Yo-Chi

So this is kind of like a mini post. Big enough to enjoy its own page yet small enough to show you some picczzz. During my day in Balaclava (see previous post), we decided to try out the newish fad in the area- Yo-Chi Frozen Yoghurt Bar.

Maybe I'm a late bloomer, but it seems like these self-serve frozen yoghurt bars are popping up left right and centre. I personally love them- picking and choosing what ever weird combinations till your hearts content. Only thing is I tend to get a bit carried away and the cup ends up costing me a fortune. Irregardless. It rocks.

Toppings to choose from

The offer stewed apple and also poached pears...

Choc hazelnut crunch sauce and sliced bananas in caramel sauce....wad da fuq

We opted for three flavours; chocolate, chai (amazing) and vanilla. We couldn't resist the bananas in caramel sauce, so that had to go in. We also threw on some white  chocolate + granola (winner).

I almost did a little wee when I found out a froyo place opened near my neck of the woods (well kind of). Frozey recently opened in Ringwood North and is exactly the same concept as Yo-Chi, but with more flavours and more toppings (Frozey has cheesecake as well as cookie dough flavour yoghurts....)

SO good on a warm day or a cheeky late night snack. Bit more exxy than your regular Bulla yogurt but hey, serving yourself is always a thrill.

Yo-Chi
292 Carlisle Street, Balaclava

Frozey
204-206 Warrandyte Road, North Ringwood

Las Chicas

The only time I ever venture over to Balaclava is for food. There is really no other reason for me to travel this far across town....unless I am rewarded for my efforts with a trip to somewhere like Las Chicas.

I have been to Las Chicas at least four times now, and every visit it manages to take me an unreasonable amount of time to choose my meal. There is just SO much on the menu. There's about three different flavoured porridges and french toast's, tons of bagel flavours, a whole section dedicated to vegetarian options and a big load of stuff for the meat lovers....(and thats ONLY the breakfast menu).
The lunch menu offers plenty of sandwich and salad options too.

Now, prior to this visit I had ordered the baked bean breaky- house baked pumpkin and polenta loaf topped with baked beans, spinach & a poached egg ($16.50). I was so tempted to order this again...it was pretty much my ideal breakfast. Las Chicas also offers half servings- so you can imagine how big the meals actually are. Heres a little sneak peak of what the baked bean breaky looks like...

Anyway, today I decided I felt like something eggy and went for the breakfast bruschetta- sourdough, folded eggs, spinach, basil pesto & pine nuts ($14). I couldn't believe the size of this whopper. The eggs were dreamy creamy and perfectly cooked- and also went so well with the rich pesto.

Breakfast bruschetta ($14)

My lovely gal pal ordered the breakfast burrito ($17). I suffered a little bit of food envy and died a little inside when her dish arrived. Creamy scrambled eggs, extra crispy bacon, aioli and rocket, wrapped in a soft tortilla bread & topped with avocado, tomato & coriander salsa. I would do bad, bad things to have this dish sitting in front of me right now. Luckily for me she isn't a fan of bacon, so piggy little me got to eat it all :)

Breakfast Burrito ($17)

Just a cheeky champagne for brunch. It would be rude not to.

I always make the mistake of eating too much and being too full to order from the sweet cabinet afterwards... 

This place is a steal. You absolutely get your pennies worth, and I can guarantee the breakfast feeds will keep you satisfied until the late arvo. If you cbf driving all the way here- the cafe is conveniently located underneath the Balaclava train station. You can be sure I'll be coming back and trying more of the 1000 options on the menu...

Las Chicas,
203 Carlisle Street, Balaclava

Cumulus Inc.

Cumulus Inc. has been one destination on my list of places to visit for some time now. I wasn't sure on whether to blog about a wining/dining dinner experience here, or avoiding the sleep in and snagging an early morning table for a breakfast bloggin'. A friend and I decided on the latter.

Inside you'll find a big industrial style room, complete with open kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work.

Breakfast fare ranged from your standard muesli to the full english breakfast. The menu was limited but we eventually decided what we wanted to munch on.

I opted for the baked eggs with roasted peppers and shanklish ($16). I had no idea what shanklish was whilst I was eating it, but did the old google search and apparently its a type of Lebanese cows or sheeps milk cheese. So there you go.

The dish came with two mini pieces of turkish bread- and this was the only criticism I could make. I don't know about anyone else but  I really need more than two little pieces of bread in order to mop up that eggy and tomatoey goodness. I felt like I had to ration the bread due to the stingy bread to egg ratio.

.......I have thought way to much into that.

Shakshouka- baked eggs with roasted peppers and shanklish ($16)

My friend isn't a fan of eggs, so decided to go with the toasted honey granola. There was SO much granola packed into that little bowl. It came with a pot a vanilla yoghurt with poached fruit too. Definitely one of those dishes that makes you feel healthier just by looking at it.

Toasted honey granola & poached fruit with vanilla yoghurt ($10)

At the counter were some delectable goodies, including a chocolate & sea salt brownie. ANY dish featuring salt (within reason) has my vote. I even put salt all over pizza... (theres absolutely no hope for my arteries). I believe the lemon curd madeleines are made to order (give 15 minutes), and are apparently a hit.

English breaky tea

A very popular fancy smansy place at any time of day. Next time I return it will be for a dinner feast. Complete with lots of salt.

Cumulus Inc.

45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne CBD