Breakfast at Emporium on Piper, Kyneton

After staying at my sister, A's, house over the weekend, we decided to head into Kyneton for breakfast. It was a toss up between a couple of cafes but in the end we chose Emporium on Piper - a place that we've both been a few times and really enjoyed. It's a little bit seperate from the main strip of shops on Piper St - and I probably wouldn't have found it unless my sister had originally told me about it. The photo (above) shows the entrance to the cafe, but around to the left there's another entrance (actually on Piper St) which takes you past some outdoor tables and in to the shop side of the Emporium. That's definitely worth checking out as well, as they have lots of great looking products. But for now we'll stick to the cafe and breakfast!

One thing I always know when I go to Emporium on Piper is that I'll get a great coffee. It's consistantly good - I'm not sure what brand they use but they should definitely stick with it. We both ended up having two of these - skinny for me and normal for A.

I love having eggs for breakfast - especially poached (it makes me feel like I'm being just that little bit more healthy) but when I spotted this dish of sauteed mushrooms and thyme on grilled sourdough with goat cheese I couldn't resist. And the waiter kindly allowed me to have a couple of poached eggs on the side. I wasn't wrong - the combination was amazing.

A decided to have the BLT with local bacon, lettuce, slow roasted tomato and avocado mayo. She was torn between this and the corn fritters, but saw on FourSquare that someone had proclaimed this the best BLT. And they weren't wrong, apparently - A said this was one of the best BLT's she's ever had - although it looked a little messy.

Around the cafe they had all these different products that you could buy - going from hot chocolate to cold drinks to jars of sauces and chutneys. Behind us though, these boxes and bottles of cake decorating things caught my eye (surprise surprise!). I just wanted to buy all of them.

Excuse the blurriness in this photo. I thought I'd still include it to show you the range of products they had.

These were my favourites - I wanted to buy a tube of each colour, but couldn't really afford to at that price. I might have to save my pennies and buy myself a tube or two in the future.

Details:
Emporium on Piper
89 Piper St,
Kyneton
Victoria 3444
Ph. (03) 54226611

Breakfast at Little Swallow, Piper Street, Kyneton

I don't know if I've mentioned this before but I'm a Library Technician at a High School. One of the perks about working in a school means that I get basically the same holidays as the staff and students. Which means that I recently had two and a half weeks off for the Easter holidays. One day I decided to take my Mum out for breakfast and a wander around the shops in Piper St, a popular road in Kyneton which is now full of beautiful cafes and eateries, as well as interesting shops. I actually used to go to High School in Kyneton (I graduated there in 1997) and remember always thinking Kyneton was the most boring place and not very classy. Little did I know that when I 'grew up' a little, I'd be choosing to go there for day trips and meals, and that it would turn into a, mostly, very classy and popular town.

We got a recommendation for Little Swallow from my sister, who lives in the area and weren't disappointed. It was very busy when we first got there - we had to sit on stools in the window, but a couple of people soon left so we had a little table to ourselves. We both started off with lattes - a must for a cold morning.

Skinny Latte - $3.50

I really liked the coffee here. Little Swallow uses Romcaffe brand coffee. It had a beautiful flavour, and not too creamy which is a good thing for me. I ended up having a couple of them.

Pikelets with banana, date and walnut compote and mascarpone $12.50

My Mum absolutely loved her Pikelets. She said that the pikelets were beautiful and soft, while the apple had a slight tart taste, while at the same time being sweet. It definitely got rave reviews from her, and she was left feeling full but still wanting more. Surely a sign of a good meal.

Mushrooms, spinach and goats cheese on toast with roasted hazelnuts $13.50

I felt like ordering something different and this combination, especially with the mushrooms and goats cheese really took my fancy. I really enjoyed it too, the cheese was beautiful and creamy, the spinach crisp, the mushrooms had a beautiful flavour and the hazelnuts added a nice crunch to the dish. Plus it was really filling without being too much.

Details:

Little Swallow Cafe

58a Piper St

Kyneton, 3444

Ph. 0454226241

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