Issus, Melbourne CBD by Bureaucrat

Regular readers will know that when it comes to reviewing breakfast menus that that's in the domain of Big Fil and Snooze.  I much rather start my weekends with a long sleep-in before stumbling out of bed for lunch.

However, one such weekend the Lawyer and I found ourselves in the city by 10am.  Strolling around the city, I wanted to have breakfast in a lane way.  It's rare that I'm awake early enough for breakfast so I wanted it to be a real Melbourne experience by having brekky in a lane way.  

Issus is located in Centre Place.  It was already bustling with lots of people (almost full capacity) tucking into big plates of yummy food, cups of coffee and, for those who had a big night out, lots of freshly squeezed juices to atone for the night before.  It was squishy and there was lively buzz in the air.  A friendly waiter found us a table.

Although I knew what I wanted (it was one of the specials that was listed on the blackboards), I was really tempted to order from the standard breakfast dishes on the menu.  For drinkies, the Lawyer got the Italian hot chocolate which he loved.  Thick and chocolatey and not too sugary.  I got a pot of chai-in-a-teabag.  While pretty to look at, it ain't real chai.  For me, chai has to be brewed with rice milk (or, at the very least, soy milk).

Fortunately the food was fantab.  My special was indeed special: pan fried chorizo, crispy potatoes, fresh mint, fried eggs w tomato relish.  Everything about this was scrumptious.  The spicy, smoky chorizo (with excess oil blotted), the incredibly tender potatoes with perfectly crispy outer, the runny fried eggs that gave the dish a lovely gooeyness to it and the chunky tomato relish gave a strong kick of sweetly savoury flavour to everything.  The only quibble is the missing fresh mint.  It said fresh mint on the menu but none was there - instead, dried powdered mint seem to have replaced it.  I can't say the dried mint added to, or detracted from, the dish.  I practically licked the plate clean.  

While I licked my plate clean, the Lawyer had finger licking goodness for his dish.  A pulled pork bun w spicy guacamole, bbq sauce served with chunky chips and chipotle mayo.  A fairly reasonable amount of very tender pork and thick schmeer of guac and squirt of bbq sauce.  Initially, the Lawyer thought the burger was a bit small but it turned out to be a good size and hit the spot.  The smokey flavours went down a treat, especially with the chunky chips which were served in a cute deep fryer basket.

Overall

Okay, so we didn't exactly order typical breakfast items but it was definitely one of the better breakfasts/brunchy meals that we've ever had.  My only recommendation is that they serve some proper chai.  Service was friendly and prompt and we love the vibe of just being in a lane way on a sunny weekend morning.

Verdict

Food - 8

Ambiance - 7

Service - 7.5

Price – 7.5

Address

Issus

8-10 Centre Place 

Melbourne 3000

Telephone: 9663 8844