Five Places Where You Can Get Next-Level Crumpets in Melbourne
Toast stands no chance against these golden, holey rounds — especially when they're topped with lemon curd, mushroom jam or pecorino and honey.
Five Places Where You Can Get Next-Level Crumpets in Melbourne
Toast stands no chance against these golden, holey rounds — especially when they're topped with lemon curd, mushroom jam or pecorino and honey.
Not quite a cake. Not quite a pancake, either. Not a slice of toast, and not an English muffin. It's sort of what you'd get if all those delightful breakfast foods birthed a hybrid: a beautiful, holey, thick round that holds as much love in its tiny holes as it does melted butter.
Yeah, we're waxing lyrical about crumpets — but for good reason. Made from as little as four ingredients, crumpets may just be the ultimate comfort food. With a texture unlike anything you've ever put in your face, crumpos are the antidote to any boring brunch habits, and the tastiest spongy breakfast food you ever did munch on (especially when covered in butter and honey). So where to find them in Melbourne? These six spots slather theirs with honey, cheese, Nutella, lemon curd and all sorts of spread. We've done the research — you just gotta do the eating.
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Open every day except Monday, this teeny Keilor East eatery is cosy in size and in the feels that’ll hit your belly when you down one of their little spongy suckers. While the cafe specialises in sandwiches (think porchetta and coletta), Crumpet and Co. does in fact serve its namesake. The eatery’s ‘famous’ house-made crumpets come with poached pear, vanilla, ricotta and cinnamon — or you can just go for the classic cultured butter and classic spreads option. Coffee comes via Padre and the good vibes come via owners Tim Cori and Hannah Morris at this local suburban spot.
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If crumpets are what you desire, this is where you need to come. As Melbourne’s only cafe dedicated to the things, Holy Crumpets serves up the little pockets of goodness from 6.30am to 2.30pm every weekday. The early bird gets the worm, we suppose, if the worm is a fresh, still-warm crumpet — all of which are baked in-house each morning using naturally fermented sourdough with freshly milled wholewheat flour. The kitchen here doesn’t overcomplicate things: you can have yours simply topped with Vegemite, jam or one of half a dozen honeys. And — though just the plain crumpets with spread of your choice are more than fine — if you’re feeling it, pick one of the daily-changing ‘fancy bois’, which might include passionfruit curd with ricotta, and even a seasonal concoction of truffle butter, blackberry honey and finely grated pecorino.
Image: Tracey Ah-kee.
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Good old Cumulus — it never fails us. Whether you come for cafe, restaurant or bar fare, Cumulus is a mainstay of the Melbourne hospitality scene, and that extends to the crumpet scene, too. Hit up the Flinders Lane staple and have a geeze at its breakfast menu because house-made crumpets feature. Cumulus’ crumps are plump — looking more like golden cakes than the usual variety — and are served with a dollop of whipped ricotta, a slice of lemon and Rooftop Honey. Wash it all down with a coffee if you’re on your way to work (or a bloody mary if it’s the weekend).
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A dynamo of the Fitzroy scene, Stagger Lee’s is home of solid, hearty brunch fare and a well-placed liquor license. It’s also serving up some killer crumpets. The baked goods come courtesy of Dr. Marty’s Crumpets, which you’ve probably seen on menus around the country — it supplies a bunch of cafes around Melbourne. If you ask us, though, this is one of the best places to eat them as Stagger Lee’s serves them up with lemon curd, vanilla mascarpone, fresh berries, raspberry sauce, pistachio crumb and sweet basil. The cafe also serves Proud Mary coffee (the Collingwood roaster is its sister cafe), and does spritzes and bloody marys, plus bottomless mimosas for $29. All sure to go perfectly with your crumpets.
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Saxe Kitchen, the casual counterpart to its upstairs fine diner, gives you access to chef Joe Grbac’s nosh without forking out as much cash. It also means that you get to try his crumpets. At the moment, Grbac is serving up a fancy crumpet stack, which sees mushroom crumpets layered with comté cheese, mushroom jam and pine mushroom butter. It’s then torched so it’s all melty and buttery. It’s also a very reasonable $9.50 and can be ordered as part of a meal or on its own with a drink — accompany it with a glass of prosecco and call it dinner.
Top image: Holy Crumpets by Tracey Ah-kee.
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