Let’s be honest – there’s really not a lot better than a quiet work day, with time for a lunch break with a girlfriend at a cosy, beautiful little cafe. And last Friday, I got to do just that!   In my last week of work, my colleagues were off to a leadership training day. I should have been going along, but my resignation from work 2 weeks earlier meant that instead, I stayed behind to hold the fort with another few staff members. That was ok with me though – it was a beautiful, sunny day, and my friend Poo (who I’ve known for…. almost 21 years now!) had just arrived home from a big overseas holiday! I decided to start work bright and early at 7:30am so I could make time for a quick, hour-long lunch date with Poo at local all-day breakfast eatery, Miss Marie.

Miss Marie is a little cafe run by Vanessa and Paul, a husband and wife team who decided they had what it took to run a successful cafe in the otherwise quiet suburb of Rosanna. I thought I’d be good and organised, and emailed the cafe a few days before to see if they could cater for my gluten free-ness – to my enormous surprise, the email I received back from Vanessa the owner, turned out to be an old high school-mate of mine! Wow! Small world! After 10 or so back and forth emails, I discovered that Vanessa and her husband Paul, both big coffee lovers, were looking for a new venture after selling a previous restaurant business. They scoured Melbourne, hunting down the best coffee, before a little shop came up for lease in Vanessa’s home town of Rosanna. They jumped at the opportunity and here we are, Miss Marie!   But, back to lunch. At 12:35pm, I left the beautiful sunlight and walked on into the cafe, finding Poo at a little table with some gorgeous retro fittings and freshly picked flowers.

Ricotta Hotcakes, $15.00

They are thick, fluffy, soft, and swimming in a sweet, syrupy lake. I can’t help myself (naturally), and grab a forkful. It tastes every bit as amazing it it looks! The hotcakes are perfectly cooked and melt in my mouth, and are perfectly complimented by the ricotta and maple syrup.

Veg Brekkie, $16.00

I can’t tell you what the mushrooms were sauteed in (butter, would be my guess…), but they were hands down THE BEST mushrooms I have EVERhad. No joke. The relish was the next most amazing thing on the plate – it was perfect and sweet and tomato-ey, but not overpowering. A mouthful of egg + avocado + mushroom + relish = absolute heaven. I was also veryyyy impressed with the generous serving of avocado – in my cafe breakfast experience, I find they’re usually a little stingy with the avocado. Not so here. And my eggs were cooked perfectly!

Absolutely could not have been any happier with my brekkie-lunch. The service was friendly and prompt, the food beautiful and fresh, and the atmosphere kind, friendly and welcoming. Back off to work I went an hour later, tummy full, smile on my face, and already planning a return trip with Sous-Jeff. Upon seeing these photos later on that night, it was pretty easy to convince him that he needed to be taking me out for breakfast, and soon.   Full disclosure, and not because it’s a friend’s cafe, it was a truly amazing food experience, and I genuinely cannot remember the last time I had that good a cafe breakfast. For lunch.

Would rate it 9 out of 10.

Tags: Breakfast, Cafe, cafe latte, eggs, hotcakes, Review, ricotta, vegetarian