The Weekend Review: Massive Wieners, Prahran

I have to confess, on occasion I have the maturity of a 12 year old boy, which can be a little embarrassing considering I'm a 26 year old mother, wife and supposed adult. I was drawn in purely by the brightly lit sign proclaiming "Massive Wieners"on eclectic Chapel Street. I had driven past it several times, snickering to myself and wondering how many other immature people wandered these streets in their grown-up disguises.

Eventually my curiosity got the better of me and we wandered in to see what provocative menu items awaited us. Hot dogs, milkshakes and fries abound. It's not gourmet or innovative, but they've found their niche and they do it well. The hot dogs are generously topped, the buns are soft with a tender chewiness and the fries are crisp. Serving sizes are adequate and the prices are fair. Not to mention I garner quite a bit of delight in ordering a "Little Pecker".

 The staff are friendly and helpful but the wait for our meal was agonisingly long. The customers are varied. I watch bouncers, families, hungover teens and everything in between delight in the simple joy of a good hot dog. The decor is sparse, peculiar and more than a little intriguing. The walls are scuffed, the floors are far from pristine, and I can't help but wonder what's going on in the hidden kitchen.

I'm dubiously devoted to Massive Wieners. I'll admit it's not for everyone. It has it's faults, but I love the lack of pretentiousness, the wicked sense of fun and it doesn't hurt that they do a mean vegetarian hot dog.

The Weekend Review: Dukes Coffee, Prahran

It was going to be a busy day, we'd planned for a quick breakfast out and then it was off to the Dandenong Ranges to explore the day away. I'd planned with care, having picked out somewhere that had a decent menu, reasonable prices and was nearby- perfect! We packed up the car and began our journey. After driving around the block for 15 minutes we finally found a parking spot, we aimlessly started wandering the street trying to find a cafe which Google Maps was adamant we had already arrived at. We looked around confused and noticed the locked gate, beyond lay the closed cafe which I had chosen with great care. The one which I had failed to note was closed on Sundays. Back in the car we all slumped, defeated and hungry. At that point my husband shrugged, "Dukes?" and off we went to our old faithful.

Dukes is my local 'go to' for coffee. What keeps me coming back to Dukes? The answer is consistency. I know that no matter how busy they are or what time of the day I go, the coffee will be excellent. I've had coffee as good, occasionally better from other local establishments but the consistency of quality has never been on par with Dukes.

We arrived at around 8:30am. If you know Dukes, you know it gets busy, really busy. We had arrived just early enough to be seated immediately, relieved to be taking up the last remaining table. Our waitress was wonderful, speaking warmly to Oscar and even leaving him with a pen and some paper so he could draw while we weighed up the menu. It may be starting to come apparent that I'm a die hard goats cheese fan. If I see a goats cheese dish on a menu and it's vegetarian, chances are sky high I'll order it. This breakfast was no exception, I ordered the 'Omelette, goats cheese, roasted vine tomato'. Keith chose the 'Avocado hummus toast, poached eggs, honey candied bacon and dukkah' and naturally we required coffee, urgently.

Shortly after placing our order the coffees arrived, and they were sublime. Silky, packed full of depth, strong on flavour without a hint of bitterness.

Latte ($3.80)

Before we'd managed to get half way through our coffees the meals arrived. Considering Dukes was now brimming with eager customers the speed at which our food arrived was impressive and unexpected.

My omelette was a simple affair. The presentation left me a little disappointed, especially when I compared my plate with Keith's! However, the omelette was cooked expertly, the egg was barely firm, smooth and delicate. It encased a light filling of goats cheese and the tomatoes made a ripe and flavoursome accompaniment. My only real qualm was when I found myself carefully rationing out my single piece of toast. Two pieces would've been ideal.

Omelette, goats cheese, roasted vine tomato ($17)

Keith's poached eggs were also cooked with precision (a seemingly rare feat). The contrast between the soft eggs and the crunch of the dukkah was wonderful and the avocado added a pleasant creaminess without making the dish feel too heavy.

Avocado hummus toast, poached eggs, honey candied bacon and dukkah ($18)

We sat enjoying our meals and watching the seemingly endless stream of coffee lovers come and go. Throughout this time the staff were friendly and very efficient. It's a high paced atmosphere but the team at Dukes operate in an organised and calm manner. I watched as a tray of freshly made haloumi paninis were put on display, I've had these before and adore them. I reluctantly left them behind and we headed off for our hilltop adventure, having had a wonderful start to the day.

