One of my favourite things about living in Collingwood/Fitzroy is the abundance of quality cafes dotted through the backstreets. It means that not only is there no shortage of great food, but if one place is full you can hopefully find a seat at another cafe nearby! Recently we’ve been trying out a few cafes that we’ve walked past a million times but never ventured inside, and that’s how we ended up at Ici one Sunday morning. The place was packed and although there were a few seats free outside we didn’t fancy contending with the wintery wind that was blowing so were happy to wait for a table inside. Luckily one became free within moments of getting there, so we happily squeezed ourselves into the crowded back room. We must have timed it perfectly as we saw quite a few people arrive in pairs not long after we were seated, only to be told there wasn’t anything available!
I started with my usual soy flat white which was really good – a well made coffee is definitely a key ingredient to brunch! B had his English Breakfast Tea which got the thumbs up as well. Nothing worse than ordering tea and getting a standard tea-bag, but it was tea leaves all the way here!
The menu had quite a few vegetarian friendly options on both the sweet and savoury side of things, including some vegan choices such as scrambled tofu. B went with a serve of fried eggs ($9) with added mushrooms ($4) and goats curd ($5), which came with sourdough bread. He was more than happy with the offering – the eggs were well cooked and the bread was particularly good as well.
I went with the Vegetarian Baked Eggs which was described as coming with roast tomato, roast mushrooms, avocado, baked beans & spinach ($19.50). I was expecting something more like a shakshuka but what arrived was a pan with all the ingredients in it separately. It was still really tasty, although I did realise halfway through that there wasn’t actually any avocado. Ah well, there was more than enough food there as it was!
We were both very full and satisfied when we finished our meals, and very grateful we were able to nab a table. It’s probably slightly pricier than some of the other cafes of a similar quality in the area, but not outrageously so. I spied on some of the food arriving at other tables while we waited and there were a number of dishes that looked pretty delicious – including the french toast and the porridge, so we might have to make a return trip once we have worked our way through some more of the cafes in the area!
Do you have any favourite cafes you think I should try out? I’d love to hear some suggestions!
(Related: If you are looking to get a coffee machine installed at your workplace, then be certain to visit the site and choose from their range of coffee machines, customised to suit all your caffeine needs)
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I Spy Plum Pie is Liz, an early 30s kiwi-born, Melbourne raised girl who is passionate about the environment and sustainability, food, exploring and learning new things. Join me on my journey to a happy, sustainable life!