Proud Mary
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I love this hipster coffee with the rise and brunch kind of ordeal! Their iced coffee with ice cream is to dream and delve over on an everyday, Melbourne weather day that turns sprinkling rain with cloudy forecast to hot summery days! Their potato hash is to devour, indeed! Poached eggs is cooked perfectly and runny. Dip their thick sliced bacon on that runny egg yolk, and it is to consume all in one savory bite! Their potato hash is crispy and I'm strandy bits internally. It's so great with the combination of egg yolk and bacon! Service was wonderful and they make each dish appealing to the eye! Praise it to be proud Mary!
Found this restaurant via Yelp review. This was my 1st time in Melbourne, and although I wasn't staying in the area, I made the trip to check it out. It was a lovely summer day, and there is outdoor seating option. Inside of the restaurant is very spacious, and not overly loud. You can seat at the table, but they also have bar seats by the window if you wish gawk at people on the streets. Going midweek at 11am, seating was a breeze. My waitress was prompt to take my order. I had a large flat white-yummy. I had seen the ricotta hotcakes and I had my heart set on that but the current menu has a different type of hotcakes. The one I had had brown butter curd, sour cream cheese..etc. The waitress did let me know that it takes a bit of time to make ~10mins. No worries, I was not in a rush. I also ordered a side of Kale salad to balance things out. The salad was as expected, the leaves not to tough and the dressing was good. It's pretty small, literally, a side. Don't order it as a main meal. While the hotcakes looked, the taste was not pleasing to my palate. The hotcakes were on a bed of white jelly like substance which totally freaked me out as I thought it was raw egg whites and I had to ask a staffer what it was made from. He returned later to say it's made from eucalyptus. Despite thing, I still couldn't enjoy it was too much like the texture of raw egg whites. The look and also the texture. I am NOT a fan of raw eggs in any way shape or form, so you can imagine how I felt eating around it. And this impregnated my mind with the fact that the hotcakes tasted "eggy". Ideally, I wanted to get another plate so I can take the hotcakes out of that substance but I couldn't get the attention of the staff so I just kept using my knife to remove it from the hotcake base. Payment is at the counter.
This is another one of the many cafes that you can pretty much find all over inner Melbourne. The cool thing about this cafe is that it is not on the main streets, which mean it doesn't get as crowded for your morning, before work, breakfast. Okay, I came here on a weekday, which is generally a better time if you actually want to have a seat. Okay, it wasn't one of my favourites, but it was still a pretty cool place, particularly since it is in one of the old warehouses that dot the areas. There were also some good options on the menu, but I basically went for what I like - the eggs benedict.
I found this place due to a quick google search of "best places in Melbourne for coffee and breakfast" Let me start by saying, they are most definitely not wrong about it. As a New Yorker, I come from the land of "please wait to be seated" and "that'll be a 30 minute wait" so I was unsure about how everything worked. However, the friendly staff greeted me right away and sat me at a communal table. Overall, the ambiance can be summed up with a simple word - COOL. Located in the chill suburb of Collingwood, this place is the perfect spot for a chill coffee and yummy brekkie! My server told me all about their single origin coffees and helped me choose (bc I'm V indecisive). They really aren't lying when they say that Melbourne is home to some of the best coffee in the world! For food - there are a variety of options that range from eclectic and different (kimchi avo toast, salmon pate, yougurt w/ berries, ovo, and celery) to brekki staples. I got the salmon pate and had nothing left to spare. A+++ from me.
