Porgie & Mr Jones

I really, thoroughly enjoyed the food here, and there are many items on the menu I’m keen to go back and try, but the service just kind of ruined the experience towards the end.
Out of a very many options we kept it simple with classic cheesy herb bread and a ham and cheese croissant (I was sold as soon as I saw it included bechamel) as well as some rather good coffees. Very happy with the food, our expectations exceeded, we wanted to extend the brunch session and keep sitting in the courtyard in the sun, we decided to ask for dessert menus and settled on scones.
And then we waited. And waited. No scones appeared. Eventually after we’d sat there for 30 or 40 minutes, we flagged down a waitress and said we’d cancel the order and could we have the bill. She said yes, then wandered off to get the bill. And didn’t come back.
After watching her do several loops around the courtyard refilling water bottles, tidying tables, and doing all sorts of things other than bring our bill, we finally got a different waitresses attention and about 20 minutes after first asking we finally got our bill. Not wanting to wait any more we just took it up to the front counter to pay on the way out. I’d probably still go back to try some of their other menu items but it’s a shame this shambles at the end of the meal (they were not that busy by this time) kind of ruined the experience.

I had to wait for a few minutes and to me the downside of waiting is waiting, but the upside is that it is an early indication of something really good. It was certainly a very good experience here for me today.
I went here midday and well into lunch hours, but who is going to have lunch when you can have such an amazing selection of breakfast menu. I had the «BIG Breakfast» two perfectly poached eggs, smashed avocado mushrooms on toast.
A café that does the cooking right, the service friend, is efficient, is big in size. There is nothing really left for me to complain about.

We came back to try breakfast at this place after enjoying the coffee so much. I must say that, having been to Snowpony and Friends of Mine (both owned by the same people), I was a little bored with the menu. That being said, the food was predictably delicious, fresh and flavoursome, and the coffee was amazing. The décor, as previously mentioned is perfection, and the service was good.

Oh Mr Porgie and Mr Jones. How much I like thee.
People who know me, know I am obsessed with smashed avocado for brunch, and these guys do it well. Multi grain toast with thyme buttered mushrooms, feta and a poached egg on top. Their coffee is also consistently good, and the cake display out front make my pupils dilate from excitement.
I do adore the garden out the back for a lazy brunch. Word of warning though — instead of grass there are pebbles and if you’re wearing stilettos it’ll be like an episode of Survivor trying to get in and out of there. Flatties rock for this reason.
BTW these guys only accept cash, so be prepared. That platinum AMEX won’ t work here #justsaying

Shakshouka is killer!

Who knew a salad could be so amazing?! The chickpea and cauliflower salad (with quinoa, almonds and feta) was close to perfection on a warm Melbourne day.
The Caesar salad was slightly less impressive given it was the same price and ensured my dining partner had food envy galore.
It wasn’t overly busy so thought service was a little slow but I’m putting this down to festive season fatigue.
A bit pricey for me to want to go back every week ($ 17.50 for a salad…) but looking forward to visiting again to try the impressive looking breakfast menu.

Very nice. Very nice indeed.
I came here for a late brunch with a friend earlier today. I came mainly for the coffee, but when she pointed out the bircher muesli on our way in, my mind was set. Good choice really, probably some of the best bircher muesli I’ve ever had. It was amazing. The coffee was quite nice also. Not the best I’ve had but still quite enjoyable nevertheless. We sat outside in the courtyard. It was a stoned area with several sets of tables and we were in the corner. The place had a nice feel to it to say the least. The only thing I really have against it is that they do not take cards. This caused the awkward situation where I had to duck outside to get some more cash.
All in all, this place is quiet nice and I highly recommend you try it out.

Late late late brunch, so we got a seat pretty quickly and had the panini each — which were delicious. Totally filling, so take a hungry rumbling stomach with you.
I ordered the long black single origin and I was underwhelmed. It was bitter, which was a disappointment. I’m putting this down to late in the day so will have to go back and try again another time.
I’ll be back on food alone.

Every time I come here, or their sister café Snow Pony, I never go past their Smashed Avocado with Thyme Buttered Mushrooms brekkie dish.
On one occasion I tried another dish — Shasouska? I asked if it had a lot of onion and she said no and it came out with LOADS of onion. Not fun for the belly. Apart from the onions, it was a pretty tasty dish. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the pita bread it came with seemed home made and really fresh.
Coffee is always great but the strainer that comes with the tea is interesting. Took me a while to figure it out, who would have thought?!? Glad to say i’m a pro at it now…

Nice looking place but chronically disorganised. Food takes forever to come out, at least one order will be wrong, and it will be cold.
Maybe they were having an off day, but no café can afford an off day anymore.

