toasted granola. The mix of soft and crunchy textures worked very well. Very filling.

Otis, Albert Park

On a nice day, you could do worse than to grab an outside table at Otis, 123-125 Bridport St, Albert Park. You can bring the dog. The service is very good. And it's not all cramped and crowded like the rest of Bridport Street.



I had a very pretty serve of corn fritters with tomato salsa and avocado, to which I added a side of crispy bacon. The flavours were great, but the fritter was quite heavy and greasy.

Her Fussiness had poached eggs with salmon and spinach and was happy enough but for one rather solid egg and some unbuttered toast. The house-cured salmon was very good. Much fresher and firmer than average.

Otis also serves gluten free muesli, and a rather strange-sounding "brunch plate" with scrambled eggs, bacon, salmon, toasts, cheese, fruit, dips and herb salad.

16/20 "house cured salmon"



Eggs & Bacon $11.50 BB100 +15%