Cafe No 12
| Where | 12 Commercial Rd, Prahran, VIC 3181—View map |
Contact | 03 9529 1744 |
Website | — |
Open | — |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Diners, AMEX, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
The corner store does eggs
Francesca Fogarty 30 August 2008
Café no 12 is relaxed. So relaxed that it feels like home. Dining in the cosy backroom is breakfast in front of the fire. It's warm, it's good. In summer, the courtyard out the back is the place to be. Picnic tables are artfully paced. It's cool - both in the literal and metaphorical sense, and it's quiet.
Café no 12 is a refreshing respite from the hustle and bustle of nearby Chapel Street. It's a local for many, a place which serves what they want (one friend of mine exclusively orders his own meal, fried eggs, spinach, bacon and mushrooms on toast. It's not on the menu, but they make it for him, and not surprisingly, in his words, it's just what he wants).
There's a bean goulash, a warm, wholesome yet surprisingly light meal with a hint of heat and dotted with pieces of melting ham hock (optional). It's the type of meal that could be breakfast or dinner . It hits the spot.
One of the giggling girties I was brunching with ordered the Eggs Benedict. It was a perfect example of what Eggs Benedict should be. Poached eggs (now its worth noting at this point that the egg yolk was so orange, and so sweet, it was almost impossible - magical chickens I say - must eat carrots and pumpkin constantly), a tart, creamy hollandaise and sweet and smoky ham which didn't over power. The bread was thick and tasty and the presentation was stunning.
Another lady ordered green peas with basil pesto and ham hock. This was served in a glass, with the poached eggs delicately balanced on top. It was the bacon and eggs version of a trifle. Stunning. It looked too good to eat, but I'm glad we did. The peas were mushy and sweet, subtly complemented by the pesto and diversified by the eggs. Again, another meal that could almost be on the dinner table on a cold winter's night.
There was a soy porridge topped with shredded apple, visually interesting (come on, porridge? Hard to make that stuff fly visually) and tasted good too.
The coffee is Lavazza. Emma and Tom's juice provided a pick me up and there were a number of sweet goodies to tempt after the initial burst of self gratification on a Saturday morning. The icing on the carrot cake was a fountain of yellow lusciousness, the type of thing you'd ski on.
Kids are welcome, so too are laptops and newspapers (in fact they sell the later), and it's the type of place that probably wouldn't blush at pajama's. Café no 12 isn't trying too hard to be anything much, except somewhere to eat good food and relax into the weekend. And that's what I call brunch.