This place is good, really good. They do everything well. Coffee, food, service, atmosphere. If the weather is good aim for a table in the courtyard out the back, the established trees and herb garden make for a lovely backdrop.
Get here early if you don’t want to wait for a table. But if you do have to wait, wander down to the newsagents and pick up the paper or a mag. Also it’s a good time to visit the ATM next door as Porgie & Mr Jones are cash only.
I love going out for breakfast as there are always so many vegetarian options, and Porgie gets the balance between meat and vego, sweet and savoury right. On each of my visits there has been something for everyone. Plus they serve things in jars which is always a hit with my interstate visitors!
Can’t wait coz you are in a hurry? Grab some takeaway.
Having a lazy day? Wait, it’s worth it.

A great place to take your Nanna.
I’ve been to Porgie’s a few times, although Porgie’s sibling, Snow Pony is much closer to home (Friends of Mine, the other sibling in Richmond, is on my list to get to sometime).
But despite being related, and having EXACTLY the same menu, they feel pretty different. Not quite as different as Arnie and Danny in Twins… but different.
For me, Porgies has a more formal feel than Snow Pony. Because of its more formal feel, the next time I take Nanna out for morning team, we’ll come to Porgies. It’s too formal for me, and probably not formal enough for Nanna, but something we could both live with for an hour or so.
My Nanna likes cups of tea and scones, served on tables covered with doilies. If you are having lunch then finger sandwiches are a must, with the crusts cut off of course.
I love coffee and prefer casual laid-​back experiences (my love of iceberg lettuce probably gives this away).
Porgies manages to have a little bit of both and largely gets away with it. Nana would gasp at the idea of sharing the long table with other people we don’t know or haven’t been formally introduced to («Are we in Oliver Twist’s orphanage?»), so I’d have to get us a table in the «good room» where table-​cloths are the order of the day. (what is the purpose of table cloths anyway??)
The coffee is good and comes promptly. The latte I had was silky smooth and at the right temperature. Nana could order tea while telling me why that young man (barista) should shave his beard. (I won’t tell Nanna I want to grow one just like it.)
But bless Nanna, she makes a mean porridge. (Which is something that Porgie’s /​Snow Pony and most likely Friends of Mine DOESN’T serve… automatic one star deduction).
Finally, Porgies is cash only (read my review of Snow Pony for my thoughts on this…)

Walking into Porgie & Mr Jones was a surprising experience in itself. The small café front is deceiving. The waitress asked if we wanted to be seated outside and thank goodness we said yes! The outdoor area has a beautiful décor, from the artificial grass to the umbrellas.
The food is just as awesome, with breakfast served all day! The flavours are vivid and the portions are large. It is a little expensive but you get what you pay for! I can’t wait to come back and try more of the items on the menu!

I may have had the most delicious breakfast of my life at this café today.
I live very locally and an not generally one to do breakfasts out however a friend suggested we get a big breakfast and I suggested Porgies.
We arrived at about 1:30 and luckily did not have to wait for a table. Was a small table (no space to read a newspaper however).
Service was quick and attentive. I had the delicious hot chocolate and my friend had the iced coffee which he said hit the spot.
In the end I decided to order the Smashed avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms and feta with an optional poached egg. It came out looking rather big interesting… and apon my first bite I was in breakfast heaven.
Mushrooms and I dont usually get along. I find them fascinating however their texture can turn me off a fair bit. I usually ‘tolerate’ them… however in this dish with the delicious thick crunchy bread, beautiful smooth avocado and contrasting feta flavours — these mushrooms were delicious. I may now eat more mushrooms in my life after this dish…
The prices are not the cheapest however this is Hawthorn East and they use quality ingredients so its justified. All I know is that I’ll be remembering this delicious dish for a very long time — who doesn’t love a good food memory :)

3 of us popped in at midday on a Sunday, and very pleased that we didn’t have to wait for a table, considering this place is always jumping. Communal tables help to seat everyone, which is fine by me. I definitely got excited by the big breakfasts being ordered around me, as the meal size was big and the ingredients looked fresh. But then we discovered there was a second side to the menu, and I finally opted for a cheeky chicken parma for breakfast! PMJ’s take on the parma is a good one, with a few extra ingredients appearing the sauce, and the rocket salad served on top was far superior to any side salad I’ve had a with a parma in the past. I would have loved a side of fries with it, but that would be getting a little greedy. Coffee was great too. Would break my fast here every weekend if I lived in the area.

This place is expensive. I’ve yet to visit enough to gauge the level of service offered, because of the prices. The décor is cool and menu interesting, but ouch those prices!

