Gourmet Girl, Salisbury Ave, Blackburn

Gourmet Girl, Salisbury Ave, Blackburn
Saturday 13 January, 2007

Located in a surburban, quaint shopping strip Gourmet Girl is a find. I was not familiar with Blackburn but former Sydney-sider friends have relocated here - about 20 minutes from Melbourne city.

Gourmet Girl is your quintessential local - there's a large outdoor area that is protected by trees and provides a safe space for the kids to run around and play. Inside it's your typical, local cafe - toybox in one corner, large windows, menu specials on the large blackboards and a bar where you order and pay. The menu is varied and offers the all day breakfast (a massive winner in my book) and many gluten free items.

Within moments the kids had found new friends and were pre-occupied, so we ordered coffees first and settled back for a good catch up. I scanned the breakfast menu for eggs benedict - bingo! My decision was easy and my lunch buddies ordered an Italian salami foccacia and the chicken sandwich. The kids enjoyed jam sandwiches and babychino's - I always think it's hilarious when kids pretend to be grown up and sip their steamed milk with froth.

The food was just what you expect from a local cafe and reasonably priced. What I mean here is the food was decent served with a few homemade relishes etc and very much 'get what you pay for'. The service is somewhat slow and the staff are young - they messed up one order but it wasn't a big deal as we weren't in any hurry.

My eggs benedict was good - there were two poached eggs served with a slightly runny hollandaise sauce on thick slices of ciabata bread. There was also a thin slice of ham on top of each peice of bread. Overall, it was good - not the best eggs benedict I've ever had and certainly not the worst.

Gourmet Girl is relaxed, laid back and friendly with a diverse clientelle ranging from families with small children, groups of friends and couples. I wouldn't go there for a intimate meal or serious discussion as the buzz is loud with the wooden floorboards, coffee machine and kids.

Gourmet Girl - 21 Salisbury Ave, Blackburn - (03) 9894 8417

http://www.gourmetgirl.com.au/cafe.html