Once a Tailor

The $ and the quantity are not a good match in this place. We had poached pear and avocado smashed toast: That was a small pear with some crumble and half the size of a slice bread. We left hungry so we went to 400 Gradi for a Pizza.

I love the place, the look and feel of it, the good coffee, and it is a very convenient location for me to pop in for brekky occasionally.
Up until now I have had just toast and coffee — and gee it is good. So today I thought I would have a bit more of a decent brekky. The Avocado smash is not on the brekky menu, it was on the lunch menu, so I asked if it could be done for brekky — not a problem.
It tasted great, with feta and tomato, but it just was not brekky sized — or lunch sized for that matter. One small piece of toast with some avo and feta on top. It was good, but just not what I would call brekky.
But the good coffee made up for it.

Breakfast: Categorically the best meal of the day. The only meal where potato, egg and icecream can sit comfortably as a feature of each diners meal, at the same time. A great breakfast is like getting out of bed on the right side, you have a little hop and step in your stride each day and you gloat openly when boy partner gloomily ponders how much better your breakfast looked than his. On a side note I often give him the remnants of my pancakes/​french toast with milky melted icecream and a dreg of maple syrup — you know the kind when you can’t actually extract any with cutlery but a sliding of the finger along the bottom of the dish will serve you well. Yes we’re the kind of people you want to sit next to at breakfast. A poor choice of breakfast can leave you shaking your head periodically post meal, chastising yourself for wasting valuable kj. Fortunately on our most recent venture to Once a Tailor, we both had examples of the former and were ‘well pleased’ with our choices.
I have a tendency to flock to a new brunch jaunt hastily (I am from Melbourne after all) and often I am disappointed with ironing out errors a plenty. But I simply couldn’t hold back with this latest and so, down to Glenferrie rd we wandered. Once a Tailor has a unique and classy fit out — I’d love it to expand to a wine bar. Three separate rooms, the front with a communal bar type feel, the middle room, much more a café feel with tables to suit 2 – 6 and the courtyard out the back complete with detailed circular lights and are they horns I see? Unique.
So the place is cute — it needs more than that to hold its own on Glenferrie rd. The coffee was fine, not the best on the street but enough. The food was sublime with plenty of choices from bircher to pancakes, french toast, corn fritters, baked eggs and build your own breakfast. Decisions! I choice the ricotta and blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and icecream. The fluffy hotcakes were generous (3) and chunks of ricotta visible throughout. Tasty. Boy partner chose to build his own poached eggs on sough dough with bacon, rosti and relish. The meals came out and boy punctuated his poached eggs immediately to see an ooze of yolk, mmm he nodded appreciatively. The rosti he declared was ‘the best rosti’ he has ever eaten. Do not be deceived by it’s simple appearance — this creamy potato, herby patty has a ‘secret ingredient’ horseradish shhhh.
The service was also excellent. The owner/​manager (not sure which) guided us through our choices and lingered for a welcome chat.
I’ll be back…