Breakfast at Colenso, Woodend

For my birthday I met up with my parents, two sisters and niece and nephew for brunch at one of my favourite local cafes, Colenso. Colenso is located in Woodend, a lovely country town, in a building that used to be a bakehouse. It's a great little cafe that serve up a great coffee and lovely food in a very warm and welcoming atmosphere. You can see lots of local artwork adorning the wall, and there's an old fireplace which looks very effective.

My parents and I arrived first and we chose a big table inside as there was a very fresh breeze outside. There is seating outside, and I love to sit out there when the weather is warm. 

My sisters soon turned up, with my 2 year old nephew holding a bunch of roses that he'd helped his Mum pick from their garden. It was so cute to watch him walking up the path trying to keep hold of this bunch of flowers.

Skinny Latte $3.50. 

Colenso always serves up a great tasting coffee and this one didn't disappoint. It was very smooth and not too strong. There was a touch of sweetness to the latte, but not overwhelmingly so. 

'Benny' (Eggs Benedict) $15 with a side of avocado $3 and mushrooms $3.

I decided that since it was my birthday I'd order my favourite breakfast meal of eggs Benedict. I was really happy with what I received. The hollandaise sauce was really lovely. It was thick and creamy with a perfect touch of tang to it. The eggs were just how I liked them, nice and runny and full of flavour and the ham was fresh and thick. It was all served up on thick sourdough toast. I was also glad with my choices for sides. The mushrooms had been cooked with rosemary which added a beautifully subtle flavour to them and the avocado made for a perfect combination when mixed with the eggs and hollandaise. If you haven't had Eggs Benedict with avocado before then you really must try it. It's delicious! 

One of my sisters also had the Eggs Benedict and ordered a side of mushrooms. I think the waitress forgot about this side of mushrooms, but they came out straight away once we'd reminded her on this cute little leaf shaped plate.

Pancakes with maple syrup, caramelized banana and yoghurt $12

My other sister ordered the pancake dish which looked lovely. She said that they were really nice, although different from how their pancakes used to be. I'm not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, but I have a feeling their pancakes used to be a lot bigger . 

French Toast with maple syrup, caramelized banana and yoghurt $12

My Mum ordered the French Toast which she said was delicious. This seemed to be a better serve size than the pancakes. My mum particularly liked the combination of the sweet maple syrup with the more savoury tasting yoghurt. My sister had a taste of these too, and said they were lovely and sweet. 

It shows how good a coffee is when most of the people at your table order a second one. I liked the design on the top of the coffee, hence the photo from above. This latte was just as good as the first one. 

Colenso
Cnr Old Bakery Lane and Anslow St
Woodend,
Victoria
Phone: 03 5427 2007
http://www.colenso.com.au