Greasy Joe's, St Kilda

Greasy Joe's - 68 Acland Street, St Kilda, Tel +61 3 9525 3755 - has got its mojo back. It's bigger than ever (they've annexed the place next door). The vibe is good. And you'll struggle to find a better fry-up anywhere in town. My breakfast with "the lot" was a hearty feast. The "triple bypass breakfast" may well kill you. Three eggs, three snags, three bits of bacon, three hash browns, fried onions... and a porterhouse steak. BYO defibrillator.



Back in the 90s, during a brief period of exile in Canberra, GJ's was one of the Melbourne experiences I missed and craved the most. The thought of parking myself in a booth for a lazy 3pm Saturday brekky of eggs benny made me wonder what I was doing in a freezing wasteland where they served lattes in poncy tall glasses with stems. Then, in more recent times, I had some dud experiences, and I feared that old school Joe's was dead (or suffering from serious heart problems).

After today, I fear no more. GJ's is back. The food is as good as ever, and the kooky but efficient St Kilda staff are on the job. One of the waiters (a bloke) looked like a cross between Nicole Ritchie and a roadie... skinny black jeans and sneakers with a super-size pair of pink sunnies. Very fetching.

The only let-downs were the button mushies (too wet) and the hash browns (too soggy). Otherwise, the eggs were superb, the meats tasty, and the Grinders coffee excellent.

17/20 "triple bypass breakfast"



Eggs & Bacon $8.50 BB100 -15%

Blue Tongue, Elwood

I am coming to the view that Elwood is something of a breakfast heavy hitter. This morning we did Blue Tongue, 62-64 Ormond Road, Tel +61 3 9531 3011, and I tried out an old favorite... Eggs Benedict. To my great relief, the muffins were well toasted, and the hollandaise was superb. Very impressive.



Which is not to say that it was perfect. The eggs were a tad wet and overdone, and the hash brown was nothing to rave about. But the hollandaise, ham and muffins were of such a high standard, that a few minor poaching flaws didn't get in the way of an excellent benedict experience.

Another impressive dish was the baked beans, which came in its own baking dish, topped with melted cheese and grilled chorizo. Very good according to GB. I was almost tempted to try the kransky on cheese and onion polenta bread, with green tomato chutney. Maybe next time.

When a nearby diner starting tucking into his "French style Turkish bread" with grilled banana, bacon and maple syrup, it got me thinking about sweet vs savoury breakfast-orientation. Normally, you swing one way or the other. You go for the sweet stuff (fruit, porridge, muesli, hotcakes), or you stick to the savoury stuff (eggs, bacon, beans, bangers). But French toast (savoury), with grilled banana (sweet), bacon (savoury) and maple syrup (sweet)? Sounds like the breakfast equivalent of a bi-sexual orgy. I like it both ways. At the same time.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Apart from great food, Blue Tongue also serves up very good Grinders coffee in a stylish and relaxing indoor/outdoor setting. If it's a nice sunny day, the street-side tables with padded seats are hard to beat.

17/20 "I like it both ways"