Eating In Melbourne : Elceed

HELLOOOO!!

So it's been awhile hey?

I wasn't able to blog or upload any videos because I just moved to a new hood and for the 1st week we didn't have Internet at all! It was terriiiibbbllllleeeeeeeee :(

But yeah! Now that we've gotten almost everything settled, I can sit on my new work spot and continue doing this! :D that is if MasterChef doesn't get in the way. Lately I've been hooked to the TV all cuz of that!

ANYWAYYYY few weeks ago, my sister came by and she found this place on UrbanSpoon! It looked really pretty and I liked how it didn't seem to be overly crowded by uni students so I had to make a trip here!

Cafe : Elceed
Location : 610 Queensberry Street, North Melbourne
Price : average $15
Portion : generous!
Cuisine : Breakfast/Brunch

super easy to get here from Melbourne CBD! it's located beside Twenty and Six if not wrong! Upon entering the shop, it was busy, hustling bustling with people's chatter, the smell of coffee and the sight of staffs cooking and serving the food. It was a lot to take in for a second, but because it wasn't too crowded, it didn't affect me a lot!

I wanted to sit at the courtyard because of lighting and the staffs were really kind to lead me there and even warned me beforehand that it might drizzle!

I loved the courtyard on my first sight! It felt rustic yet homely but after awhile, didn't like it quite much anymore because I learnt to feel that it is pretty un-kept, which contributed to the rustic-ness lol but that's just my personal opinion. 

really liked this wall decor

despite sitting outside, the waitresses were still really helpful! They came outside to check if we needed anything quite often and FYI, we were the only 2 people outside! 

There was once where one waitress forgot to bring the menu and once she realized it she immediately apologized! Thank you!! First time ever. I really liked their service. Bare in mind, in these brunch places you cannot expect fine-dining customer service because they get really busy and I am completely fine with it. But her, being just a tad bit more polite, won me completely. 

Caramel Slice

I have no idea how much these costs and the exact name of this because Dora picked them out while I only bothered going to the courtyard to check if it was photo worthy! LOL

Caramel slices were never my thing only cuz it's too dense and sweet to my liking so I think it'd be unfair for me to judge it's taste

I have no idea what this is.

I would assume that it has dried prunes/sultanas/berries towards those things, topped with pistachios. It's a little bit chewy and it is sweet! It tastes pretty good I'd say but once again, I never order cakes or sweets off any cafe's counter unless it's Chez Dre. Maybe I'm just biased :/

Latte ( $4? )

ordinary, without art? Or is that a slight art? That's all I can say. I guess if you stay nearby then it'd be okay if you decided to go there for a quick coffee fix. But if you stay far and you want really good coffee, I'd say pass this place. 

Corn Fritters with Avo, Sour Cream, Salsa, Rocket, Pesto and Smoked Salmon

( $17.5 )

okay this completely took me by surprise!! Before tasting it I thought it'd taste sweet, pancake-y, little bit sour and that's it. Little did I know it was SPICY!!

Heck, I've never tried corn fritters that was made spicy before! And I personally prefer the crispy corn fritters as oppose to this pancake-like kind.

Yes, corn was sweet and juicy and it was delicious when paired with smoked salmon cuz you'd get that kick of saltiness. But one thing that kept me thinking was...... what's the pesto there for? 

And the avocado you see in the photo is as much as you'd get. A little bit disappointed. Overall, it was too spicy for me. If they had made it less spicy, it would still be an enjoyable dish! Oh! Just to point out, I don't really eat spicy so yeah, I had trouble with it.

I guess all in all, it tasted fine. Nothing to shout about. I would definitely comment that they might have too many unnecessary elements in the dish. If they were gonna drown the corn fritters with their already filled with flavour salsa, maybe cut out the avocado and pesto because I can't seem to figure out how both of those benefits the dish! 

Rating : 6/10

Special French Toast ( not on menu but I'm guessing $18)

this dish however, saved the day. As far as of now, I would say that is THE BEST french toast I've ever eaten. I believe it's a brioche french toast with caramelized banana, almond praline, whipping cream and maple syrup.

It was TOO DIE FOR. The french toast was SO fluffy, it was still bready enough to let you know that you're eating bread and not custard. It had just the right amount of sweetness, soft, chewy. I know. I can't even imagine these in a french toast but that was exactly what I experienced! 

The banana complimented it sooo well with that mushy, banana goodness that's not perrrrrfecto. OMG. I can't even describe.

And the almond praline added texture and crunch as you bite into the fluffy and soft toast. Oh sweet Lord, it was amazing. 

I don't eat whipping cream but I guess it adds moisture to every bite? LOL

Rating : 9.9/10

It definitely was an enjoyable brunch because of the company! The food was slightly above average thanks to the french toast but coffee was just okayyyyy. 

Like I said before, I guess if you happen to be close-by and you wanted something other than Fandango or Auction Rooms, somewhere less crowded to chill, I'd definitely say TRY ELCEED! 

But do not ever step in if you want a WOW factor brunch and coffee. 

Yes, it is a good cafe to sit and chill over good food on a normal weekday. But I'm just being terribly picky because this is a review. Haha

Final Verdict :

Food : well..... I'm still confused

Ambience : chilling in tha hood

Value for Money : for the portion, yes

Possibilities of Return : once is good enough! :)

till then,

dilys