Las Chicas Expands

Las Chicas has expanded (which is good news). So has my waistline (which is not). So this morning I decided to try something new. I ordered "healthy" food: a glass of Bircher muesli with poached fruit (not bad); and a half serve of carrot and date loaf with pistachio ricotta (very good). What could be healthier than carrots and dates?



But then I read about a recent American fashion industry "health initiative" and got very confused. Apparently "healthy snacks" like carrot sticks are being used by fashionistas to fatten up skinny models. For serious. It's OK for anorexic models to drag their skeletal bods up and down the catwalk. Just as long as they have a few carrot sticks to munch on backstage.

At least the Italians are saying no to skeletons. They've banned ultra-skinny models from the Milan catwalk shows this year. Maybe they should feed them Bomboloni for breakfast, too?

Anyway, enough of that.

The new, supersized Las Chicas has annexed the place next door, punching a doorway and a few little portholes through the wall in the process. I sat in the old bit, but the new bit looked quite snazzy, with a long banquette along one wall and a bar across the front window. Hopefully this extra capacity will translate into shorter queues. I didn't have to wait at all.

Las Chicas, Balaclava

The Las Chicas crowd - 203 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, Tel +61 3 9531 3699 - has turned designer-scruff into high performance art. Do I wear the beaten-up Birkenstocks with my three-quarter cut-off combat pants? Or maybe the cammo thongs show off a bit more of the Portsea tan? Nah... can't mix combat and cammo... better stick with the sandals. And my white Fred Perry polo. Is that gonna clash with your outfit, babe? You're wearing the black Sass n Bide slouch shorts, yeah?



But don't let the cool kids scare you off. This is breakfast paradise. So many good options your head will spin. And we're talking some serious Linda Blair action.

I'll start with what we had. My Baked Bean Brekky came with arguably the best bread I've ever had: two thick slices of warm, soft, pumpkin and polenta bread, topped with a poached egg. On the side was a tasty serve of the house baked beans, and a generous pile of spinach sauteed in butter. Delicious.

We also tried the BBB, aka Bikini Blowout Benedict. A creative Benedict mutation, it was served on bagel toast (which we switched for sourdough multi-grain) with a layer of avocado and crispy bacon. Very good poached eggs and a thick blanket of hollandaise made this another excellent combo.

As for the rest, I don't know where to begin. Here's just a sample: French toast or pancakes with fresh banana, strawberries, pistachio ricotta and maple syrup; brekky bruschetta of scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, spinach and pesto sprinkled with pine nuts; roasted field mushrooms topped with a fresh rocket, goats cheese and roasted tomato salad, drizzled with an olive tapenade and lemon dressing; egg & bacon sandwich with hollandaise and rocket on toasted pide. And on and on it goes.

Not only is the food excellent (and cheap), but the venue is buzzing off the charts. A long skinny layout, the place has a tight combination of small-medium tables snaking past the coffee bar and kitchen, and a dog-friendly courtyard out the back. Skylights running the length of the building create a light, upbeat feel. Good tunes on the CD player too.

18/20 "mmm... pumpkin and polenta bread"



Eggs & Bacon $10.50 BB100 +5%