Sunday 6 December 2009

Grigons + Orr, North Melbourne

Yesterday was D's birthday, so we celebrated by going out for breakfast at Grigons & Orr Corner Store, in North Melbourne. This was delightful little cafe was recommended to us by Meveg in my request for recommendations, and seconded by Lidia.

It was amazing! I will absolutely be going back there again, it was so good.

magazine rack

Grigons & Orr is this tiny little corner store. There are only three very small tables inside, but several more outside, and there were blankets out for use. We managed to snag a table inside, next to the fridges stocked with the usual soft drinks as well as things like Cherry Coke. Behind the bar, the shelves were stocked to the ceiling (literally - they required a ladder to get things down) with corner store items, like matches, soap, and coconut milk.

strawberry water

We were promptly seated and served a jar of strawberry water. After much deliberation, we were able to order, and our waiter was very helpful.

pot of tea

Greg's pot of tea came with a matching tea cup, which I liked! I love these types of pots. Kind of old-school ugly, but also kind of cool. D had a soy flat white (they have bonsoy), and I went for a hot chocolate.

pan-fried tofu in soy + sesame sauce

After a very short wait, our food arrived. D ordered the crispy pan-fried tofu with spinach, mushrooms, and spice infused soy sauce dressing (the menu online says honey, but this is no longer in the sauce, so it is all good for vegans!). The tofu is also coated in sesame seeds. This dish was so delicious, I am definitely going to order this next. D found its quantity very slightly lacking, which was fine, because I found my dish way too much, so there was plenty left over.

cous cous porridge

I ordered the cous cous porridge with coconut cream, goji berries, toasted almonds and shaved coconut. This was enormous and amazing. So good! It comes with honey, but you can get agave honey, which I chose not to get but I think the addition would have made this dish stupendous. I am not a big fan of cous cous but it wasn't really cous cous-y at all, it was just delicious. The coconut flavour wasn't overwhelming, it was just rich and slightly sweet, and the addition of the almonds and shaved coconut added a crunch to the porridge and it was brilliant. I must eat this again.

For those who are not vegan, G ordered the apple fritters with marscapone, which he really enjoyed, and the wider menu includes other fun-looking options and sides (including a snickers milk shake). Gluten Free options are available.

Brilliant! Highly recommended.

Grigons & Orr
Corner of Queensberry St and Chetwynd St
North Melbourne
Open every day

8 comments:

Ruth said...

Went there for brunch today and loved it. The corner store/milk bar thing they've got going is rad -- from the knitted tea cosy on the tea pot to the $1 bag of mixed lollies, it was far more fun and and less pretentious than most oh-so-serious "scene" brunch places in the area.

I had the tofu with a side of the home-made baked beans, which made it the perfect portion size, and the soy sauce mixed in with the beans' tomato sauce was an unintentional highlight.

My partner was less impressed with his steak sandwich, but that serves him right for eating meat, and he whinges no matter where we go. He loved his lemongrass and ginger tea, though.

The coffee was pretty average (given it's in walking distance from places like Seven Seeds and Auction Rooms), but I'd probably have tea there next time, anyway.

Cindy said...

Happy birthday to D!

I'm pleased to see you had such a lovely time here - I hadn't heard of it until I read those comments on your previous post and now I'm even more keen to give it a go.

Anonymous said...

ooo thanks for this - this place sounds amazing!

steph said...

Ruth, yes, D was just agreeing with you! The baked beans sound pretty awesome, and I'm intrigued by the combined flavour! Definitely something to try, I think. And I like that they serve Tea Party tea, it's my favourite. :o)

Yes Cindy, Pip, give it a go! It was fantastic! And easy to get to - an easy walk from QVM, or the 19 or the 55.

x said...

I love the matching tea pot & cup too. And both meals look delicious.

steph said...

They were smashing!

Food lover said...

Liked your post! I've just blogged about this restaurant and have to say I didn't like the food that much... but would still recommend it for the ambiance and really fresh juices!

steph said...

Hi Food Lover. It's a shame you didn't enjoy the food - can I ask what you ordered? (I went to check out your blog post but it's not there!)

I didn't try the juices, it was a cold morning but I agree, the ambiance was lovely!