Purple Piece Ii

September 9, 2012

06/11/2012: We're distressing to study that Purple Patch has right away closed.

Recently our friend Clamps joined the Purple Patch kitchen! We stopped yesteryear for Lord's Day brunch to cheque out his skillz.

There's right away a dedicated weekend breakfast bill of fare amongst lots of things on toast summation a vegan pancake plate. Never equally good shy to fry, Clamps whippd upwardly an off-menu plate for each of us (and I intend nosotros paid $16.50 apiece) - mine featured multi-grain toast smothered inward scrambled tofu, deep-fried potato, veg sausages, corn fritters, ho-hum roasted tomatoes, port-marinated mushrooms together with love apple tree relish. (Potatoes excepted, all these items are listed inward dishes on the bill of fare going for the same price.) While the scramble was a trivial dry, this was a triumph inward vegan fry-ups. Most notably, they've actually worked on the taste since our outset visit; this i had a deep colouring together with season together with brought out the best inward the sausages.

The Purple Patch display cabinet rotates its offerings regularly - if you're lucky plenty to come upwardly yesteryear their sweetness together with sour tofu, I'd highly recommend it! And their vegan passionfruit yoyos ($3) are stunners, I refused to exit without 2 for the road.

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You tin give the sack read well-nigh our outset catch to Purple Patch here. Since together with hence Mel from also stopped by.

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Purple Patch
nineteen Bay Road, Sandringham
9598 2378
weekend breakfast  $6.50-16.50

Accessibility: The door looks to cause got a pocket-sized lip on it. Inside there's a broad passage together with and hence large, somewhat crowded tables. Ordering takes house at the table, amongst payment at a low-ish counter. The bath is unisex together with a trivial on the crowded side.

Brother Alec

October 28, 2012

The cafe civilisation of the inner northward is expanding at rates in addition to distances that nosotros can't continue upwards with! Still, nosotros view what nosotros tin in addition to Brother Alec has the wages of beingness located virtually the Thornbury Theatre (where nosotros oftentimes larn for Women of Letters).

Eggy all-day breakfasts direct maintain prime number set on their menu, but there's besides muesli in addition to porridge, toast (including gluten-free alongside a surcharge), soup, dahl, nachos in addition to rolls. As good equally build-your-own fry-ups, those eggs batter French toast, larn stuffed into rolls in addition to breakfast burritos, or sit down atop a bed of mushrooms, artichoke in addition to spinach. Vegan in addition to gluten-free options aren't obvious, but I consider it would hold upwards worth bespeak the friendly staff for advice.

In an unexpected move, I tried the breakfast ringlet ($12.50) - Turkish staff of life layered alongside Lycopersicon esculentum relish, a sparse omelette, a terrifyingly thick wodge of spinach in addition to a smear of house-made mayo. It's an first-class combination of flavours, tipped slightly off residue yesteryear the depression ratio of egg to spinach that they served up.

Michael's huevos rancheros ($16.50) was to a greater extent than huevos burrito, a big tortilla stuffed alongside dark edible bean chilli in addition to scrambled eggs therefore topped alongside grilled cheese, fresh salsa in addition to sour cream. Though he would've liked around hot sauce, Michael spoke highly of this hearty dish.

We establish fourth dimension for a java in addition to a yo-yo ($3.50) - this is a lovely, buttery rendition of the biscuit without quite reaching the heights of Purple Patch's passionfruit-spiked vegan glory. Still, it's located at to the lowest degree 15km closer to our house. (It's high fourth dimension I worked how to conjure them from my ain oven v metres away, isn't it?)

Brother Alec is a cute in addition to unassuming improver to High St alongside cheery staff, a twain of nods towards accessibility in addition to around overnice variations on the park egg-and-bread breakfast.

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Brother Alec has been received positively yesteryear Little Miss Soy Latte in addition to Do You Want To Stay For Breakfast?, in addition to alongside ambivalence from juganaut's foodie thoughts.

