Two Little Pigs, Brunswick by Big Fil

You have to love a place that is willing to try something a little different, to go out on a bit of a limb.  Two Little Pigs breakfast menu certainly does that, and while a couple of things didn’t quite hit the bulls eye, it prompted some happy little squeals of delight from both Snooze and I.


Long and lean on the inside with a pleasant garden area out the back, Two Little Pigs definitely has that Melbourne Hipster vibe to it.


The tables are basic, the chairs fashionably uncomfortable (metal on a cold day) and the semi-mandatory communal table sits just behind the front window.

Even early on a Saturday most of the inside tables were full, the staff friendly and we were left open mouthed at some of the delicious looking breakfasts coming out of the kitchen.

The most unusual thing about the food here is that it is so meat focused, it’s definitely light on for options for the vegetarian inclined.  Snooze chose the Bubble and Squeak, chickpea fritters with braised beef, caramelised onion, truffle oil and corn kernels.  I suspect it was partially a nostalgia thing for Bubble and Squeak, and partly they had her at chickpeas.  Compared to the usual assortment of garden produce you find in this dish the flavour was quite savoury, complements of the beef and in particular the chickpeas.  By themselves I thought the fritters were a little plain but were very nicely complemented by the accompanying chutney.


The main reason I wanted to visit here was the Peas and Ham, crisp roasted pork belly, poached free range eggs, green pea veloute and sour dough toast.  Very colourful when delivered to the table, and something I really enjoyed.  Not because it was perfect, the skin of the pork belly being slightly chewy rather than crispy.  But the flavour of the pork was wonderful, well balanced between the meat and the fat, and extremely tender.  The green pea veloute soaked into the bread was delicious, although you had to be careful not to soak up too much or else it would go soggy.


For breakfast dessert we ordered the Hot Jam Dough Cakes, served with cinnamon sugar and caramelised bacon ice cream.  Snooze and I had a really mixed take on these.  She did not like these at all.  The main reason is that she didn’t like the texture of the dough cakes, finding them far too doughy and heavy. 

On the other hand I liked them a lot.  With two dough cakes in a serve it’s possible that the difference was in the cakes, but I suspect more likely it was just a matter of individual taste.  The jam was good but used with restraint, Snooze seemed to get most of the bacon/ice cream and found it interesting.  For me the sugar could have used more cinnamon, but then again for me there is no such thing as too much cinnamon in a dish.

Overall
Quality is good and I’m always willing to tip my hat to anyone who is willing to try something different.  Service from out hipster friends was warm and friendly, although it was a little chilly sitting on our cold metal chairs.  While we may have come across a few places recently where we thought the food was marginally better (and it is only marginal), this is the place that I enjoyed the food the most.

Verdict
Food – 8.5
Ambience – 7 (get those heaters working please)
Service – 8
Price – 7.5