Weekend brunching has to be my favourite thing to do on the weekend next to sleep (and maybe shopping!). So it brings me great delight to just find a fellow brekkie buddy and drag them around the streets of Melbourne in search of the next best meal.
Having done a Q&A with founder and artisan baker Brenton Lang of Rustica Sourdough earlier in the month, I didn’t have the opportunity to sit down and try something from the beautifully curated menu at Rustica. So when my Couturing food partner in crime, Lisa, suggested we catch up, I took the opportunity to head back to Rustica to try out the menu.
More than just a bakery, Rustica Sourdough is a cafe that has been carefully fitted out so that it’s modern and minimalist. It’s bright and even on the street it attracts your eye because of it’s shop front (Brunswick street can be a bit drab so you can’t miss Rustica).
The only problem we had with our visit, was deciding what to eat! Half of me was eyeing off the pastries in the glass counter opposite our table and half of me wanted at least a savoury and a sweet item from the breakfast menu. After much consideration, I settled on the Grandmother ham, heirloom tomatoes, avocado crush, merideth feta and sweet basil on sourdough. A perfect choice for me as it wasn’t too heavy and the freshness of the tomatoes worked with the avocado and the feta. The ham gave it an extra twist of saltiness.
My eating partner chose a beautifully fresh salad of cooked greens (broccolini, green beans, kale and snow peas) with grilled halloumi on sourdough with an avocado and pesto smash. It was flavoursome and the poached egg just provided a bit of a hint of naughtiness to the fresh and healthy dish.
The menu is extensive with a variety of different sweet and savoury dishes, all that are healthy and nutritious. If you’re looking for something just a bit naughty, you can pick up something on the way out as you past the glass cabinet with the pastries. I have a very sweet spot for almond croissants and picked up one on the way out. Suffice to say, afternoon tea was pretty good, in fact one of the best almond croissants I’ve had as of late. Not too much filling and just the right amount of sweet buttery goodness in the pastry.
So to try something new for brunch, head to Rustica Sourdough at 402 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy VIC 3065.
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