Cumulus Inc

Cumulus Inc
45 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC
Single Origin Organic coffee
Best Poached Egg


We went to Andrew McConnell's (of Circa and Three One Two) baby with high expectations. It's reputation does precede it. Close to the Spring Street end of Flinders Lane, the "Eating House and Bar" is a big, open, informal, architectural loft with a white-and-black paint job. But the open kitchen and busy bar staff give Cumulus a warmth many of its minimalist peers lack.

With no bookings for groups under 8, we were pleasantly surprised when we scored 2 seats at the bar immediately. Unfortunately it wasn't the eating bar but the drinking bar so we couldn't watch the chefs busy at work.

The coffee was not the best but the Hot Chocolate was divine. No such thing as a "skinny hot chocolate" here, I was warned, as there's plenty of cream inside. Ooh - I was expecting Koko Black. It turned out similar, but the chocolate could be just that little bit darker. Which explains the price ($5) being just that little bit less than Koko Black.

The food is really original and stimulates both the mind and the palate, leaving the diner satisfied more than bloated. Tom Cooper's smoked salmon, 65/65 egg, sorrel, apple and dill ($16)was a work of art.Slow poached in its shell at 65 degrees for 65 minutes, the egg was a perfect gooey texture (not too runny) that melted in your mouth. It was placed on a slice of very hard sourdough, surrounded by smoked salmon, sprinkled with a few shreds of sorrel and dill, and topped with apple slices.

While amazing, it was too small so a more filling option may be the full English - farmhouse slab bacon, blood sausage on toast, fried eggs & smoked tomato ($18). The smoked tomato was so smoked it tasted fake! But an extraordinary kind of fake that is... The fried eggs were slightly overcooked at the bottom and undercooked at the top. I didn't appreciate the black pudding at all but the bacon tasted wonderful - just wished it was slightly more tender.

It lived up to expectations, but some things could be improved on before this venue makes 5 beans.