The European - Melbourne

Name: The European
161 Spring St
Melbourne 3000 VIC

Phone: (03) 9654 0811

Food: European
Average price: Entree: $9.50-26, Mains: $19.50-72, Dessert: $11-15.50

Complimentary: One slice of toast with cherry jam and butter (we aren't entirely sure it was complimentary, but we have no idea whose breakfast it was meant to be a part of.)

K said the bread was stale. Regarding the jam: weird packaged seemed like it was shipped over from some middle European convenience store.. ha. odd.. nice enough I suppose. Nothing special at all

Breakfast crumble
Poached pear, apple, apricot, prunes and fig with yoghurt and muesli - $14

As I ate this I felt as if I was in a forest, sitting on spongy loam and surrounded by trees wet with dew- it had that kind of feel and look. The mint was wonderfully unexpected with its freshness amongst the jammy figs and prunes, tart apples, crunchy muesli and tangy yoghurt. I couldn't taste any apricots but it didn't matter as the medley of fruit on my plate was varied in tastes and textures and pleasant to eat. The only gripe I have is that this wasn't the 'crumble' I was expecting. Had it been called poached fruit with yoghurt and muesli it would be exactly what I was expecting, but call it a crumble and I'm going to think WARM and SOFT with a wonderful TOPPING and yoghurt on the side, being a cold chilly day I was hoping for a hot, comforting crumble and was slightly disappointed in its coldness. That being said, the flavours made up for its temperature and 'un-crumbleness'.

Turkish eggs 
poached eggs with Turkish bread and baba ganoush - $18

K asked for the eggs to be fried rather than poached and said the eggs were fried perfectly and the toast cuttable. She was not expecting the extra pepper adornments and didn't really want them. She just wanted eggs and toast.

European breakfast
eggs, bacon, mushroom, tomato, toast - $17.50

(Written by K) Perfectly cooked good quality bacon, not too much or little. The eggs tasted plain but nice enough, though I would've enjoyed them much more if they'd been cooked a little longer. The stand out was the mushrooms, fresh field mushrooms, plump and cooked well, retaining all flavour. Way too overpriced considering how little effort would've gone into the dish. No extra flavouring to speak of, a little salt perhaps. Oh! bad bread,  bread was crap. Tasteless overcooked and a little stale.

Decaf latte - $4.20

(K) Decent for a decaf but not remarkable in anyway

Cost: $53.70 for 3 breakfasts and 1 coffee.

Service: Good. We had to wait around 30mins for a table at 11am but once in the menus were prompt as was the food and our water was kept topped up - they are also fine with splitting the bill.

Atmosphere: Old charm. The decor reminded me of old European cigar bars - the chequered tiles have seen better days as have the well-worn wooden tables that wobble at the slightest touch with remnants of lacquer cluttered around the edges, but somehow it works. The lighting is incredibly low,even during the day, almost cavernous. The noise level, was a little boisterous but nothing more than normal at a cafe.

Parking: Street and paid underground - at 7pm on a Sunday night there was some street parking left, otherwise there are paid underground car parks close by. Public transport is also an option.

Website: http://www.theeuropean.com.au/index.html

Hours: Daily 7.30am-3.30am

Would I return: Yes - the darkness and noise factor is much more tolerable during the day.