Overview
Sometimes you don't want to fight the queues of new cafes just so you can get your hands on a soy latte and avocado on toast. Don't get us wrong, often we do. But there are times when a wholesome, hearty, and tasty feed is enough, regardless of newness. This is how we found Cafe Azul on Bridge Road in Richmond.
These guys have been around the traps for a while — they've welcomed new cafes to their hood, said goodbye to venues and have continued evolving in the meantime. It's a no fuss kind of affair. Take a menu as you arrive, choose what you want and order at the counter. Take your number and wait for your food. Old school, right? Having said that, they are brewing almond milk lattes and raw treats. Not so old school.
The menu dishes up large serving sizes, the ones you relish when you're hungover. The best kind of high-risk, high-reward eggs. You know, the ones that either cure your hangover, or tip you over the edge? Anyway, point is, come hungry. You can go for the sweet options like your Bircher muesli served with natural yoghurt and stewed and poached fruits ($9.50) or the organic sourdough fruit toast filled with currants, sultanas, and raisins ($6.50).
For a more savoury spicy affair, try the Californian Breakfast: four cheese toast served with smoked crispy bacon, fried eggs, avocado, spicy herbed ranch salsa and Cajun aioli ($17), or perhaps a vegan approach with the tofu scramble with onions, capsicum, field mushrooms, herbs and spices, sourdough and baby spinach ($14.90). If you're up for designing your own, the menu of sides is worth it on its own. Go for scrambled eggs with a choice of anything from smashed avocado to grilled haloumi, Hollandaise to Meredith goats cheese, and even hearty hash browns.
Whether it's virtue you’re going for, or a serious feed, these guys have both covered. Start with a big breakfast, and get the raw snickers to take away. It's all about balance, right?