I had just come off a plane from LA and had time to kill, and needed some good breakfast. I went for the cheese tomato croissant & a side order of bacon with 2 eggs. The croissant was heaven and tasted like something straight outta France (side note I've never been to France but I imagine it's taste like that). It was toasted perfectly & the cheese melted& and then the croissant had this faint sweet glaze on top that made it heavenly. the bacon & eggs were good too but that damn croissant Then the latte was so good I had two
A coffee gem... And my favorite cafe in the city! Proud Mary is a popular breakfast destination known for their exceptional quality coffee. But even if you are not much into coffee, come for their relaxing ambiance and delicious all-day breakfast menu. The interior was not exactly spacious, but the place is transformed into this fun and cozy brunch spot with a little industrial vibe to the design from mostly the applications of exposed red bricks. Their menu listed classic Aussie brekkie as well as lunch options. We ordered and shared: * Ricotta Hotcakes: This was probably best suited for those who enjoyed sweet kind of breakfast - two stacks of ricotta filled hotcakes garnished with orange caramel, raspberries, sour creams and caramelized mandarin, it was just decent overall. * Pork shoulder open sandwich: My favorite dish of them all. The pork was tender and flavorful combined with melted cheese and crunchy bread, delicious and this made my palate dance. * Smoked salmon scramble: Least favorite dish on our table, soggy scrambled eggs, mixed with cut-up smoked salmon, which tasted extremely fishy for my likings. * Potato hash w/ bacon: If you love potatoes, this would be a heavenly dish, just love how well-seasoned every component are, there won't be a bite where it's not flavorful. For my coffee, I got Proud Mary's exclusive, the Geisha - a dark roasted coffee, which not only tasted incredibly silky but also has lots of complexity... This beauty definitely worth the premium price tag of $15 per cup. Aside the allure of great coffee, the service was classy, the food was visually appeasing and love the inviting atmosphere... Proud Mary is a well worth visit.
Proud Mary is always busy. ALWAYS. Even on a Tuesday morning when normal people are at work they'll be pumping. I usually sit solo at the bar and drink my coffee wondering why everyone isn't at work... "who are these people?" I wonder while I look at them happily tucking in to the corn/quinoa/avo on toast or the big bowls of bircher muesli (which is rather good I might add). Coffee here comes any which way you like it. Order a simple latte and you'll be offered options when it comes to the beans they use. If you like to geek out over coffee then you can certainly do that here, but it's also not intimidating for those wanting just something simple. Pros: the coffee and awesome music. Cons: it's often frantic and noisy.
Mouth heaven. For the coffee and the food. I don't need to say anything about the coffee, it's damn good. And that's why you would come here in the first place. But oh the food! Start with the savoury yumminess of the lamb sandwich (tender lamb, buttery toasted bread, fine beetroot and aioli) and then round it out with the ricotta hotcakes with pistachios and poached fruit. The absolute highlight of the ricotta hotcakes was the lavender infused semi freddo. I had to stop and close my eyes for a little minute, without looking too crazy, just to let it melt in my mouth and enjoy the wonderful, aromatic flavour. What a way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Be there.
When you realise you've made it to Collingwood before 9am on a Saturday, quickly get yourself to Proud Mary! No line, no waiting! We walked straight through and were seated, our coffee orders promptly taken. We arrived one week before the menu went through it's seasonal change so there were a few items not available and some substitutions. I ordered the ricotta hotcakes with ginger maple syrup while my partner ordered the porridge. Now in hind sight, I wish I had of ordered a savoury dish. The ricotta hotcakes would of done well as a dessert for 2! A pillowy pancake floating in a bowl of ginger maple syrup, layered with poached pears and mascarpone. This monster was absolutely delicious! I definitely could not finish it on my own and was on a sugar high for the rest of the morning. The porridge was delicious also. After tasting it, I definitely could eat that for breakfast each and every morning. Another healthy portion, all meals are value for money at Proud Mary! Finally the coffee. Fantastically made! But then again, I didn't doubt it wouldn't be! We grabbed a couple croissants to go for afternoon tea before leaving - now I'm not sure where these come from but, my oh my, it was delicious! It gave the croissants in Paris a run for their money!
Proud Mary is a well-known Melbourne brunch establishment that I'm happy to report lives up to its reputation. I tried two dishes during my visit: the duck and fig salad and the roast mushroom dish. The salad was delicious. First and foremost, the duck was moist and flavourful. The figs pair well with the duck, and the greens and crumbled cheese round off the salad nicely. The roast mushrooms were also quite good. The dish features several portobello mushrooms, egg, toast, chipotle butter, and whipped goat cheese. The mushrooms tasted good on their own, but the butter and goat cheese add a little something that make the dish that little more enjoyable. Consider sitting at the counter where the drip coffee is made. It's enjoyable watching the baristas at work while they make various coffees, whether they be espresso-based drinks from the espresso machine, drips, or one of the other speciality coffees they make. The biggest negative of Proud Mary comes from its popularity: you're going to have to wait for a table. I arrived at 11am on a Saturday and had to wait 20 minutes, which admittedly wasn't too bad for good brunch.
