European, Melbourne
6 May 2009
17 Comments
Breakfast has never been so good
I know this might sound like a bit of a daft thing to do, but on discovering it was a long weekend, we bought tickets to fly down to Melbourne… to eat. And I know this is a bit late in coming, but the subsequent posts from me will be detailing our gastronomic weekend in Melbourne.
I’ve never had eggs benedict before and thought that I couldn’t go wrong having my first taste of it in Melbourne, being the supposed food capital of Australia and all. I found European on Breakout Melbourne and their review made it sound quite promising.
I think we came at the height of the breakfast period at 10:30 am, as there weren’t many free tables left and we were seated near the back (I was so sad! It was gorgeous outside and the photos would have turned out so much better).
My lamentations stopped when I realised we were seated right next to the service window. We could see the (seemingly disembodied) heads of the chef and kitchen hands busily working away, with the chef tersely asking for things to be done or if it was done.
Glimpse into the kitchen
It was kind of cool to hear the chef gently berating his cooks for not communicating and one of the waitress for taking plates all willy-nilly.
Eggs Benedict ($17.50)
I was so excited when the eggs benedict was placed in front of me. I’ve seen pictures of eggs benedict and this in comparison was completely unadorned, but it didn’t need any flashy garnish to make me fall in love with it. I absolutely adored the slightly tart and wholly creamy hollandaise sauce generously served on top of sunny-side up eggs that slowly dribbled yolk all over the place once they were pierced.
It’s funny how preferences change over the years – I use to hate runny eggs as it would gross me out, but that somehow changed and now I totally love mopping up the yellow gooey mess with my buttered toast (toasted English muffins in this case).
Goat's Cheese Omelette ($16)
The goat’s cheese omelette, to be quite honest, didn’t sound all that nice or looked all that impressive, but boy, it was delicious! Proving once again never to judge a book by its cover. There was a hint of a goat-y edge, but it was mostly creamy smooth, going awfully well with the perfectly cooked omelette.
We ordered sides of spinach and portebello mushrooms to go with the omelette, which also went so well with the dish.
Anywho, I would have to say the servings at European are more than generous, we were so full after that – even though it didn’t look like a lot. The service is fast, mostly efficient, and friendly. While the food took just a bit longer than expected to come out because they were so busy, it was definitely worth the wait.
I am determined to find a place in Sydney that makes eggs benedict better than, or at least on par to, the European… that is, if I can rouse myself out of bed one of these cold mornings. Any suggestions of places we might try? =)
The European
151 Spring St.
Melbourne, VIC, 3000
Ph: (03) 9654 0811
Web: http://www.theeuropean.com.au/
Tagged with: Breakfast, egg
The food at this place looks down to earth and somewhat homely. I’ll have to check it out if I’m ever in Melbourne for breakfast.
Sorry, can’t recall where I’ve had really good eggs benedict here. I would have said Bill’s but I get the feeling that they don’t serve it there. It’s been so long since I’ve last been.
ooh that gooey egg looks so good!
Betty’s last blog post..Medusa Greek Taverna
I love eggs with runny yolks, especially with toast. The mushrooms look good too!
Arwen from Hoglet K’s last blog post..MuMu Grill
gosh i love a good cheesy omelette. (and how nice that it’s served up so simply and without all the various jams and other odd garnishes that tend to pop up all willy nilly on plates sometimes).
shez’s last blog post..mumu grill & mr riggs wines
i’ve tried the eggs benedict at Ash’s Cafe, 86-88 Bayswater Rd, Rushcutters Bay NSW 2011 and it was very good. try it there. http://www.eatability.com.au/au/sydney/ashs_cafe/
simon
Simon Food Favourites’s last blog post..Phamish, Darlinghurst (5 May 2009)
I love Eggs Benedict (though I’ll usually choose a Salmon Benedict over ham or bacon). I love the one served at Kazbah and Orange Peel Cafe – both in Balmain. Always done perfectly at those establishments.
