Mr Brightside, Caulfield South by Big Fil

Mr Brightside is a newish addition to the pantheon of great Melbourne cafes.




Located next to a park on the quiet boundary between Glen Huntly and Caulfield, only locals are likely to find it by accident but it’s well worth the trip to check it out.


First of all, it’s very light with large glass windows and a cute modern fit out. Popularity with the locals means that it does feel a little cramped but if you don’t like the noise and bustle there are always the seats outside across the road from the park.


Staff are friendly and obviously trying very hard although a couple did appear to be a bit inexperienced so that service did not go as smoothly as it might of.


What held it all together though was a guy who I assume was the manager, someone who obviously knew exactly what they were doing and managed to keep the ship afloat even when several tables were looking to place their orders at the same time.

The menu itself is interesting, with a couple of items from the regular menu we would have tried except for the intriguing list of daily specials. After taking our time I eventually settled on the stuffed pig, with purple potato bake, crème fraiche and poached egg. This looked very pretty on the plate, the potato was firm but tender (although a little lacking in flavour). The stuffed pigs (ear?) looked nothing like what we were expecting but was rich and full of flavour. And as goes without saying at a good Melbourne cafe my egg was perfectly poached so as when pierced revealed its liquid golden goodness.



Snooze also ordered from the specials menu, the baked beans and cheese jaffle, served with brisket, yoghurt, stuffed zucchini flowers and guacamole. Again a very pretty dish on the plate, the jaffle is much more delicate than you’d expect, the bread almost paper thin, and the zucchini flowers were nicely crispy fried. However given just how rich the dish was, and in particular the zucchini flowers, this is a good thing with Snooze struggling to finish it as it was.



By this stage we just had enough room for breakfast desserts. The range at the front counter is good if not necessarily the best around town and I eventually settled on a good looking strawberry tart. Good flavours and custard but could have used just a little more strawberry pieces and little less jelly.



Overall
Just a great local cafe trying to do something a little adventurous with its menu and generally succeeding. The lunch menu looked every bit as interesting as the breakfast menu, and the salads at the front counter looked deliciously fresh. Can’t believe this place is less than 10 minutes walk from me and it’s taken this long to try it out!

Verdict
Food – 8.5
Service – 7.5
Ambience – 7.5
Price – 7

Address
189A Booran Rd
Caulfield South 3126
Telephone: 9576 9588