District Brewer: Review

District Brewer
36 Brewer Rd, Bentleigh
03 99723812
http://www.districtbrewer.com.au

Newly opened this year, District Brewer has quickly become my go-to local cafe, edging out all others in the surrounding suburbs. It is a high call, I know – but maybe you need to pay it a visit. Trust me. Kept simple with streamlined, minimalistic timber furnishings and a sleek dark counter lined with coffee machines, the cafe is brought to life by overhanging green plants and a buzz of activity: open panels give views into the kitchen while staff wander around in hip ‘District Brewer’ designed long-sleeved shirts. Out the back is our favourite place to sit: a sheltered, heated outdoor extension with sky-lights, green (fake) grass and yet more potted greenery – the perfect way to feel outdoors while staying warm during Melbourne winters.

The menu is adventurous for this area. Among the more unusual options are the duck rillettes with grilled pumpkin brioche, cauliflower cheese, tuscan kale, asian granola and poached eggs ($19.50) and the beetroot and whisky cured salmon with burnt fennel, wasabi keypie mayonnaise, seaweed and samphire salad, sweet potato latkes, poached eggs ($17), while even the old Melbourne standard of avocado & feta smash is transformed with a grilled polenta cake, puffed rice, red cabbage pesto and a poached egg ($17) and your eggs benedict comes with toasted rye, slow braised ox cheek, miso babaganoush, wilted calvo nero, curry hollandaise and poached eggs ($18). The lunch menu is a little more on the straight and narrow: a few mammoth burgers were whisked past us, though my eye was on the wild mushroom and farro salad with brocolini, rocket, almonds, pomegranate seeds, crumbled shanklish, blood orange & maple dressing ($17). In amongst all these crazy flavours is recognition that a primary school is directly across the road, so District Brewer also caters for the family crowd with a kids menu.

The first time I visited I couldn’t go past the healthy option – the District Detox ($16). A thick smear of tangy goat’s cheese, yellowed with tumeric is topped with toasted sourdough, a pile of freekah grains and kale coated in herby pesto and roasted truss tomatoes, still on the vine – all pulled together with a sprinkle of Middle-Eastern style dukkah and a pair of poached eggs. Although an unusual amalgamation of ingredients, it does seem to work, resulting in a colourful and filling meal that neither resembles rabbit-food nor leaves you feeling like an afternoon nap is in order.

Kate opted for the Mexican Breakfast ($17): warming, spicy and full of Mexican flavours – she likened it to eating a deconstructed taco. Fried queso fresco and jalapeno fritters with the ultimate crispy outer-gooey inner texture sat on a bed of black bean hummus and a smokey fresh avocado and corn salsa with charred baby leek, red pepper jam and a fried egg. Safe to say it went down well.

A few pretty pictures of the Black Forest Bircher ($14) on instagram and I had to try it. Half way between a dessert and breakfast, the bircher itself isn’t too heavy on chocolate (maintaining its healthy qualities), is studded with pistachios and grapes throughout and topped with spears of crisp chocolate and a pistachio-dark chocolate crumb, not unlike the soil and branches of the forest of its namesake. A scoop of bright pink cherry labneh adorns the top, thick and fruity. I’m not normally a bircher eater at all but this was a winner (with bonus points for the plate, pastel blue with white flowers on twigs that mirrored its the bircher itself).

Dan’s choice was the salted cod scrambled eggs ($17): probably some of the best scrambled eggs I have ever tried. Not too runny but not overcooked, a generous helping of salty scrambled eggs is matched perfectly with a thick spoon of herby dill creme fraiche and vibrantly crisp spears of truffled asparagus. A couple of pieces of crusty toasted sourdough finishes off the dish. So good.

Being a kiwi with an uncle owning kiwifruit orchards, anything with kiwifruit is always more than a little tempting. This time it was the zaatar crepe ($16): spiced ricotta cream, fragrant with cinnamon and cloves and something a little more savoury, accompanied a oaty, coconuty crumble dotted with cooked apple and kiwifruit chunks and a couple of crepes. Although gorgeous, this dish was the only one that didn’t meet expectations: the apple and kiwifruit were sparse and left the crumble very dry, as were the crepes. We would have like to see more fruit, roasted and juicy, and perhaps some sort of syrup to bring together the dish a little more cohesively.

District Brewer is a suburban cafe with a point of difference: refreshingly unique flavour combinations in the booming cafe culture that is Melbourne – not an easy task. An upbeat yet relaxing atmosphere with friendly staff, efficient service and not requiring a half-hour drive into the city makes it a winner in my book.

Rating: 7.5/10
Don’t miss: the black forest bircher or the scrambled eggs
Pro-tip: sit out the back in the (warm) courtyard
Features: child-friendly, adventurous menu