Bread and Jam for Frances
1/701 Glenferrie Rd
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Ph: (03) 9819-2122
WebsiteHowdy y'all! Today I'd like to tell you about a quiet achiever on the cafe scene: Bread and Jam for Frances, in Hawthorn. Despite my living in the area for a good few years now, I haven't really explored the local cafes in any great depth, and it's only recently that we've been googling "good cafe Hawthorn" on weekend mornings and going to check them out! It was reading
Adrian's review of Bread and Jam for Frances that prompted us to visit. It's a quiet little cafe, behind Readings Bookstore on Glenferrie Road and opposite the Coles.
 |
| Dench bread and pastries, Cunliffe and Waters preserves, Keep Cups |
They sell
Dench bread and pastries (so no need to traipse across to
North Fitzroy - wahoo!), and the cooked meals are also very good. What I really like about the cafe, though, is how chilled and friendly it is. You never seem to have to queue for a long time, and the staff are very friendly and attentive - e.g. when I got up to look at the bread, a staff member quickly appeared and asked if I wanted help with the bread. (I must admit to a certain amount of anxiety visiting more hipster cafes with queues and (sometimes) attitude!)
 |
| Prepared sandwiches, salads, drinks |
One negative I will mention though, is that the food can be a little slow to come out - the kitchen is tiny, and as far as I can tell there is only one chef who prepares all the food. Not a dealbreaker, especially if you're having a relaxed brunch, but something to be aware of.
The pictures below are from two visits: one was for a weekend brunch, and the second visit was with my Mum for Mother's Day! On our first visit, I personally found the coffees to be on the weak side - so since then I always ask for strong here.
 |
| Latte |
 |
| Cappuccino |
 |
| Soup of the day - Cauliflower soup w/ bacon crumbs - $10.50 |
The cauliflower soup came, refreshingly, without cream, and had a lovely pure cauliflower flavour. The little bread roll also came warm - a nice touch!
 |
| "Ham and Egg" - Fried egg, ham hock terrine w/ cabbage & dill slaw w/ toasted Schwarzbrot - $15.50 |
I saw an item on the specials board that included
Schwarzbrot, and my mind was made up. This was a great dish: I loved the meaty and compact terrine, and below the fried egg (
Spiegelei!) was a refreshing mound of cabbage and gherkin salad. Very tasty!
 |
| Cabbage & dill slaw |
Mmm... runny egg yolk!
 |
| Yolkporn |
The next meals are from our second visit: and I'm pleased to say my mum loved it! She kept saying how nice the food was, and how she has to bring my dad here one day! Yay!
 |
| Poached eggs with a salmon & avocado roulade, grilled asparagus & hollandaise sauce - $18.50 |
Beneath the two perfectly poached eggs were little patties of salmon and avocado roulade (essentially mashed avocado, cooked salmon and herbs), and the dish was complimented with just the right amount of hollandaise sauce. Quote from my mum: "Oh this is so nice! I don't know which part to eat next!"
 |
| Yolk porn |
 |
| Peperonata - Sauteed red peppers, onions, potatoes, goats feta, dukkah, poached egg |
My breakfast of peperonata was equally delicious - a poached egg, sauteed capsicum and potatoes with a sprinkling of feta and dukkah. Again, this was well balanced, with all of the elements complimenting each other and nothing overpowering the dish as a whole.
 |
| More yolk! |
Sandra went for a more lunchy dish: Thai-style chicken curry. $17.50 seemed quite expensive, but it was a very generous serve, and the curry itself was very good - it wasn't exceedingly hot, but had a pleasing combination of flavours from the different spices and herbs.
 |
| Thai-inspired chicken pumpkin curry with sweetcorn, spinach & fragrant jasmine rice - $17.50 |
 |
| Bienenstich |
We took home a slice of Bienenstich cake as well - I've had Dench's Bienenstich before and really like it, but I'll be naughty and say that the Bienenstich I'm enjoying in Germany right now is much, much better!
So that was Bread and Jam for Frances! Needless to say, I'm a big fan, and definitely recommend it for a great brunch in a relaxed atmosphere!