Most disappointing brunch ever. I ordered the magic mocha for five bucks which contains mork chocolate and it was weak and barely had a coffee or chocolate flavour. The avocado dish for a whopping 18 bucks came sans tabbouleh salad or quinoa. It is literally an avocado cut in half topped with Pepita and roasted sunflower seeds served with two slices of dry toast and a chilli sauce that is not even hot or spicy. I had to do all the work. Scoop out the avocado (no spoon provided), spread it across my toast, put some seeds on top because they had fallen off and then put some weak chilli sauce on top. This dish max should cost 10 bucks. My friend thought her fish tacos were ok. And the other friend wasn't too impressed by her pork belly sandwich. Poor service. Was impossible to grab the waitress' attention and she couldn't even muster a smile. Our bottle of water was never replaced. We were never asked about our food even though we got there at around 2pm (no wait and not a busy time). Pro - they do split bills. Cons - everything else.
I started to give Proud Mary a 3-star review, and then realized that if not for the super hype around the place and the I realistically high expectations we had of it, I would give it 4-stars. We got there on a Sunday morning just before noon, this place is very popular even though it really does seem to be in the middle of nowhere. Put our names on the waiting list and waited for about 40 minutes for a table. The staff were not overly friendly, but perhaps it was because the place was so busy and cramped. Their "normal" coffee was superb, their soy coffee was downright awful. That said, I don't generally enjoy soy coffee, so maybe other people think it's good. The food was... Alright. Decent, tasty, but it didn't blow my socks off or leave me craving more. I had the potato hash, and my wife had the Frank and Beans. All in all, Proud Mary didn't live up to our expectations. Yes the vibe was good (if not a bit too noisy for our liking), yes the food was decent in quality and quantity, yes the "regular" coffee was superb, but overall, no socks were blown off, no letters were written home, and no "I'll be back"'s were mentioned.
Regarded by many as one of the benchmark speciality coffee cafes in Melbourne, Proud Mary is still going strong. After visiting for a few years now, this review has been a long time coming. Nestled in the back streets of Collingwood away from busy Smith Street, the cafe has found its home in base of an old red brick factory building with a simple logo sign adorning the doorway. Do not be worried about not finding it though, as Proud Mary has built its reputation enough to have people flocking in and out all day long. During peak weekend lunch periods it is almost always necessary to wait for a table to become available, though you may be lucky every now and then. Inside, community is key with most of the tables being communal with a few small tables, booths and window benches available. Probably the first thing one notices, however, is the giant espresso machine. This is a custom-built six group Synesso, a testament to their passion for quality coffee. Hanging above the machine on the wall is a blackboard listing the daily espresso options, usually three or four different single origins in addition to the usual blends. The staff regularly travel internationally right to the origin itself at the coffee farms in search of new, high quality beans. The food menu is equally full of choices with a range of breakfast and lunch options. In past years the menu has remained constant for months on end with the same but well proven dishes but recently there has been quite a few changes with some creative dishes. Current options include "Cotechino" - pork sausage, creamed fennel, crispy garlic, poached egg and sourdough, Ox Tongue with smoked almonds, crispy onion, peppers, poached egg and sourdough and Beef Cheek Burger with romesco sauce, guindilla peppers in a brioche bun and kipfler potato crisps. The old favourite pork belly sandwich has also evolved into a gorgeous juicy cut of pork belly on a bed of frekkah grain, green chilli yoghurt and almonds, which I had on this particular visit. These refreshed menu changes and ever changing coffee selection show that long time Proud Mary is very much still relevant and evolving in the world class Melbourne speciality coffee cafe culture.
