If you’recraving a sweet treat for brunch, there is little more satisfying than adelicious french toast! Essentially bread soaked in eggs and then fried, thereis certainly skill involved in making sure the bread of choice (i’m impartial toa brioche) has been well egg-ified, that the egg has been cooked throughproperly (no one wants raw egg and bread), but also that the bread is stillnice and fluffy inside (drool) and most importantly, that there is a deliciouscrispy outer crust.
For thoseinterested in a little bit of French Toast history, the earliest knownreference to is in the apicius (a collection of latin recipes dating to the 4th or 5thcentury). there are also known German and Scandanavian recipes from the 14thcentury, and mentions in 15th century English writings. So perhaps, not so French after all!? Regardlessof heritage, this has got to be one of my favourite brunch dishes, and here aresome of my top spots in Melbourne where you can try your own.
Brioche French Toast withvanilla poached pears, caramel sauce + double cream. This is one seriously thick piece of brioche which has been toasted toperfection – the perfect balance of egginess but with crispiness on theoutside. the caramel sauce is sweet and delicious, without being too gluggy orover-reduced. And those pears… OMG – delicious! Perfectly poached, sweet andslightly golden. Presentation was simple + it may not look like much; but putit all together and the taste was unbelievable. If you’re a french toast fan,then you are missing out until you’ve tried this one.
Brioche French Toast withspiced apples, pain d’épices crumb, blueberry gel, caramelized pecans + vanillamascarpone. Pretty as a picture and beautiful complimenting flavours. This dishis not overly sweet like some french toasts + the crunch of the walnuts aredivine.
Brioche French Toast withfresh figs + strawberries, cinnamon sauce + pistachios. This weekend special hit the mark in every way! Beautiful presentation! Thelittle cup of cinnamon cream in the middle was so cute, and the figs looked sobeautiful on the plate! The taste was not overly sweet, but the combination ofthe beautiful fresh brioche perfectly toasted + the fresh figs and strawberrieswas outstanding. The crunch of the pistachios was beautiful + the mint (astroke of genius!) really lifted the dish. And then, for me, the thing totie it all together: the cinnamon sauce! It was the consistency of aslightly thickened pouring cream, beautifully smooth and creamy, and the tasteof the cinnamon was really evident. Totally satisfying + enjoyable!
4. Hardware Societe, Melbourne CBD
Fried brioche with raspberrycheesecake, pistachio meringue + fresh berries. Pink + flirty this brioche withraspberry cheesecake was light + playful. Not overly sweet, the cream cheese ofthe cheesecake added a lovely balance to the meringue. Brioche was golden +fluffy and the fresh berries were lovely. A seriously huge serve – attempt thisone with a big appetite!
5. Chez Dre 2, South Melbourne
I admit to coming back for more than one of thesebad babies!
Brioche French Toast house made brioche, seasonal fruit +vanilla mascarpone. Well balanced – this French Toast isn’t drowned in maplesyrup and the rhubarb creates an excellent contrast to the crunchy candied nutsand sweet pear.
Coco Pop + Salted Caramel French Toast with coco pop cream pat, vanilla ice-cream, salted caramel,honeycomb + raspberry crunch. This was like combining my favourite childhood cereal with my favouriteadult breakfast! the toast was crispy and crunchy around the corners, but softand fluffy on the inside. My favourite part was the crunch of the coco pops andhoneycomb. And the dehydrated raspberries added a really intense flavour. Theice-cream wasn’t really necessary, but the coco pop cream pat had a lightchocolate undertone to it.
7. Gas Eatery and Supplies, South Melbourne
French Toast with salted caramel and grilledbanana. Whilst not the best presentation, this french toast is packed fullof sweet goodness. The bread was egged and grilled just perfectly – soft andbuttery on the inside – dusted with cinnamon sugar and topped with saltedcaramel and grilled banana.
Needless tosay, Melbourne is flush with french toast options to suit any sweet tooth outthere! Enjoy!
P.S. Some othernotable mentions:
Auction Rooms, North Melbourne – bruleefrench toast
Industry Beans, Fitzroy – coconutcrusted brioche french toast
Loading Dock, Docklands – french toastwith caramelized banana
