The Carlton Paragon Cafe

The Carlton Paragon Cafe
651 Rathdowne Street, Carlton North, VIC
Coffico coffee


It sits on the corner of Rathdowne and Newry Streets, with low hanging lights and a European-feel bistro layout. Despite the drab weather, the place was half filled with young families and couples.

Breakfast is served until noon with all the usual favourites offered. We had the Spicy Sucuk (Turkish sausage), capsicum, tomato, onion & cheese omelette ($13.50) which was huge but unfortunately rubbery on the outside and full of a Dukkah-like spice I didn't appreciate. Not to mention the ingredients were not chopped up refinely. The Eggs Benedict ($13.50) had a really sour Hollandaise and while the eggs were perfectly poached, the mound of spinach (it seemed as if it didn’t matter if we ordered Benedict or Florentine) which wasn't very tasty put us off. The side of hash brown we ordered was the best part of the meal, and I'm pretty sure it was the same one you can buy frozen at the supermarket. Oh, the wholemeal toast in the omelette was pretty good too. So basically, the only things worth eating there are the toast and hash browns. Quantity not quality... There's heartier dishes for lunch/dinner like the BBQ marinated eggplant, roasted capsicum, basil pesto & tasty cheese focaccia ($9.90); the Paragon risotto with braised chicken, spring onions, semi sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, or the Paragon gnocchi with prosciutto, tomato, and sage butter sauce, finished with French style brie. I'm pretty sure they would be better than the breakfast...