March 16, 2014

Bowery to Williamsburg

Agnes melbourne, suburb

I keep wanting to call this cafe Bowery to Williamstown instead of Bowery to Willamsburg.

The real name is a homage to New York’s Bowery subway station, but I personally feel that the owners missed an opportunity to work in a reference to Melbourne. I’m sure that Willamsburg, New York is 100000% cooler than Williamstown, Melbourne, but so what? 🙂

My cousin Peggy was over from Hong Kong for a visit earlier this year, and we caught up with Daisy for brunch. It was a Sunday morning, and we managed to get a table outside without any hassle.

Ms Daisy and Mr R were running late, so we ordered coffees while we waited. Coffees come with Hershey’s Kisses, which are (in my opinion) truly awful chocolates, but it’s a lovely gesture and ties into the American theme of the cafe.

I ummed and ahhhed over what I was going to order – there were a few specials written on the window.

I was almost sold on the eggs benedict but changed my mind at the last minute to the pastrami hash on the main menu: sweet potato / corn and red pepper hash / pastrami / poached eggs ($16). The thin tomato based sauce contained cooked capscium, diced pastrami and sweet potato with two perfectly poached eggs on top.

The combination of the warm pastrami and the sweet potato was slightly odd – I would’ve preferred potato I think – but it wasn’t bad and it was a very filling breakfast.

Daisy ordered the special that I almost ordered – eggs benedict on a cornmeal muffin with crispy crab cakes, spinach and tomato. I had food envy when it arrived, it looked really good.

Alastair had the buttermilk waffles with banana, maple cream and nutella ($15). It doesn’t look like it, but there was so much nutella on this thing.

Mr R had one of the Shakshouka egg options: hot smoked salmon / tomatillo / dill cream fraiche / fennel and fried caper salad ($16). The feedback was he found it a bit too sour for his tastes.

Peggy had another one of the specials – the sweet pumpkin waffle with chai anglaise with poached pears.

Daisy ordered a peanut butter hot chocolate, so naturally Alastair and I had to order one too, because peanut butter. Cutely served in a ceramic cup that looked like a crushed plastic, it also had a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup on the side. Quite rich but very delicious.

Daisy (being Daisy) couldn’t possibly leave a place without eating dessert, so her, Mr R and Peggy shared a key lime pie and a berry tart. I didn’t try any but they looked good.

While breakfast was good, I actually wished we had visited at lunch time for a sandwich – there are about ten different choices, and you can either have them on their own ($12.50) or add pretzels and pickles and a side ($16.50). I would’ve loved a Reuben with a side of mac and cheese.

Another time for sure.

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Bowery to Williamsburg
16 Oliver Lane
Melbourne VIC
Phone: 03 9077 0162