12 years ago
First time visitor and Proud Mary nailed every element that a demanding Melbourne bruncher could wish for. Just lucky? I highly doubt it but the consistency test will require a few return visits to this Collingwood gem. It's got a really buzzy but friendly, truly laid-back vibe with smiling staff and a firm handle on all things coffee; sublime espresso & filter served here. My long black, a single origin Guatemalan was seriously delicious. It's a kind of place that's substance over style that makes me feel comfortable and looked after despite the throng of people. We ordered a crispy pork belly - tender & unctuous with singing happy porky flavour - served on a green chilli farro & almond salad, the spicy kick and nutty crunch wonderful. Also the potato hash, a bloody good rendition of it, with bacon, kale and bagna cauda (North Italian sauce made with plenty of butter, garlic and anchovies, possibly a touch of cream). The sauce by itself is delicious but for me a controversial guest at the hash & bacon love-in. I kept thinking why does my sauce taste like intensified seafood chowder?! Am I going crazy. I googled bagna cauda later. I'm a south of the Yarra resident, spoilt with plenty of good brunch choices but I'm happy to trek for good food, and my north-side neighbours are certainly dishing up a storm. Will be back! read more
Proud Mary is one of my favourite roasters and cafes for both food and coffee. When people ask what my favourite coffee is or cafes, Prouds always comes to mind. The coffee. Their roasting profiles are in the middle for the Melbourne scene, not too dark or light. Speaking generally, their coffees have a good balance between chocolate and brown sugar, fruits, and acidity. Their coffee menu is long. They have a house blend that rotates between the different blends they have created as the seasons change. They have 3 single origins for espresso that change seasonally. They also have a filter menu (there's a link on the menu to access it on your phone) which can have between 3 and 10 different filter options. Be warned, they are pricey. Single origin espresso can be 4.50 - 5.50. I've even seen $7. Filter can be from 7 - 20. These are some of the most amazing coffees being produced in the world so it's understandable. The problem is their staff have changed over the years and they just aren't that good any more. The coffee needs to be spot on otherwise why pay a premium for high quality when it tastes bad. The food. Ever changing seasonal menu. Great presentation, flavours, and variety. Almond porridge is fantastic but was not on the menu last visit. I don't think I've ever been disappointed with the food here. The cafe. Standard hipster vibe, but this is one of the original hipster cafes that was cool before the hipster said it was. Huge record collection so it's always sad when they are using an ipod instead. I love sitting up at the brew bar. Uncomfortable stools, but lovely black stone counter top, you can watch the baristas stroke their beards and make the occasional coffee. Overall I love Prouds. Even with the over-extracting, ipod playing staff. Prouds has always been there to educating me, feed me, and keep me drugged up on the good stuff (I mean coffee). read more
The venue is situated in an industrial area of Collingwood rather reminiscent of San Francisco's SOMA district. It sits in the backdrop of shiny and new apartment and loft complexes. We stumbled upon it since it lacked the any visible signage, but welcomed us with huge windows with patrons clamoring about inside. As you walk in, you see the main coffee bar, abound with coffee apparatus spanning cold-drips, pour-overs, and espresso machines. Multiple baristas hustling and bustling ticket orders for both takeaway and dine-in patrons. The shelves were stocked with freshly roasted Proud Mary beans, usually ranging from $14-$15 per bag. After perusing the shelves, we sat alongside the main front window counter seating. It was a packed house, but it was relatively easy to find a seat. It was an excellent view of your Sunday morning strolls, communal meet-up points, or patrons pulling in to grab their quick takeaway coffee. The breakfast menu comprised of 6-8 items that are in constant rotation. I decided to go with the hash and seasonal mushrooms for the lady. We ate both with our eyes and mouths. The dishes were both delicious and visually fantastic as shown by the pictures. Their usage of farm fresh ingredients shows in the dish. Portions were more than generous. We finished the breakfast off with house blend piccolo and a single origin strong flat white for the lady. The distinction between the house blend and single origin was great. We grabbed a bag of Ghost Rider ground for pour over on our way out. I wanted to recreate this Sunday smile with my own pour over, and to no avail, the grounds were of adequate consistency to replicate our coffee experience. read more
12 years ago
14 years ago
Servers were attentive and forth coming on how long we need to wait for the food. Even though I am in Melbourne when you walked in it feels like home, San Francisco. Same type of crowd and servers. Ordered Hotcakes it was delicious and fluffy, baked to perfection. Yes, it was baked worth the wait! Latte is my favorite coffee and my sister ordered cappuccino with soy we were both satisfied. read more
12 years ago
I popped in for an long relaxed coffee breakfast and wifi and was not disappointed. I had the ricotta hotcakes and they were amazing! You get a massive serving so best to share it with a friend. I stayed for over an hour and wasnt hassled by the staff at all. Music was a tad loud though. read more
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We're from Perth and the next time we visit Melbourne we are definitely coming back here again! The coffee was AMAZING and the food was tasty! We also highly recommend the cruffins....sooo good! read more
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