Australian Cafe of the Year Progressive Brunch

Gastrology bloggers dined courtesy of Australian Cafe of the Year Awards.

Gastrology was recently invited by the Australian Café of the Year awards to attend a progressive brunch to three of the brunch spots that are in the running to take out the inaugural Australian Cafe of the year awards.

The battle lines have been drawn for the first ever Australian Café of the Year competition supported by Café Culture Magazine, calling for the country’s best bean grinders and egg poachers to throw in a spoon full of creativity, a grande cup of passion and a good splash of competitive spirit. 

Currently in its third year in New Zealand, the Café of the Year concept is crossing the ditch to offer Aussie cafés the chance to prove we’re home to the best café culture in the world. Entries for Australian Café of the Year have been open til 18 August, and have called for big, medium and artisanal players to throw their hat in the ring and compete for the glory of being crowned number one in the country. 

Entry was free and simple: Competing cafés simply needed to register, then create a dish on their menu featuring ingredients from the Heinz and Don ranges – options included pulled pork, bacon, chipolatas, chorizo, baked beans and the new Heinz condiments range. The Supreme Winner will claim the title of Australian Café of the Year, taking home bragging rights and a Renault Clio RS200 Sport.

Stop 1 - Lights in the Attic

Our first stop was Lights in the Attic, the new kid on Hawthorn's cafe scene. We appreciated the quality of coffee on offer and the unique menu which featured modern Australian cuisine with a Korean twist.  

Bird nest

Lights in the Attic's entry was a delectable dish of "Bird nest" which consisted of perfectly cooked scotch eggs with oozy centres atop a potato chip nest which was surrounded by flavoursome kransky chilli beans. We loved the creative presentation of the dish, the delicious balance of flavours and the lovely chilli hit.

Offering great food and quality coffee in a relaxing atmosphere, Light in the Attic was an ideal brunch spot to start the day.

Stop 2 - Phamish

Located opposite Luna Park and the Palais Theatre, Phamish is an all day eatery which serves Modern Australian Cuisine with a touch of Middle Eastern spices along with gourmet Wood-fire Pizzas and Tapas.

Mackeral, potato salad, chorizo

Phamish's entry was an enjoyable dish of Mackeral, potato salad and chorizo. The quality of the Mackeral was exemplary. The fish was delicate and moist. It was a simple dish that allowed the natural subtle sweetness of the fish to be enjoyed.

Stop 3 - RMB Cafe

Located on bustling Degraves Street, RMB Cafe offers a wide selection of breakfast and lunch options.

The coffees at RMB Cafe are of particular note. My soy cappuccino contained a perfect layer of silken froth, complete with a flawless rosetta, and tasted terrific. 

RMB Cafe's entry was a dish comprising of a two poached eggs that were succulently seasoned with chorizo. These were accompanied by beans and tomato sauce. In all, this dish was a respectable assembly of breakfast essentials.

Australian Cafe of The Year has recently announced their finalist! 

With thousands of votes cast, they have found 21 regional finalists. For more information click here.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL 21 FINALISTS!