Eden’s Backyard
161-163 Nicholson Street, Carlton
03 9663 8887
Cafe
$$
Food
- Pandan Wonut
- Pancake Stack
- Breakfast Lasagna
- Magic
The Good
The Breakfast Lasagna was served steaming hot and proved to be rather delicious. Sandwiched between the pasta sheets were an abundance of minced chicken and spinach mixed with a rich and flavourful tomato-based sauce. The ingredients within were fresh and flavourful, complemented by the delicious sauce that had a good balance of sweetness and sourness from the tomatoes. Let's not kid ourselves though, as the only thing breakfast-y about this Lasagna was the sunny fries egg on top, which could've been a tad more runny. Otherwise, this as a fill fledged lunch or dinner dish and makes for the perfect hangover cure.
The Pandan Wonut was an interesting and definitely unique invention by this cafe. So how exactly does one combine a donut and a waffle? Well Eden's Backyard decided to base this on a donut and borrowed inspiration from waffles, with just the top layer exhibiting the grid-like pattern. All else resembled a traditional donut, which had a sweet spongy inner enclosed by a sugar dusted and slightly crunchy outer skin. The pandan sauce and glazing was aromatic and bold in flavour which contrasted the crunchy almond flakes. Quite enjoyable overall.
The Mediocre
The Pancake Stack looked absolutely sensational and was one of the best presented pancake dishes I've ever encountered. Unfortunately the taste didn't quite match the looks. While the yoghurt, along with the fresh berries went extremely well with the pancakes which resulted in a very pleasant top layer, the rest were rather lackluster. The pancakes overall felt overtly airy and light, bearing close resemblance to a sponge cake rather than pancakes. The Matcha ice cream, while plentiful, lacked any real flavour and contained bits of ice within, which made the lower pancakes in the stack increasingly bland.
It was also a really long wait before they managed to serve up the coffee. In fact, the wonut was served a good five minutes before the Magic arrived. Lateness aside, the coffee was unremarkable at best, and it honestly tasted rather weak, and lacked a pleasant aftertaste, given that there SHOULD be a double ristretto hidden in there. Somewhere.
The Bad
The service left much to be desired. Long wait between getting menus, water and placing orders. Additionally, each and every dish (and drink) came out at different times. Obtaining an invoice for payment also proved to be a rather difficult endeavour for these guys as well. What a mess.
The Verdict
Overall a half decent brunch place, if you can stand the disjointed and unorganized service.
The food served here was definitely interesting and had their unique twist and qualities. However execution of said dishes is yet to be perfected.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
I'd be back for more of those wonuts for sure, and maybe that lasagne when I feel like a full meal in the morning.