Since coming to Melbourne I seem to have spent most of my time eating one of three things: Burgers, Ramen and Brunch. Today I want to talk about the third. That magical meal which sits between breakfast and lunch. A time when naughty food is accepted as a first meal of the day.
When we first arrived in Melbourne we stayed for a month in Thornbury. It’s a great suburb, around 8 km north of the CBD and thriving with cafes, restaurants and strange vintage shops full of weird shit from the 80’s.
Anyway, I digress. Early on in our trip we discovered Little Henri, at the edge of Thornbury and Preston. Its subdued scruffy frontage hides its stripped back style and totally delicious food! The interior reminded me of places I’ve seen in Berlin, a very rough and simple design with a mix of chairs, old metal lamps and generally a very utilitarian feel, like an old canteen. Personally, this is a style I really love.
To eat, I chose the bacon and corn hash, poached egg and eggplant (aubergine) pickle and Dave opted for something sweet (any excuse to eat pudding for breakfast). He had the coconut pancakes with caramelised bananas and berries.
Even now over a month later, I can still taste that salty, spicy chorizo and the soft, perfectly seasoned hash dripping with yolk porn. The eggplant pickle added a mustardy dimension which worked well with the rich chorizo. Basically, it was a delight. And more than that, it was an interesting delight. A departure from the usual brunch dishes I’ve seen elsewhere. I loved it.
Dave wolfed his pancakes down and loved every bite. They were absolutely gorgeous to look at but for me, way too sweet to enjoy. But you know me, if it’s not savoury, I rarely see the point of it. Apart from Ferrero Rocher and Reece’s cups. I always see the point of those.
The coffee was also worth of a mention. Melbourne is big on coffee and we’re delighted to see our favourite Kiwi coffee Allpress on the menu in a lot of places, in fact, they have a roastery here. Allpress is Dave’s favourite coffee. He used to get it from Wired in Nottingham and last February, for his 30th I booked us onto an espresso workshop at their London roastery. We’ve been hooked ever since!
Little Henri serves brunch, dinner and drinks but be aware, they close at 4 pm so we’re talking early dinner. They are also available for functions. Such a shame I don’t know anyone in Melbourne or I’d be booking it up for my next birthday!
Find them at 850 High Street, Thornbury, Melbourne 3071.
*Little Henri did not know that I was planning to review our experience and we paid for our meal in full. All opinions are my own.*
This looks so much yummi! Lucky me that I just had lunch, otherwise I would not have survived reading this post 😀
Your fotos are superb. And I agree, it reminds me also a bit of Berlin style(since I lived 5 years there)…
Thanks for sharing and happy new year 🙂
Looks so good with the egg yolk and all!! Im currently in Sri Lanka and all I have access to is (amazing, but redundant) curry! So thank you for that!
OMG this food looks soooo good! Funny enough the interior reminds me a lot of a Haitian restaurant in NYC!
Brunch practically is religion to us antipodeans!
I had heard that Aussies love their brunch and that there are so many places offering it. Little Henri looks fabulous, love the look of the coconut pancakes with caramelised bananas!
I love egg on everything! But my Dave is like yours and he goes for sweet any chance he can get.
A visit to Melbourne is like a dream come true. I can't wait to visit Australia. It looks like a cute restaurant, I'm glad you had a good day out. Did you notice if they had any vegan options?
Give me everything! Admittedly I'm not a big brunch person – only because of it's timing. I never eat breakfast you see and don't like eating before midday. Odd I know. But this looks lovely – especially those pancakes!
Food… I really enjoyed reading your post. Being a food blogger too.. Reading about food around the world always intrigues me. Thanks for the share and tempting pictures.
Looks tasty! I am getting hungry just by reading this and looking at the pictures. I also like the style of this restaurant a lot. Little rustic but stylish. I would try it out!
You are a seriously food critic! Yor writing is really smooth and easy to read to! Now as for the brunch, I didnt have any in my life. So far I have breakfast and lunch every day! Also I have never been to Australia, so 2 new thing for me to give them a try! 🙂
Little Henri looks like a great place to have brunch. I love cappuccinos and pancakes. The pictures make the food look really appetizing.