Bread and Jam for Frances
1/701 Glenferrie Rd
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Ph: (03) 9819-2122
WebsiteHowdy y'all! Today I'd like to tell you about a quiet achiever on the cafe scene: Bread and Jam for Frances, in Hawthorn. Despite my living in the area for a good few years now, I haven't really explored the local cafes in any great depth, and it's only recently that we've been googling "good cafe Hawthorn" on weekend mornings and going to check them out! It was reading
Adrian's review of Bread and Jam for Frances that prompted us to visit. It's a quiet little cafe, behind Readings Bookstore on Glenferrie Road and opposite the Coles.
|
| Dench bread and pastries, Cunliffe and Waters preserves, Keep Cups |
They sell
Dench bread and pastries (so no need to traipse across to
North Fitzroy - wahoo!), and the cooked meals are also very good. What I really like about the cafe, though, is how chilled and friendly it is. You never seem to have to queue for a long time, and the staff are very friendly and attentive - e.g. when I got up to look at the bread, a staff member quickly appeared and asked if I wanted help with the bread. (I must admit to a certain amount of anxiety visiting more hipster cafes with queues and (sometimes) attitude!)
|
| Prepared sandwiches, salads, drinks |
One negative I will mention though, is that the food can be a little slow to come out - the kitchen is tiny, and as far as I can tell there is only one chef who prepares all the food. Not a dealbreaker, especially if you're having a relaxed brunch, but something to be aware of.
The pictures below are from two visits: one was for a weekend brunch, and the second visit was with my Mum for Mother's Day! On our first visit, I personally found the coffees to be on the weak side - so since then I always ask for strong here.
|
| Latte |
|
| Cappuccino |
|
| Soup of the day - Cauliflower soup w/ bacon crumbs - $10.50 |
The cauliflower soup came, refreshingly, without cream, and had a lovely pure cauliflower flavour. The little bread roll also came warm - a nice touch!
|
| "Ham and Egg" - Fried egg, ham hock terrine w/ cabbage & dill slaw w/ toasted Schwarzbrot - $15.50 |
I saw an item on the specials board that included
Schwarzbrot, and my mind was made up. This was a great dish: I loved the meaty and compact terrine, and below the fried egg (
Spiegelei!) was a refreshing mound of cabbage and gherkin salad. Very tasty!
|
| Cabbage & dill slaw |
Mmm... runny egg yolk!
|
| Yolkporn |
The next meals are from our second visit: and I'm pleased to say my mum loved it! She kept saying how nice the food was, and how she has to bring my dad here one day! Yay!
|
| Poached eggs with a salmon & avocado roulade, grilled asparagus & hollandaise sauce - $18.50 |
Beneath the two perfectly poached eggs were little patties of salmon and avocado roulade (essentially mashed avocado, cooked salmon and herbs), and the dish was complimented with just the right amount of hollandaise sauce. Quote from my mum: "Oh this is so nice! I don't know which part to eat next!"
|
| Yolk porn |
|
| Peperonata - Sauteed red peppers, onions, potatoes, goats feta, dukkah, poached egg |
My breakfast of peperonata was equally delicious - a poached egg, sauteed capsicum and potatoes with a sprinkling of feta and dukkah. Again, this was well balanced, with all of the elements complimenting each other and nothing overpowering the dish as a whole.
|
| More yolk! |
Sandra went for a more lunchy dish: Thai-style chicken curry. $17.50 seemed quite expensive, but it was a very generous serve, and the curry itself was very good - it wasn't exceedingly hot, but had a pleasing combination of flavours from the different spices and herbs.
|
| Thai-inspired chicken pumpkin curry with sweetcorn, spinach & fragrant jasmine rice - $17.50 |
|
| Bienenstich |
We took home a slice of Bienenstich cake as well - I've had Dench's Bienenstich before and really like it, but I'll be naughty and say that the Bienenstich I'm enjoying in Germany right now is much, much better!
So that was Bread and Jam for Frances! Needless to say, I'm a big fan, and definitely recommend it for a great brunch in a relaxed atmosphere!
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