Sunday food

Here's (most of) what I ate today. Its been a good food day!

This was a really good brunch - cold rice pudding with strawberry and mango, and toasted coconut from Three Bags Full in Abbotstford. Yes sir! YES SIR!

I also had this. Poached egg, salmon and goats cheese. Probably the healthiest brunch I've had out in in a while.

Kirsti from Melbourne on my mind was with me - we had a lovely catch up - finally! She had hotcakes with poached pears and berries. It was as hot pink as my jeans

Brunch was really good - very filling. Three Bags Full is definitely worth the trip across town and the queue. The bonus of queuing for 15 minutes or so is the fashion watching - everyone looks fabulous there!!

Three Bags Full on Urbanspoon

For my very early pre concert dinner I cooked seafood tacos - salmon, prawns and calamari, organic baby carrots, mushrooms, asparagus and spinach, seasoned with mayonnaise and jalapeño salsa :)

And I cooked this lasagna for week nights and work lunches. Leftover bolognaise (roast pumpkin, carrots, capsicum and broccoli, pork and beef mince, tinned tomatoes, Italian pasta sauce) and more roast vegies, layered - eggplant, spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms, with lasagna sheets and mozzarella cheese! I think it's quite healthy sans bechamel sauce and packed with vegies.

Sunday has been yumday!
 

Three Bags Full review by Jentopia

Yesterday my good friend, colleague and blogger Jentopia and I had brunch at Three Bags Full cafe. It was lovely catching up in the winter sunshine. Jen wrote a brilliant review and said I could post it here on my blog. My thoughts about Three Bags Full: What she said! Thanks for letting me do some lazy blogging today!

Review: Three Bags Full (Abbotsford)


This morning I met up with my friend Carly, blogger and passionate bruncher for..well, brunch. Carly had a hankering Three Bags Full after our last visit there in January so over the ‘other side of town’ we went.

 
After a relatively short wait, which was expected anyway we got what I think are the best seats in the place.

 

Sitting on a bench, in full sunshine – right next to where all the baristas are working.

It was glorious. We could hear each other talk, were warm and could see everything going on!

 

In our prime position we could also inspect the machine that apparently does ‘clover’. The kind barista noticed our interest and gave us a taste. Carly is not a coffee drinker, but I was hoping I would be able to appreciate it. Nope. It looked like weak tea, but tasted like strong coffee. I did not detect any ‘roasted green peppers’, and quite bravely (I thought), Carly ‘shotted’ the rest of the glass.

As I’ve long suspected I’m a coffee hack. Whatever, just gimme my skinny latte.

 

We ordered a skinny latte for me, and a hot chocolate for Carly. Deciding on what to have to eat, I decided in the spirit of my porridge posts, I had to get the porridge but was pretty hungry so got some fruit toast too. Carly ordered the sticky black gingerbread , with sides of salmon and a corn, pea and feta fritter.

 

The porridge was good, not mind blowingly good though, and while I’m probably being a bit of a goldilocks, could have been hotter. It had rhubarb and pistachio on it, which added a nice little something.

 

The fruit bread was delicious, although as usual I was a pelican and could only eat one piece although had a nibble on the second slice.

By all reports Carly’s breakfast was nice too, apparently she is a fritter fiend and she reported the fritter to be nice, but not as good as the one at Auction Rooms. I ordered a second coffee, but it never arrived – I didn’t mind too much as I didn’t need it anyway I was pretty full. They were genuinely apologetic so all was forgiven!

 

For some reason they kept thinking we were waiting on a third person, which sitting in our little spot would have been a bit squishy. The waitress came over and asked if our friend was still coming because there was a guy looking for a place to sit. He was apparently good looking so I switched spots with Carly. As I am married its a rule I have to give up my seat for single people. A bit like the train.

Anyway, the guy never came over – maybe he didn’t want to get cosy with us? I think I saw him later reading a broadsheet and there’s no way he would have had room for it in our spot.

All in all, as usual Three Bags Full delivered and it was well worth the trip, and the hellish traffic going home.

Details: Three Bags Full

Location: 60 Nicholson St Abbotsford
Website: Three Bags Full
Twitter: @3bagsfullcafe
Coke Rating: No coke for you!

- Jen

Yes sir! Yes sir! Breaky at Three Bags Full.

It's become a bit of a tradition that Jentopia and I meet up for breakfast. I think breakfast is my favourite meal to go out for. Breakfast out is generally a hearty and delicious meal, and it leaves the rest of the day free to do stuff, or nap. Whichever you choose. This photo was sensibly taken before I got a fat tummy or spilt something on me.

Jen chose Saturday's cafe: Three Bags Full in Nicholson Street, Abbotsford. She's been there after cycling and recommended it.

It's a large brick building - a converted hat factory, situated just out of the city away from the hustle ad bustle. It's family friendly - a hub for families (some with kids that were too screamy) and also dog lovers.

I am so glad she suggested it. Similar to another favourite breakfast haunt of mine, The Auction Rooms, Three Bags Full has a warehouse feel with modern rustic style. Beautiful wallpaper, feature lights and pretty flowers. Recycled objects as furniture and fittings. This review shows some of the quirky furniture. I loved it.

The counter is full of yummy baked goods.

Jen hoped that something 'outrageous' would happen for me to blog about. Things weren't very outrageous until I ordered this drink.

Freshly squeezed pineapple, apple, strawberry and mint juice. Jen and I had moved from a communal table to a smaller table for just the two of us. The waiter brought out my drink, but gave it to the girl seated in our previous seats. We don't think she even ordered it. Nevertheless, she took a sip of it. Her friend and both of us realised it wasn't her drink before she did! And that was the outrageous event of the morning.

The breakfast menu is full of eggs done various ways, corn and pea fritters, porridgey muesli delights, salmon and bacon. Sorry for my lack of detail but my eyes were drawn to only one particular thing on the menu. Fig and raspberry bread with marscapone, passionfruit and strawberries.

The strawberry and passionfruit sauce was sweet and tangy. The fig and raspberry bread was deliciously cakey. The marscapone was generously lathered.

It was on par with the French toast I had at The Auction Rooms. Superb. Jen and I discussed how fruit toast and banana bread is often just cake termed with a healthier name of food. Whatever, it was so damn good!

Jen had the bircher muesli - she has become a connossieur of bircher muesli and rated this one highly. It had apple, yoghurt, almonds on top. It looked yummy!

While Three Bags Full is not on my side of town, I'll definitely return. The interesting breakfast menu has left me wanting more.

Three Bags Full on Urbanspoon