The Kettle Black

@kettleblackcafe at South Melbourne is one of those with a chic urban interior with a nice al fresco to sip a coffee and watch the people pass by.
We picked their very colourful Ricotta Hotcake which was certainly beautiful and had lots of seeds and grains for a superfood breakfast. Underneath that was a thick and moist pancake. Together with a dense cream, this was satisfying but we would recommend to share with 2 to 3 as the portion was quite a feat to finish it.
The chilli omelette with crab meat and crayfish oil was full of umami and a delicious egg dish for brunch. Coffee here was good, especially to go with a tasty croissant on a sweet note.
Without travelling to the South, one can also visit @highergroundmelbourne which is affiliated and more centrally located in the CBD.

The ambiance of the cafe is great, love the marble tables but its a tad too noisy, a great option for a romantic quiet date.

The brunch menu is heavy and palatable to most.
Ice Chocolate - A$7.5
📍: @kettleblackcafe , South Melbourne, VIC, AU

So so gorgeous and oh so fluffy! With THAT generous amount of ricotta 🤤

I was equally blown away by this dish. The scrambled eggs actually had a gentle spicy kick, and was made indulgent with the crab meat and the oil. I wouldn't have thought of the combination (seafood+eggs?) but it really worked. Only gripe I had with the dish was that the eggs were too firm, and wasn't as fluffy as I would have associated scrambled eggs to be.
Ordered a side of tataki ocean trout ($7) to go along with it, and it was such a good decision. The fish was very beautifully cooked- don't be surprised by the amount of pinkness when cut, the tataki cooking method meant it would be left very rare on the inside, and very delicious.

I must have seen it on the net a gazillion times, but I was still so awed by its beauty when it was presented to me. And I am glad to report that not only is this picturesque dish Instagram-Worthy (since I'm not on it, I don't do it for the 'gram but for the Burpple), it tasted equally amazing. Granted I haven't tried other renditions just because I wanted to try the original first, I was amazed by how moist this THICK hotcake was, much like a well made mega-sized muffin. It was complemented wonderfully with the light cream and those beautiful flowers weren't just for show- they, along with the generous amount of seeds gave very nice crunch to the cake.
Pair this with their excellent coffee; I enjoyed my long black very much, and it was the perfect accompaniment to this sweet treat.

Looks familiar? That's because TKB is opened by the folks behind the famed Top Paddock. Both have pretty similar brunch menus, with only slight variations. The Instagram darling—2-inch worth of fluffiness stuffed with creamy ricotta and topped with blueberries, maple, double cream plus seeds & nuts—are available at both cafes and are worth every bit of the hype.

Tip: Do share because this comes in a generous portion. It's good for 3-4 pax, plus orders of other hearty plates.