Hard Pressed
76 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne
03 9417 4441
Cafe
$
Food
- Flat White
- Chocolate & Almond Muffin
- Hard Pressed Eggs Benedict
- Pressed Breakfast
The Good
The Flat White was just excellent. The elegant latte art made way for a very smooth and creamy cup of coffee. The flavour was bold and strong, offering fantastic depth and a beautiful aroma. A great start to our breakfast.
The Hard Pressed Eggs Benedict certainly impressed. Sitting underneath the two poached eggs, were the highlight of the dish, the pulled pork. So beautifully tender and juicy, we found the pork flavour forward and bold, well accompanied by just a hint of sweetness thanks to the orange used within the slow cooking process. This was of course accompanied by the beautiful apple hollandaise, which was coupled with some delicious dukkah spices scattered throughout. Soaking it all up was a thick and rather hefty slice of sourdough, acting as the perfect sponge to mop up all the delicious juices and sauces all over.
The Pressed Breakfast was a sight to behold. The giant platter was loaded with the usual suspects. With two sunny fried eggs blanketing a thick piece of toast, alongside sat sautéed mushrooms, grilled chorizo, plenty of bacon, avocado and of course hash brown. the sauteed mushrooms were just delicious, providing an amazing umami flavour coupled with juicy and tender yet meaty sensation. Meanwhile, the generous helping of crisp, caramelised bacon and slightly spicy chorizo made the breakfast a rather hearty one.
The Mediocre
The only gripe we had at our breakfast was the Chocolate and Almond Muffin. Despite it’s gorgeous appearance, the muffin was unfortunately too dense for our liking, lacking in the fluffy, spongy quality we were looking for. Fortunately, the chocolate was well behaved in sweetness and was a great companion to our coffee.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Verdict
Excellent coffee and delicious breakfast staples like the Eggs Benny and Big Breakfast characterise the simple, honest cafe like Hard Pressed.
Unpretentious food, generous portions coupled with great execution, its surely a recipe for success!
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Definitely.
Penguineats would like to thank owner Rob for inviting us to Hard Pressed.