Forager’s last blog post..Charlotte Cafe, the local’s secret
Eggs benedict..drool. Have been trying hollandaise recipes in hope of getting the perfect one. I’ve been heading to Cafe Sofia lately for my eggs benedict hit – lovely casual cafe, but there are plenty of other places that do a decent job of it:)
Miss Honey’s last blog post..Cru54, Surry Hills
Yum! The eggs look delicious. I’ve been to European once for dinner and it was superb.
Try Chocolate Dog in Newtown. My mum loves it so much that we always end up there for her last brekkie meal before she leaves Sydney.
foodie-central’s last blog post..Zigolinis
Mmmm they need a combination of eggs Benedict and cheese omelette cos they both look so good! That Hollandaise sauce… yuuummm XD
FFichiban’s last blog post..A Taste of Sweden: IKEA – Rhodes, Sydney
My husband is a bit of a ‘connisseur’ when it comes to a good ol’ Benedict, and we have a friend who takes sooooo long to make them, we christened them Daves Egg-Takes-a-Week, so of course, I had to step in, and take over, and make apparently the best Eggs Benedict that anyones ever tasted, you see I don’t like them, but will go out of my way to make them for others. It is so worth giving it a go yourself to make them great.
Try The Lounge, cnr Goulburn & Crown. I have only been during weekends, and it have been worthwhile, I must say.
Thank you everyone for their suggestions! Much appreciated. Hopefully I’ll be able to try them all out ^_^ And sorry I’ve been lax with replying back >_> I kept forgetting to post it.
Simon: It was very cosy inside – quite dim that it could have been any time of the day actually! That’s okay =) Thanks for the thought though.
Betty: Oh my goodness… it was!! I was really trying hard not to sound like Sally in “When Harry Met Sally” hahaha.
Arwen from Hoglet K: The mushrooms were really good too ^_^ I was sad there were only two.
shez: Hehe, that’s what I thought! Just simple, honest-to-goodness food without all the frills
Simon Food Favourites: Sweet! Will do! =) Thanks Simon
Forager: I was actually going to go for the salmon version, but thought I’d stick to the “original”. Ooo Kazbah, been meaning to go there – now I have more of a reason to! =) And will definitely check out Orange Peel Cafe. Thanks! =D
Miss Honey: Judging from my “cooking” skills the other night, I might just stick with prepping food for people who can actually cook! Heheh. So Cafe Sofia, gotcha =)
foodie-central: Ooo, dinner! *Sighs* It kind of makes me sad that European is in Melbourne. hehe. Excellent, will also try it and I love the name: Chocolate Dog. Mmm sounds delicious already…
FFichiban: Oh!! We so should have done that! Hehe, we were too busy eating our own dishes and occasionally stealing bits from each other’s dishes. That Hollandaise sauce… <3 *sigh*
Di: That’s heaps nice of you to do that, especially since you don’t like it =) Hmmm I’m not much of a cook, so I think I’ll do some nagging and see what happens
muhahah!
gobsmack’d: Sounds good! Thanks for the tip =)
Hihi, first time chancing upon your blog and the photos n food really look good! Fod good eggs benedicts, try Le Petite Creme @ Surry Hills. Only available at weekends. This is the best we tried in Syd so far
Hi! Benedict eggs look great! There are quite a few places in Melbourne that I like, but haven’t been to the European for breakfast yet – might give it a go over the weekend
Foodlover´s last blog ..SUSHI BURGER – strange but interesting
Joyce: Thanks for dropping by! =) I’ve added Le Petite Creme to my list, thanks! Been so busy lately, I haven’t been able to go and try out all these awesome places that have been recommended yet =(
Foodlover: The benedict eggs were great! =D Do try and let me know if you liked it? =)
you should try out Las Chicas in Melbourne next time if you have the chance. they serve their perfect poached eggs and slightly tangy (which i like) hollandaise sauce on bagels, which is simply heavenly.
Alaric: Ooooh yuuuummm, bagels! *sighs* I wish I had a job like my friend – he goes down to Melbourne every week! Bah. I’m so missing out =( Thanks for the tip! It’s in my “Places to Eat” spreadsheet hahaha