Corner on Bellair, Kensington

I think baked eggs are officially the breakfast fad of 2007. Especially if served in a cast iron pan. So it wasn't really a surprise to see baked eggs on the menu at The Corner on Bellair, 170 Bellair St, Kensington, Tel +61 3 9372 2844. At least they've come up with a cool name for it: "bunged inna pan brekkie".



I should have gone with the fad. Because the eggs benedict wasn't great. It was OK, but the eggs had been poached in those little igloo-shaped containers and were too runny, and the honey ham showed very little sign of grilling, apart from a brown stain in one or two places (suggesting contact with a frying pan at some point during its preparation). The hollandaise wasn't bad.

If you like maple syrup, there are two dishes to choose from. An American breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and French toast smothered in maple syrup. Or "to die for" (their claim, not mine) French toast with bacon, grilled banana, a touch of cinnamon and, of course, maple syrup. Actually, for $2, maple syrup is an extra you can add to just about anything. It would probably go well with the waffles, berries, ice cream and marscapone. Who knows, waffles may be the fad of 2008?

13/20 "bunged inna pan"



Eggs & Bacon $9.00 BB100 -10%

Blush Foodroom, Kensington

After spending several hours (OK, maybe it was more like 45 minutes) trying to find the Boathouse, somewhere on the banks of the mighty Maribyrnong River, I was delighted to discover that (a) Vodafone has apparently never heard of it; (b) they stop serving breakfast at 11.30 (flashback to Canberra in the 90s); and (c) we couldn't have a table because they were getting busy with the lunch crowd and they didn't want to compromise the quality of the dining experience. Great. Trek out to woop woop and get rejected. So we went looking for a proper breakfast venue. And we found Blush Foodroom, 43 Epsom Road, Kensington, Tel +61 3 9376 1222.



Apart from some woody old mushrooms, my big breakfast of scrambles, bacon, sausages, spicy relish, potato fritter and toast was very good. The poached googs were also good, but not consistently so. One of ours was over-done.

On a sweeter note, they did a very tasty plate of banana pancakes, with lime and pineapple syrup and white chocolate ice-cream. The toasted muesli with vanilla and brown fig also sounded interesting. And as we were leaving, I eye-balled a towering stack of cinnamon French toast with whipped orange butter, berries and maple syrup. Worth coming back for.

15/20 "sweet"



Eggs & Bacon $9.00 BB100 -10%