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Brother Alec
719 High St, Thornbury
9416 9428
veg dishes $6-16.50
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Accessibility: Brother Alec has a short-and-shallow ramped entry in addition to moderately spaced tables. We ordered at our tabular array in addition to paid at a low-ish counter. The toilets are unisex; there's ramp access but the corridor in addition to cubicle are a footling narrow.

Purple Patch

April 1, 2012

06/11/2012: We're misfortunate to study that Purple Patch has similar a shot closed.

The distribution of eatery reviews on our weblog reflects the fairly express focus of our Melbourne explorations - nosotros to a greater extent than ofttimes than non swallow inwards the triangle of Melbourne that has points inwards the CBD, Brunswick in addition to Northcote, amongst only the occasional foray farther afield. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fairly vacant Lord's Day gave us the chance to become ane of those forays, in addition to when Troy in addition to Clamps suggested riding out to Sandringham to cheque out a novel veg cafe, I was sold.

Monk Bodhi Dharma java beans in addition to produced a serial of first-class (and excellent-looking) coffees spell the 3 bike-riders awaited Cindy's arrival on the train. We also snuck inwards to a greater extent than or less of the chunky chips amongst rosemary lime in addition to bask ($7).

The chips were nifty - thick wedges of beautifully cooked spud, amongst subtle hints of lime in addition to rosemary. On the other hand, the bask was pretty drab - it seemed similar a bowl of mashed upward raw love apple tree without a lot else going on. Luckily the chips could stand upward alone.

When Cindy arrived nosotros got stuck into the card proper: there's a broad attain of breakfast options, addition $12 lunches, amongst a rotating shape of dishes (e.g. mushroom stroganoff, white edible bean in addition to rocket medley, dahl, moussaka, etc). Almost everything is either vegan or vegan-adaptable. I had the breakfast special - a big vegan fry-up ($16.50) which included a massive hash-brown, mushrooms, avocado, caramelised onion, love apple tree in addition to toast.

This was a pretty perfect post-ride tiffin - the mushrooms a detail stand-out cheers to the creamy vegan sauce they were fried in. The avo also was spot on - ripe in addition to fresh in addition to lemony without beingness overpowered past times citrus. The only downside was the lack of poly peptide - I desire veggie sausages or something inwards a pocket-size up, although to endure fair I would stimulate got struggled to jibe them in. $16.50 was a flake expensive but it was a big plate of nutrient - I've paid to a greater extent than for less.

Cindy ordered ane of the vegan pies ($6), which was filled amongst a satay vegetable mix. The vegan pastry was first-class in addition to the filling was okay, though Cindy wanted a flake to a greater extent than oomph inwards the satay.

We spent most of our tiffin eyeing off the sweets cabinet and, afterward a brief pause, nosotros dived inwards to attempt it out. I took on ane of the vegan chocolate cakes ($6), which was a dense, moist delight. Cindy went for a yo-yo ($3) which was to a greater extent than or less other success even out - especially cheers to the tangy whipped passionfruit icing inwards betwixt the bikkies (we're non certain if these were vegan - they were nigh the only unlabelled affair inwards the whole place).

Purple Patch ticks a lot of boxes: nifty coffee, friendly staff, a wide-ranging vegan-friendly menu, delicious sweets in addition to a laid-back atmosphere. The nutrient nosotros had was to a greater extent than ofttimes than non great, amongst only a few disappointments (the reliance on the raw love apple tree bask across most of our dishes was especially odd). There's a lot to a greater extent than to attempt on the menu, although it may endure a spell earlier my trunk is upward to to a greater extent than or less other 50km ride (Purple Patch is nigh 150 metres from the prepare station for to a greater extent than sensible people). It powerfulness endure a spell earlier nosotros instruct back, in addition to hence we'd beloved to withdraw heed updates from anyone else who visits!

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Purple Patch
nineteen Bay Road, Sandringham
9598 2378
veg dishes $6.5 - $16.50

Accessibility: The door looks to stimulate got a little lip on it (see top picture) in addition to there's a fairly spacious interior. Ordering takes house at the table, amongst payment at a low-ish counter. The bath is unisex in addition to a picayune on the crowded side.