Porgie + Mr Jones

Porgie + Mr Jones
291 Auburn Rd, Hawthorn
Allpress coffee


You know it's a funky café when the venue is warehouse-like with naked bulbs, white birdcages, flowerpots, modern paintings and an alluring back area full of clubby couches and wingback chairs. The facebook page confirms that.

With Daniel Schelbert's (formally Head Chef of Ceconni's and Bottega) arrival, it's now open for 4-course dinners every Friday + Saturday evening ($65) but I'm going to focus on the breakfast.

The environmentally-aware and diet-conscious are looked after with organic, free-range eggs and, where possible, local ingredients. Also note that P+MJ only accepts cash.

There's Berocca - original flavour ($3), Carmen's bircher muesli with rhubarb + cinnamon compote and honeyed yoghurt ($10.90), Toasted Noisette fruit bread ($6), and Croissant with Bonne Maman jam ($5.50).

The McPorgie – English muffin stuffed with ham off the bone, Emmental cheese and “creamy dreamy" scrambles seemed tempting at $4.90 but I decided against it after realising it was premade.

We had the P+MJ - eggs, bacon, slow roasted tomato, avocado + thyme buttered mushies ($18.90). All items were good but not great. Maybe we should have gone with the famous Smashed avocado with thyme-buttered mushrooms, marinated feta + torn basil on wholegrain toast ($16.90 or $18.90 with a poached egg) which everyone recommends but looking at the ingredients, I can't imagine it to be all that different.

We did try another famous dish: Mr Jones' scrambles folded with fresh herbs + holy goats cheese on wholegrain toast ($12.90). I don't see how fabulous the scrambles are meant to be... Have these people not tried Bills? Maybe the goats cheese did it for them - for me it had the opposite effect!

But perhaps the most spectacular dish is the Toasted banana bread with maple syrup mascarpone, fresh banana, berry compote and crushed pistachios ($14.90). It looked simply divine coming out of the kitchen... a must order if I'm back there!