Charlotte's Corner

A cute little understated suburban cafe on the corner of Charlotte Street was to be the location of mine and M's long overdue breakfast date (we started planning this while I was still in Shanghai and have tried to organise it all throughout this semester).
I arrived shortly after M, who had already studied the menu and decided on the two dishes we were to split between us.
The flannel-clad staff were laid back and friendly when taking our orders, and luckily for me, I didn't have to wait too long before I received my much needed extra hot soy cappucino.

Finally, some coffee art! This was the moment I realised I was going to enjoy my meal very much. Even if it wasn't as intricately detailed as some of the more skilled coffee artists out there, I appreciated the attempt, it made for a gorgeous chocolate sprinkled frothy texture and a pretty picture!

M, not being much of a coffee drinker, decided to start her day off instead with refreshing, nutrient-ruch juice made from carrot, celery, and apple.

 

I'll be honest, I did not expect to receive such artfully presented dishes. I loved the way the dukkah dotted our poached eggs, and even the butter, which had been cut up into neat little triangles just for us.
The problem with ordering two dishes to share was that one is always going to go cold - I made the rational decision that my egg would taste better warm and went for that first.
As with all my poached egg breakfast orders, I like the test the egg yolk out but splitting it down the middle and letting the yolk ooze out.
Fresh avocado and warm, golden yolk go together like cookies and cream - add a squeeze of lemon, parsely, and some zesty dukkah atop a crunchy piece of sourdough toast and you've got yourself a match made in heaven! I was most surprised by how large the egg actually was, especially compared to the one I had at Merchant's Guild only a few days before.

The Apricot and Date Loaf, as a sort of side to our main poached egg dish, was generously thick and packed with notes of sweet, toasted apricot and date. We made sure to butter our slices while they were still warm so it would melt into the bread and accompany each bite with a slippery smooth richness!

With it's super chill vibe, unexpectedly superb coffee and food (and presentation), and it's ideal location halfway between mine and M's houses, you can bet that this will be just the first of many visits!

Charlotte's Corner
106 Canterbury Rd
Blackburn South, VIC 3130