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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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