Chez Dre, South Melbourne by Bureaucrat

Ah, Chez Dre. One of the stalwarts in the Melbourne breakfast/brunch circuit.  It's known for its brunch stuff and its pastries.  I figured there'd never be the opportunity to see for myself what the hoopla is about given that I don't live near or tend to visit South Melbourne much nor am that enamoured with having eggs done my way to bother lining up for a table.

But it was the Lawyer's birthday and it called for a special meal.  With that in mind, we made plans to meet at Chez Dre on a Saturday morning to line up for a table.  The food had better be worth my time in lining up for an indeterminate period of time.  I know the reasons why places have a 'no booking' policy.  Frankly, I'd much rather pay a deposit to secure a table than to be told that I'd only have to wait "15 minutes or so", which in reality actually means a 30 minute wait, standing around like an idiot.  A question for our readers: has anyone ever turned up to a cafe with a 'no booking' policy, slipped the door b*tch/m'aitre d' a twenty and got a table immediately?

Anyhoo, congratulations if you've made it through my rant(!).  Once (finally) seated, we quickly placed our orders.


Mr Strong's smoked salmon and poached eggs on sourdough was delish.


The birthday boy got this pork dish.  It was an array of colours and textures and he thought it was absolutely scrumptious.  It had thick slices of slow-cooked pork, which was topped with crispy pancetta, kale and was served on a bed of pumpkin puree, sourdough and poached egg.  He licked the plate clean.


I had the smoked fish brandade served with poached eggs, sourdough and capsicum sauce.  I loved the smokey fish.


Mother Hen ordered the croque madame and asked for the fried egg to be served fully cooked.  She enjoyed the quality ham, bechamel sauce and the crispy pan fried bread.


For drinks, we got some pots of chair...


...latte...


...and herbal tea.





Verdict: we loved it

Overall
Okay, the quality is second to none and I begrudgingly acknowledge that the food here is worth lining up for.  I can see what the fuss is about Chez Dre.

Service was a bit flakey.  At times we weren't sure if our waiter had understood our order.  All the food came out promptly but we had to follow up on the tea three times before it came out.

See also Big Fil's review back in 2013.