Pope Joan
| Where | 77-79 Nicholson St Brunswick East—View map |
Contact | 03 9388 8858 |
Website | www.popejoan.com.au |
Open | Breakfast Monday to Sunday 7:30am to 3:30pm (ish) |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard |
Diet | Soy |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Unwelcome |
East Brunswick's papal state
Ellie Parker 12 February 2011
This is what happens when Matt Wilkinson attacks a breakfast menu. The ex-Circa chef moved Northside in July last year to light a fire under the breakfast banner. And lo and behold, his corned beef bubble ‘n' squeak reputation has punters queuing out the door. Pope Joan is now a trail blazer. It raises the brekkie bar. And why wouldn't it?
First up, he's put kedgeree on the menu. We rarely see this eccentric smoked fish dish in Melbourne's cafes and it's a crying shame. Pope Joan's kedgeree of boiled egg, rice, smoked fishes and yoghurt is delicate and comforting - presumably exactly how the Scotts and British Raj intended it. Wilkinson's souffled nettle, sorrel and Meredith feta omelette is an ode to wild weeds and their beauty. The omelette is fabulously light, served in a baby paella pan on a little wooden board, with a bone handled knife.
Which brings us to Pope Joan's general approach. It marches to the beat of its own drum, yet some how co-owner Ben Foster and his team have ensured that the front of house, fit-out and detail are immaculately cohesive. Suburban Brunswick East concrete collides with AstroTurf and church pews. Kid-friendly crayons sit comfortably with single hot dudes on their WiFi. Raised vegetable beds mingle with organic cucumber vodka Bloody Marys. It is a mash up of both crowd and aesthetic, where worlds collide. And it works. Beautifully.
For Northsiders and fans of Wilkinson, this is a must. The menu covers all quarters, from an egg and bacon roll to the anchovy and black pudding salad. There is also a kids menu and oodles of room for little ones to run rampant. Oh, and there's alcohol. So what's not to like really?