Cafe Gaia
Shop 3/4 Avoca St
South Yarra, VIC 3141
03 9866 7522
cafegaia.com.au
GoogleMap
Ever since Fakegf has been seeing someone, (let’s call him FakeOtherGuy… lol!), she’s been exploring cafés in the East with him. So I’ve started to lag in that sector’s brunch coverage.
Doesn’t matter though, these days I’m no longer in a rush to cover places. I’ve all the time in the world to discover Melbourne’s food landscape. =)
This not-that-known café in South Yarra came with high recommendations from Fakegf, her man took her here. So I arranged a Saturday brunch catch-up with Damo and Bri. We nabbed a table easily at 10am, but I’ll have to say the crowd swelled immediately after. The brunch gods were with us that morning!
Piccolo 3.2
I believe the coffees at Cafe Gaia are from 5 Senses, they tasted medium robust with a faint, chocolatey hint of dark berries, quite nice
Free range chicken salad, zucchini, pine nuts 19.5
Bri got something simple and healthy. It’s the same dish Fakegf had (and enjoyed) when she last visited. I believe Bri liked it just as much.
Toasted pork belly sandwich w apple & parsley slaw & beetroot relish 16.5
Damo went a bit more decadent with a bright and juicy pork belly number, with an added kiss of brioche bread. I stole a bite and found it very pleasant.
Egyptian eggs -
avocado, smoked ocean trout, beetroot relish & dukkah w poached eggs on multi-grain toast 19.5
I almost did not order this dish because there’s dukkah in it, a Middle Eastern ingredient that I’m somehow not that fond of. Then I spied a neighbouring table and realised the dukkah’s served on the side… GOLD!
This was a nicely balanced dish. Great-tasting trout, perfect eggs, and smashed avocado that isn’t made into a creamy goats-cheesy cliché. So good! All I had to do was to banish the dukkah to the side and enjoy the rest of the plate.
Banana & ricotta hotcakes w butterscotch sauce, strawberries & spiced mascarpone 16.5
We ended brunch with a shared dessert dish between the three of us. It was surprisingly not too sweet despite the thick blanket of butterscotch sauce over the hotcakes.
The spiced mascarpone had a touch too much cinnamon for our liking, but it’s good that it was non-sweetened. Overall pretty good, but not mind-blowing.
Cafe Gaia serves decent coffees and solid brunch fare, along with relaxed, friendly staff to sweeten your experience. In fact that morning, our handsome waiter (with his delightful Brit accent) even placed his hand on my shoulder…
Big blushy cheeks of mine aside, I give this place… FULL MARKS!! Ha ha ha!
I really like this place – funny enough I saw you mentioned it a while ago on Instagram… thinking I hadn’t heard of it, I walked over and lo and behold, it’s a place I was going with Jase pretty regularly! Honestly had never looked at the name (is that weird?). To me it was always the place next to Home and Abroad, sorta near The Final Step ;) Ha.
Anyway, being Middle Eastern, I love MOST dukkahs (not all), and this is one I think is mild enough to accompany the dish without going overboard. Those juicy beets look lovely, too – I think I’ll try that next time!
Also… good for you for not being in a rush. Melbourne is impossible to keep up with – we are so spoiled with a new amazing place opening every day, it seems! Better to enjoy it and do it well (like you do) than rush into things without giving them a real sense of purpose.
Yasmeen @ Wandering Spice recently posted..Welcome back, Wandering Spice
That’s awesome that an instagram pic can make you visit a place and become a regular hangout! I also did not know Final Step is nearby, it’s on my wishlist. We ought to meet up and brunch together sometime. :)
These are some wonderful pictures and love how you take photos of the atmosphere and not just the food. Great stuff.
Thanks!
Oh wow – I know you said the pancakes were just ok, but they look fantastic! Such a great photo!! Totally mouthwatering.
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Thanks, Sarah. I always make it a secret mission to make even the ‘meh’ dishes look very appealing to blog readers. :p
Bhaha you make me laugh. Oh accents. Swoon.
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