Review 13: More like Eight Seeds…

Seven Seeds – 114 Berkeley St, Carlton 3053

It’s that time of year again…assignments are due, exams are coming up and winter is approaching.  Not much puts a smile on our dial during these winter months, other than a delicious and nutritious avo mash from a nearby cafe.  So this week’s review takes us to a cafe located just next to Melbourne Uni, known as Seven Seeds.  Around this side of town, SS is well-known for brewing a mean cup of coffee as well as hearty meal that will keep you going after a grueling day of lectures.   As soon as you enter this cafe there is a sense of hustle and bustle, and you know that this cafe means business.  We sat down and ordered a serve of their ‘Heirloom tomatoes with Yarra Valley feta, avocado and sauce vierge on toasted quinoa and soy sourdough’ for $14.  This didn’t sound like your typical avocado mash, but we saw this as a good thing!

It arrived and the presentation was spectacular.  All in all the meal was delicious.  The heirloom tomatoes were ripe and juicy, the avocado green and chunky, the feta smooth and creamy and the bread – well the bread was just top-notch! Sounds like a 10 out of 10 right? Well unfortunately, although Seven Seeds provided a terrific spread, this meal lacked enough avocado to score it a perfect 10, and although the tomatoes were delicious, they dominated the dish.  All up, this dish scored an 8/10, which in our eyes is a definite avocaDO!  So next time you hear your tummy rumbling whilst you’re hanging around the Carlton area, make sure you hit up Seven Seeds to satisfy your cravings!

Review 12: Can’t Say No to a Bruschetta with Feta

The Green Goose – 7 Station Street, Malvern 3144

Having eaten at the Green Goose several times before we decided it was time to give this baby a review.  Their menu lists their avocado mash under the category of ‘Something Different’ which gave us hope that perhaps it would deliver the ultimate AVO factor.  GG describes their mash as ‘Bruschetta with smashed avocado & feta topped with cherry truss tomatoes’…DEEElicious! It arrived at our table and they definitely had their presentation down pat.  The avocado was in pretty good condition and the quantity was satisfying.  Whilst these were some real positives, unfortunately the feta used didn’t enhance the mash in the way that we hoped, and although the additions included some roast cherry tomatoes, the overall flavour was a smidge bland and lacked that X factor we were hoping to find.  All up, whilst this mash filled us up it didn’t exactly hit the nail on the head and only scored a 6/10.  Unfortunately this goose just didn’t lay the perfect green and pear-shaped egg we were hoping to find.

Review 11: Omar and the Disappointing Coffee Bird

Omar and the Marvelous Coffee Bird – 124 Gardenvale Rd, Gardenvale 3185

After hearing excellent reviews about Omar we knew we had to give this cafe a shot. So off we ventured out to Gardenvale.  When reading the menu we were pretty excited, with so many different additions we couldn’t help but get our hopes up that this mash would have the AVO factor.  Omar describes their mash as ‘caper and labneh smashed avocado with chilli and lemon on sourdough toast’ with an optional serving of smoked salmon for an additional $5.  We decided to get the works and test this bad boy out.  This dish had some admirable aspects such as its’ presentation, avo quality and a range of additions to accompany it.  Unfortunately, we found the capers to be extremely overpowering and impossible to remove from the mash.  The labneh provided a nice touch, yet the smoothness of the mash combined with the labneh made the mash too creamy for our palette.  All together we decided that this mash scored a 6/10 and perhaps sits as an avocaDUNNO.  Recommend this mash to any of the caper lovers out there.

Review 10: 30 Mill…Not Such a Thrill

30 Mill Espresso – 66 Milton Parade, Malvern 3144

30 Mill Espresso is a cute little cafe located directly opposite Tooronga train station and is the perfect joint to grab a take away coffee on your way to work.  As we had a little extra time up our sleeve we stopped by to try their version of avocado mash.  The presentation was neat and the avo ripe, however, the portion size was a wee bit too small for our taste.  All in all, whilst there weren’t any major faults, this mash was missing that AVO factor to help it stand out from others. Our rating: 6.5/10

Smashed avocado with feta, ricotta, mint and lemon juice on toasted multigrain $12.50

Review 9: Garage or garBage?

Garage Espresso -26A Chapel Street, St Kilda 3182

This mash definitely did not belong in the garbage! With plenty of additions and a more than decent portion size, this mash provided a filling and satisfying meal.  Although it did not have the ultimate AVO factor it was still very enjoyable and we look forward to heading back to Garage Espresso to see what else they have to offer.  All up, we rated this mash an avocaDO and gave it a 7/10.

Avocado mash with Persian feta, lemon, mint, fresh parsley and chilli on pumpkin bread $14.50

Review 8: This was FETAstic!

Axil Coffee Roasters – 322 Burwood Road, Hawthorn 3122

Absolutely an avocaDO scoring a 9/10 from us! The Meredith feta was so creamy and delicious and the cold mash on the warm, crunchy toast really gave this mash the AVO factor. Make sure you try it for yourself. Other recommendations include:

• Bircher Muesli
• Corn Fritters
• COFFEE!

Smashed avocado and Meredith feta on sourdough

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Bye for now,
xx B & G