EARL Canteen, Emporium - Better off getting bahn mi...

The Pork Belly sandwich - gluten free wrap option / $13.50

Pork sandwich delivered crispy crackling and tender meat, however $13.50 is seriously too much to charge for 3 slices of pork, a glob of sloppy coleslaw and few strands of silverbeet.  Other than the salt from the pork there was not much flavour in the other elements.

Gluten-free wrap was rather dry and crumbly but that seems to be the way these wraps go; I won't hold it against EARL Canteen.

Maybe it would've tasted better with the standard turkish bread roll, however I think you will get more flavour, texture and substance in a banh mi for 1/3 the price.

Munch-marks: 3/10 unimpressed

Flora Hill Bakehouse

If we're going to make this food-blog-friendship thing work, there is something I need to share with you guys.

I have a bit of an obsession... with vanilla slice.

Call it a snot block or whatever you want, but nothing can deter me from hunting down my perfect rendition of flaky, custardy goodness.  And recently I think I may have found my vanilla slice champion.

Flora Hill Bakehouse is a little neighbourhood bakery located in a suburb of Bendigo.  Known mostly to locals for its award winning pies, it has also received gongs for its vanilla slice, including taking out the gold medal in the "Professional Innovative" section of the 2011 Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph.

Indeed, folks, vanilla slice is serious business.

Vanilla slice, being eaten as god intended - on its side / $3 (approx)

And this slice is as good as gold.  Wonderfully flaky crisp pastry encasing a light and fluffy custard that is still substantial enough to give a nice smooth creamy rich mouthfeel.  The custard is not too sweet, making room for the sticky icing on top.

Ticks all the boxes for all the elements (pastry, custard, icing) - cracker of a slice!

With regards to the bakehouse itself, there is a sum total of 2 chairs + 1 table inside, but plentiful seating outside (shaded).  It was enjoying a roaring trade in takeaway pies and pastries when I was there on a weekday lunchtime.  Not really a place you would linger over a coffee and cake, but with vanilla slice this good, who cares for fancy atmosphere?

Munch-marks: 10/10

LuxBite

Yes I like cake, I think that's pretty clear.

After a scary job interview in the South Yarra neighbourhood, decided to reward myself with a coffee and sweets at LuxBite.  I had known about the tempting desserts at this patisseire cafe since last year, but never found the opportunity to try it.  Weak excuse I know - as if you need a reason to eat cake!

Brought along Mama Munchalot, who as a hardcore asian parent is naturally suspicious of anything slightly branded as "fusion".  Which is what LuxBite prides itself in - fusing French pastry techniques with Asian flavours.

For example the Banoffee Opera style cake we had included a layer of sichuan pepper chocolate crunch, while the Meringue Monster featured a green tea sponge base.  Their macarons also had a South-East Asian twist, with kopiko and ribena flavours available (not in the same macaron!)

Nabbing a seat in the small cafe required a bit of a wait, but staff were very nice and apologetic, even fetching spare stools for us to sit on while waiting.

Mama and I amused ourselves by pouring over their menu and closely inspecting all the cakes in the fridge.  Nice to see the Asian flavours shine through in the cafe menu as well.

Banoffee Opéra style cake: Hazelnut sponge, banana ganache, Sichuan pepper chocolate crunch, salted toffee buttercream / $8.50 (iirc)

The sichuan pepper in the Banoffee was not immediately noticeable, but the numbing feeling did come on a few minutes later.  I really enjoyed the merger between the sweet indulgence of cake with the zing and numb of the peppercorns; as a spice-lover this was a great taste sensation for me!  The cake itself is wonderfully textural with its layers of light sponge, rich and dense ganache, and crunch from the pepper layer.  A real treat to savour - party in my mouth!

Meringue Monster (Signature cake): Green tea sponge, pistachio, watermelon yoghurt, sour strawberry mousse, meringue (Gluten free) / $7.50

Contrasting textures was not as prominent Meringue Monster, as all elements of this cake were light and soft.  However their individual flavours did pack a punch, especially the watermelon and strawberry components.  These distinctive flavours worked well together to form a light dessert, again not too sweet thanks to the sour strawberry mousse.

Much to Mama Munchalot's surprise, she really enjoyed both cakes.  She was also very interested to find out that the co-owner and head pastry chef Bernard Chu hails from Kelantan, Malaysia.  She was definitely proud of the achievements of her fellow Malaysian.

Both cakes were memorable for me.  The sichuan pepper in the Banoffee really made an impression, while what the Meringue Monster lacked in texture it made up for in flavour.  However I don't know if I will be back in a hurry - there are a few other cake shops I would like to try first...

Burch and Purchese here I come!!

Munch-marks: 8/10

Hammer & Tong

High expectations..... met?

Arrived 10:30am on a very chilly Saturday.  Busy bustling and noisy, but with a energetic buzzing atmosphere.

As they don't take bookings and don't seat tables until all diners have arrived, I stood around for about 15 minutes whilst waiting for my tardy friends to turn up!  Tram troubles, they blamed, but who knows what shenanigans they had been up to the night before?

Anyway, once our group of 4 were all accounted for, we were seated quite promptly.  Kudos to the front of house staff for keeping us regularly updated regarding our table-situation.

Coffee orders taken - my poison of choice is cappuccino and this was a lovely one.  No pics I'm afraid, you'll just have to take my word for it!

Front: rye and shallot bagel w smoked rainbow trout, kale, pickled carrot, poached egg & nori-hollandaise / $18
Back: buttermilk lamb, goats cheese panna cotta, onion rings, eucalyptus & apple gel, frisse / $22

While I usually try to order something a bit out of the ordinary when brunching, couldn't resist getting the bagel after spying it on another table.  Turned out to be a winner - a twist on your usual eggs benedict.

For one - bagel.  Who can go past the lures of a bagel?  Not me.  I was even given a special pointy knife with which to attack my bagel.

The kale was lovely and crisp, nice change from usual damp or soggy-ish spinach.  Smokiness of the trout was quite heavy, just they way I like it, and they were quite generous with the portion.  Eggs poached to perfection (as we spoilt Melburnians have now come to expect!).

But what really impressed me was the pickled carrot, which provided a nice tart and refreshing contrast to the rich nori-hollandaise.  Great combination.

My friend was quite taken by the sound of "goats cheese panna cotta"on the menu, and who can blame her?  Goats cheese...mmm...  Her dish looked beautiful and the goats cheese was beautiful creamy decadence.  Not too sure about the apple gel, though.  It had a strange texture, not unlike glue, but was refreshing on the palate.

My other two pals both got the signature soft-shell crab burger ($12), which they found more than satisfactory.

A consistent remark from my other 3 diners was that they found the food tended towards the salty side.  I personally found the nori-hollandaise in my dish quite salty, but this saltiness was nicely juxtaposed by the other elements of the dish (namely pickled carrots).

All in all a worthy brunch destination, especially considering the well-designed menu which offers creative options different from your usual brunch joint.  Wouldn't have expected any less from an ex-Vue de Monde chef.  Look forward to returning to try the other dishes (ducks egg and brioche soilders anyone?), and also the dinner menu.

Munch-marks: 8/10