Northcote has long been known for its hipster culture. Infact if you were playing a drinking game where you had to drink every time you spotted skinny jeans, a fixie or a beard, you’d probably be hammered in about ten minutes (unless of course you are drinking a skinny soy latte with Equal). So it was fitting that we ventured out to try out a quintessentially hipster café, that in true hipster style is not on the main Northcote strip, and has received little recognition on the breakfast scene despite being bloody awesome.
Located on St George’s Rd, in a small strip of shops, The Breakfast Club is a tiny hole in the wall shop that seats about twelve people inside and another twelve outside. Apparently there is a seating area out the back too, but I didn’t venture out that far. The front window has a display of old, decorative plates with silhouettes on them, and there is a stockpile of souvenir spoons on the counter that are used to stir the coffees.
On the morning we went, most of the seating inside was taken, so we chose to sit outside. The menu was short, but quite interesting, and I found myself tossing up between the numerous vegetarian options on the menu. Almost every item was vegetarian, or could be adapted to become vegetarian which was very impressive. In the end I settled on potato croquettes served with avocado, chipotle mayo and poached eggs. The menu also listed bacon, which was obviously removed to make the dish vegetarian, but to my surprise the waitress offered to replace it with haloumi or mushrooms! Woo! I was a bit overwhelmed at having to make an on the spot decision about two of my favourite things (mushrooms and cheese) and in the end I hurriedly chose the mushrooms. I’m not sure if it was the better decision, and only time would tell.
The other half went for a sweet option – the banana and ricotta hotcakes, drenched in salted caramel sauce and topped with macadamia nuts, praline and a generous dollop of mascarpone.
Unfortunately we didn’t fully embrace the hipster culture and stuck with our regular, boring coffee orders, a latte and a flat white. The coffee was good, and we were both content. They hit the spot on a Sunday morning.
The service was friendly and efficient, and it wasn’t long before our orders arrived. As is customary now when eating with me, the other half patiently waited while I took photos of our food. It was a tall ask from me though, because everything really did look amazing, and it was quite an effort to not dig in immediately.
My first observation was the large plates that our meals were served on. This meant that everything wasn’t crammed together, and there was room to spread all the elements out. Big tick from me. My plate had two big potato croquettes. They were big, plump balls of crumbed and deep fried deliciousness. As I took a bite, the soft potato fell apart in my mouth and I knew I had picked the right dish from the menu. The chipotle mayo was also good. There was not much heat (but perhaps I’m not a good benchmark for heat because my tolerances are apparently too high) but it was creamy and full of flavour. The mushrooms were also a real winner. They were sautéed in garlic, and tasted amazing. All the elements on the plate worked perfectly together and I was busy making sure I got a bit of everything on my fork with each mouthful.
Of course, the egg porn test had to be performed and my dish passed with flying colours.
The other half also loved his breakfast, and I was lucky enough to have a taste from his plate. The ricotta and banana hotcakes were soft and fluffy and there was no skimping on the salted caramel sauce. As a sweet tooth, I have no doubt that this is what won him over. The big dollop of mascarpone was also welcome, and a pleasant deviation from the usual ice cream that is served with hotcakes. More people in the world need to learn that almost every meal can be improved by either deep frying or adding cheese.
As we sat in almost silence, busy scrapping our plates clean, we realised how big the serves were. Infact we were so full that we didn’t eat again until dinner, which is something that rarely happens to me (I am renowned for eating 76 times a day).
The Breakfast Club may not have received the accolades that many other cafes in the scene have received, or even the publicity across blogs and social media, but it is definitely a winner. Perhaps it’s better that not many people know about it, it means that I can always get a seat whenever I go.
Located on St George’s Rd, in a small strip of shops, The Breakfast Club is a tiny hole in the wall shop that seats about twelve people inside and another twelve outside. Apparently there is a seating area out the back too, but I didn’t venture out that far. The front window has a display of old, decorative plates with silhouettes on them, and there is a stockpile of souvenir spoons on the counter that are used to stir the coffees.
On the morning we went, most of the seating inside was taken, so we chose to sit outside. The menu was short, but quite interesting, and I found myself tossing up between the numerous vegetarian options on the menu. Almost every item was vegetarian, or could be adapted to become vegetarian which was very impressive. In the end I settled on potato croquettes served with avocado, chipotle mayo and poached eggs. The menu also listed bacon, which was obviously removed to make the dish vegetarian, but to my surprise the waitress offered to replace it with haloumi or mushrooms! Woo! I was a bit overwhelmed at having to make an on the spot decision about two of my favourite things (mushrooms and cheese) and in the end I hurriedly chose the mushrooms. I’m not sure if it was the better decision, and only time would tell.
The other half went for a sweet option – the banana and ricotta hotcakes, drenched in salted caramel sauce and topped with macadamia nuts, praline and a generous dollop of mascarpone.
Unfortunately we didn’t fully embrace the hipster culture and stuck with our regular, boring coffee orders, a latte and a flat white. The coffee was good, and we were both content. They hit the spot on a Sunday morning.
The service was friendly and efficient, and it wasn’t long before our orders arrived. As is customary now when eating with me, the other half patiently waited while I took photos of our food. It was a tall ask from me though, because everything really did look amazing, and it was quite an effort to not dig in immediately.
My first observation was the large plates that our meals were served on. This meant that everything wasn’t crammed together, and there was room to spread all the elements out. Big tick from me. My plate had two big potato croquettes. They were big, plump balls of crumbed and deep fried deliciousness. As I took a bite, the soft potato fell apart in my mouth and I knew I had picked the right dish from the menu. The chipotle mayo was also good. There was not much heat (but perhaps I’m not a good benchmark for heat because my tolerances are apparently too high) but it was creamy and full of flavour. The mushrooms were also a real winner. They were sautéed in garlic, and tasted amazing. All the elements on the plate worked perfectly together and I was busy making sure I got a bit of everything on my fork with each mouthful.
Of course, the egg porn test had to be performed and my dish passed with flying colours.
The other half also loved his breakfast, and I was lucky enough to have a taste from his plate. The ricotta and banana hotcakes were soft and fluffy and there was no skimping on the salted caramel sauce. As a sweet tooth, I have no doubt that this is what won him over. The big dollop of mascarpone was also welcome, and a pleasant deviation from the usual ice cream that is served with hotcakes. More people in the world need to learn that almost every meal can be improved by either deep frying or adding cheese.
As we sat in almost silence, busy scrapping our plates clean, we realised how big the serves were. Infact we were so full that we didn’t eat again until dinner, which is something that rarely happens to me (I am renowned for eating 76 times a day).
The Breakfast Club may not have received the accolades that many other cafes in the scene have received, or even the publicity across blogs and social media, but it is definitely a winner. Perhaps it’s better that not many people know about it, it means that I can always get a seat whenever I go.
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