The Weekend Review: Breakfast at PLENTY, Windsor

I have to confess that since my little family upped and moved across the country to delightfully rainy Melbourne we've gotten into the habit of having breakfast at a different cafe every weekend without fail. Sometimes we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of all the vibrant eateries at our doorstep and we may not cook a single meal all weekend. I suppose I'm out of the running for domestic goddess of the year now, aren't I? I love exploring all the hidden crevices of this city, so many tiny places radiating the promise of a full belly and no dishes to wash.

One of our recent expeditions was to a relatively obscure cafe on bustling Chapel St. I'll admit in our sleep-deprived haze we initially walked right past it. There's very little signage and unless you look closely I'm sure my fellow sleepy heads could also drift on by. We eventually arrived at around 8:30am, it was about half full and we were cheerily greeted and seated. Our drink order was taken while we hungrily perused the menu. I was on a sweet mission and opted for the 'Ricotta pancake, maple syrup & pistachio butter', Keith selected the 'Fruit pot, granola crumbs, buffalo yoghurt' and Oscar excitedly chose the 'Fruit toast with lemon curd'.

We placed our order and our coffees arrived promptly. The flavour was decent, a nice grind but the milk texture was a little watery and the temperature was a bit cooler than I'd like. I'm not one of those people that insists on HOT coffee but even I'd say the coffees were barely on the higher end of warm. Still, enjoyable overall. We finished our coffees early on in our visit and I would've like to have been asked if we wanted another coffee (we did!).

Our meals arrived after a fair wait, which was reasonable on a Saturday morning. All the meals were served at once. Thank you! Pretty sure my toddler thinks the world is going to end if his parents get their meals and he has to wait on his. So I'm always overjoyed when this crisis is averted.

My pancake was the thickest pancake I've ever encountered. I braced myself for something horrendously dense, or undercooked but I was very pleasantly surprised. It was crisp on the outside yet light and cake-like on the inside, the pistachio butter was simply beautiful, so much so I'm intent on making my own version in the near future. I devoured my meal with glee, the only thing I found I was wishing for was a bit of zing to the dish. The buttery, nutty, syrupy pancake felt quite 'heavy' by the end and I found myself longing for a bit of bitterness to cut the richness. The mild acidity in the ricotta wasn't enough. I'd suggest something like a touch of lime zest in the pancake batter would help lift the dish, but honestly it was one of the best pancakes I've been served in many months.

Ricotta pancake, maple syrup & pistachio butter ($13)

Keith's fruit pot was presented in a charming terracotta plant pot and brimmed with a wide variety of fresh fruit such as mango, raspberries, strawberries, rockmelon, pineapple and more. There was just enough yoghurt and the granola was chewy and flavoursome which added a welcome textural contrast.

Fruit pot, granola crumbs, buffalo yoghurt ($10)

Oscar's fruit toast was a pleasant surprise. He often gets one, occasionally two slices of thin fruit toast when we order out. At PLENTY he received three thick slices of fruit-laden toast and plenty of lemon curd to cover each piece. He wolfed down every bit and I'm pretty sure he would've taken the remaining lemon curd home had we let him.

Throughout the meal our water was refilled regularly and our empty cups and plates were cleared promptly. The staff were attentive without being overbearing. The serving sizes were generous and the prices were low compared to the surrounding competition (of which there is a lot). We left our plates empty but we were all full and content. On our way out we grabbed a couple of take away coffees for our trek back home and I'm sad to say these were rather bitter/burnt, very different to the coffees we'd had when we arrived.

During our visit we never felt rushed to free up our table, even though as time went on PLENTY was filling up rapidly. The atmosphere was casual, and comfortable. The decor is simple and sparse, which considering it's space constraints seems to be a wise choice. It's a kid friendly place and it was nice to see the staff happily chatting to the children dotted about. I will point out that it could be tricky to navigate PLENTY if you have a pram due to the narrow walkways so you'd be better off carrying bub, especially on the weekend when there's a steady flow of patronage.

Overall PLENTY is a welcome addition to the popular Chapel St cafe scene and is a solid option for an enjoyable and affordable breakfast. Quality produce and genuinely friendly service is certainly plentiful.