Ici

Ici
359 Napier Street, Fitzroy, VIC


This tiny cafe is not on the main strip of Fitzroy hence most of the regulars are either locals or people who are specific about what they eat - Ici places an emphasis on the use of organic, free-range and chemical-free products, and provides vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals.

The interior is decidedly old European, but with Asian décor. East meets west again in the impressive offering of tea varieties, ranging from English classics and chai to brewed Dandelion, smoky Lapsang Souchong, and a selection of Japanese greens.

A chalkboard guides you through a small selection of unique breakfast options. Apparently it's famous for the French toast with mixed berries and cinnamon mascarpone ($15.50).

We decided to have the Ici omelette with hot salami, grana padano cheese, spring onions & tomato chilli jam ($15.50) as the other options e.g. Free range eggs with bacon ($9.50), Asian prawns with scrambled eggs, spring onions, tamari & sesame seeds ($14.50) didn't appeal to me. There was hardly any salami and the jam had a distinct Indian flavour to it that I didn't appreciate.
I couldn't resist the gigantic banana dark chocolate muffins on offer. The top was great as expected. The inside was better than expected as chocolate buttons were scattered throughout, not just at the top.