So after my mate and mine’s regular coffee and food joint was sold to new owners and subsequently went to cowshit, it was mutually decided that we needed to find somewhere else that was as perfect as our old place.
Enter P+Mr J’s. It’s cosy, has seating ranging from simple bar stools to padded armchairs, and the place smells good.
The food’s good too. I ordered a lentil salad with the hope that it wasn’t going to be a boiled split pea and a careless garnish kind of deal, and my expectations were exceeded many, many times over.
Porgie and Mr J’s is a place where you can tell they sat down with a menu, tweaked it and tasted it and refined it until the wastepaper basket was overflowing and the family was completely sick of eating variations of egg on bread for a month straight for the sake of science. And the end product really is worth the effort.
The lentils themselves were cooked to al dente and bursting with buttery richness. Celery and candied walnut added a bitter contrast to the sweet tartness of baby beetroot chunks, while OH GOD THE CREAM GOATS CHEESE. Creamy spoonfuls of tart deliciousness were generously dolloped everywhere with equally generous cracked pepper on top and as much fresh parsley as one could handle. Every bite was delicious and the flavours complemented and resonated perfectly with each other.
A simple plate of lentils had been transformed into a flavour explosion which I happily destroyed with my mouth. My dish was not impervious to scrutiny on my fork and then criticism, however. Every now and then I would unearth a large, limp leaf of basil which would swing pathetically on the end of my fork, dislodging split peas everywhere, and then fall wetly onto the plate, devoid of life and gastronomic appeal.
The dish could have also benefited from a less enthusiastic offering of flat parsley. Parsley is good. Parsley is tasty, and a good remedy for garlic breath. Parsley is not so good when fending it off in order to scoop something to eat instead of another parsley leaf.
D really enjoyed his steak sandwich, I didn’t try it but the cheese grease and the eye fillet juices running down the bread along with caramelised onion and egg yolk looked pretty darn tasty.
The coffee this time round was relatively disappointing. My double ristretto was delivered promptly but somehow missing most of the crema. It was also quite thin and not the flavour explosion that I had built an expectation up from, from the quality of the food. As the quality of the beans was clearly evident it is possible that P+Mr J’s merely had a barista on shift whose tastes differ from mine.
However it is apparent that Porgie and Mr J’s is a place that’s worth visiting again. The pace is relaxed but efficient, the food is superb, and proof of that excellence is the amount of notes in the tip saucer. Clearly other diners were as happy with Porgie and Mr J’s as I was.
Keen on the risotto of buttered leeks, fava beans, Mauri gorgonzola and porcini dust for next time.

My favourite place in Melbourne!
It’s a very laid-​back and comfortable place with terrific brekkie and delicious sweet treats. Everyting I’ve eaten and drunk, I’ve loved eggs, bread, cheeses
Sadly, I’ve never managed to go there for dinner, but I’m sure it’ll be just as good.
The staff is very courteous and friendly if you find a spot, you can even stay to read a book and enjoy a fabulous flat white.
Unfortunately, it gets full quickly, so you might want to book in advance depending on how many you are.
It is a very cozy, great place to be. Alone, with a date or a group. I wish I could have put it into my suitcase when going back home to Germany.

I wish I had discovered Porgie & Mr Jones when I was still at Swinburne, If I had I would have been here every day. This is defiantly one of my new favourite places to come for brunch.
They have some fantastic recycled wood furniture in the front section of the café which also displays a selection of preserves and other things that you can buy as souvenirs to remind you of the delicious experience had here. If you are lucky enough to come on a nice day and get a table out the back you will walk through a dining room style setting, past the open kitchen to an unexpectedly large courtyard filled with sculptures and plants.
Reading the menu is first food for the mind as it is filled with little quotes and stories about the produce. Once you have decided what to enjoy your order will be taken by one of the many very prompt a friendly staff. Most recently I had the Dukkah eggs which were perfectly cooked and left me wanting more.

As soon as I saw the Virginia Woolf quote across the top of Porgie & Mr Jones menu, I knew it was my kind of place. It’s a smart, warm café that does thigh-​slappingly good breakfasts — it is just a pity it is stuck out in suburban Hawthorn!
Although it was The Age’s recommendation of the McPorgie (a gourmet reinterpretation of the McMuffin) that inspired me to take the trip out to P & MJs, I ended up ordering the smashed avocado with thyme buttered mushrooms instead, and I’m glad I did. It is a crazy delicious way to start the day! I also had multiple coffees, all great, and ate a bit of my friend’s banana bread with mascarpone (it was so good I swore). I’m really keen to come back and try their dinners (Friday and Saturday nights only).
The café itself is pokey in a good way, with the back room feeling more like you’re in a house than a shop. They do have a courtyard at the rear but it was full when I visited so we had to eat inside. The service was excellent, with the only draw back being that they don’t accept payment by card.