Little Henri

Little Henri is a quaint and not-so-little cafe located on the intersection of Dundas Street and High Street, Thornbury. In my high school years, I used to drive past this location almost everyday. To see the area bloom dramatically with supermarkets, high rise apartments and reputable cafes and restaurants brings me much joy. How cute at the silhouettes on the side of the cafe? They definitely attracted my attention when I drove past.

Cappucino. Tiny ass mug! I could've had that all in one sip.

Best friend typically orders an orange juice whenever she eats brunch. The jar looks like it's from hoisin sauce. Little Henri serves organic orange or apple juice at $4 a glass, or in this case, a jar. 

Don't laugh but this is a picture of me filling out my diary that my good friend Anna gifted for Christmas last year. It's a blank notebook which says on the cover 'CHEFS I MET AND LIKED'. I'm trying to utilise it as much as I can because I have the memory of a fish. The pen is from Red Nose Day to support kids with SIDS. I look like I'm sleeping but I swear I'm not!

Pretty items on the communal bench.

If you want to learn a fun fact about me... it's that I never order salads at a restaurant. EVER.

For a young lady, I have a very big appetite and I don't really understand the concept of going to a restaurant to order a salad when you can make that at home for half the price. When ordering a salad at a restaurant, I always think of one scene and that was in White Chicks when one of the sisters were being woo'ed by Terry Crews... refer to the GIF below ;)

Lo and behold, Little Henri was the exception to ordering a salad at a restaurant. I should learn to never say never. The salad had one main ingredient that I was particularly fond of, that being DUCK. At the time, I didn't feel like something heavy so I went for the salad. It was more like a 'goi' which is a Vietnamese salad. I applaud Little Henri for getting all the flavours and textures right, but maybe they could reduce some of the onion as I am not a big fan of the vegetable. There weren't many duck pieces which was rather disappointing considering the price I was paying for it. 

Thai Duck Salad $17.00

With Asian slaw, ginger, lemongrass and snowpea tendrils. How refreshing!

BIG BOY BREAKY ($19.90)

This dish was highlighted in a red box on the menu. My initial thought that it would be MASSIVE and aesthetic to the eyes when it was served. I'm sad to say that it was not. The presentation was mediocre. For the price that you pay, you would think that the chefs would be a bit more generous with the portions. Try and avoid this dish if you're planning on visiting Little Henri as I don't want others to be disappointed with something that is meant to be 'big'. 

Delicious poached egg perfection! Eggporn much?

Cute, quirky presentation throughout the cafe. It suits the Northcote / Thornbury scene so much! The place also serves alcohol (as you can see from the wine cellar in the background).

The outdoor courtyard. I loved the simplicity of the open spaces. If it weren't too cold/windy on the day, I probably would have opted to sit outside because it looks so cute and natural sunlight for my photos would be fantastic! ;)

I will begin my overview of Little Henri by saying that I would definitely return based on their extensive food menu and quality service from the waiters. The coffee (pictured above) was strong and delicious, however, the mug size is a BIT too small for my liking. I probably wouldn't classify "Little Henri" as a cheap eats location, but I would definitely recommend that you have a look if you're a lover of brunch.

Little Henri
Address: 850 High Street Thornbury 3071
Contact: 94848857
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm, 8:30am-4pm on Sat/Sun for breakfast and lunch sittings, and dinner on Fri/Sat from 6pm to late.
Price: $$$ - CASH HONLY
Website: http://littlehenri.com.au/

Coin Laundry Cafe

I am currently suffering from the winter blues which means that I am GLUED to the heater, I am LAYERED up in clothes like a fat eskimo and waking up at 6am for work without sunlight shining through my windows is slowly becoming a difficult routine every morning. However, with this being said, the weather doesn't stop me from travelling far distances for good food in the rain, hail or shine ;)

Today my good friend (who I shall name Banana) and I ventured to the upper east side for Coin Laundry Cafe in Armadale. I've only ever been to Armadale twice in life, the first was to go wedding dress shopping with my sister and the second was to go op-shopping with Banana in high school. Armadale is really out of the way from my area and driving down Hoddle Street / Punt Road makes you wish that our public transport was more efficient or that we could teleport or fly. Traffic wasn't as stressful as I thought it would be which was a relief. There was a short wait because being the princess that I am, all the tables were full (except for a space on the bench with stools but 1. I have really bad posture and 2. I want to be able to talk with privacy without people staring at me or listening to my conversations.

Look how cute the rainbow looks in the background!

Calmer sutra chai ($5.00) and Freshly squeezed OJ ($5.50)

Didn't want to order a coffee because it was too late in the afternoon and I needed to sleep before work the next day. The chai latte was delicious! 

Apart from the extensive Winter Menu for breakfast and lunch, there is a specials board on the wall which is about 6/7 items. The omelette that Banana ordered and the Wagyu burger I ordered was on the specials, just in case you were trying to find it on the menu ;) The prices was relatively "standard" for brunch so expect to pay roughly $25 pp. You get what you pay for. I will definitely come back to try the quinoa tuna salad or the sweet corn fritters because rumour has it that those dishes are delish!

*SPECIALS* Banana's omelette with salmon - $18

Banana ordered this dish so I only got to try a little bit. Omelette, rocket and salmon is generally a safe dish and goes well together. The omelette was actually bigger than I thought, all dat protein!

*SPECIALS* JAPANESE WAGYU BURGER with kewpie mayo, eggs bacon cheese and veggies - $19

OH MY GOD! This was the first dish I saw when I walked in and I knew instantly that I had to have it. I'm a sucker for hot chips (yes, I know, they're really bad for you but everything is bad for you these days) and the herb salt on it was DELICIOUS! One of the best I've had, almost on par with Grill'd. Eating the burger was definitely a challenge. I had to take the bacon out because it was the crappy part of bacon but the actually wagyu patty was MASS-IVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely would recommend to all burger lovers. The only thing that bothered me that it was too big to eat and the juices were dripping onto my chips and made some of them soggy. 

The "coin laundry" washing line hehe very cute!

I didn't get to take many photos because my camera was on 2% and died shortly after. The Coin Laundry is very small but quaint. It's very good if you're grabbing a quick coffee (as it is right next to Armadale station) or for a lunch catch up with friends. I strongly would recommend this place to everyone, even if you don't eat breakfast. Breakfast IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY so try not to skip it! 

Coin Laundry Cafe
Address: 61 Armadale Street Armadale 3143
Contact: 9500 3143
Hours: Everyday 7am - 4:30pm
Price: $$ and a half
Website: http://www.coinlaundrycafe.com.au/