I honestly would not recommend joining the crazy queues for Top Paddock, where you’re likely to fork out >30AUD pp for a meal that imho completely doesn’t warrant the price. Would you wanna pay AUD26 for chilli scrambled eggs and like one strip of thick cut bacon? Mind you, the portion’s smaller than average brunch plates in Melbourne too. We tried more than 3/4 of their menu, and of everything we had the Coconut Chia Pudding (AUD18.50) was the only dish we unanimously enjoyed — which says a lot coming from Singaporeans with not-so-innovative brunch options back home.
After getting lost, walking under the blazing sun and queued for approx 30mins to get a table.. I got to say I'm slightly disappointed with the Blueberry Ricotta Hotcake [AUD 19.50] which turns out slightly dry inside but it still retains the crispy exterior.
Anyway, finally tried Top Paddock's blueberry and ricotta Hotcake AUD$19.50. It was as good as the one I had in SG but this was slightly dry though. So let's enjoy the last day of 2015 folks. 😎
Despite being at one of our favourite Melbourne cafes, this morning we both ordered the same thing and were both slightly disappointed with the lacklustre breakfast we had. On the menu, it sounded great! Slow cooked Kurobuta pork shoulder w pork crackling, house pickles, Asian leaves and habenero aioli in a bao bun. When it arrived, pork was slightly dry, crackling and bun slightly soggy. Should have stuck with the famed hotcakes or soft shell crab instead! 😑 #melbournelife #melbourneeats #breakfast
The Australian take on the kong bak pau ;P Beautifully braised pork that was also a little reminiscent of pulled pork, accompanied by a medley of fresh sweet greens and...deep fried pork skin! What a surprise!
Beautifully cooked snapper that was crisp and savoury on the outside and deliciously moist inside. Accompanied by the perfect sunny side-up 🍳 seated atop a corn tortilla, creamy ripe avocado, cherry tomatoes 🍅, and various leaves. This dish really embodied the Australian way of cooking with the freshest and best ingredients. Plus, look at this delightful plating!
Trendsetter
The place that every Singaporean who visits Melbourne would rave about, Top Paddock is definitely the first of its kind cafe that melds together the concept of food, furnishings, and fanfare. The cafe looks sleek and simple with the use of plain colours, with the wooden finishings and plant decorations adding an element of pleasnatness - an interior design synonymous to most cafes right now.
Top Paddock has a wide range of menu from breakfast to lunch to pastries but perhaps the most popular and the thing I've been waiting for is to try their Berry Ricotta Hotcakes ($19), which I'm pretty certain was where Paddy Hills and Stranger's Reunion originated their idea from. The look of the hotcakes didn't disappoint, as it was fluffy and flavorful, being really generous with their servings as well. A must must must try on your visit to Melbourne, even for just this one dish. The coffee here was surprisingly unpleasant though, being bitter and flat - perhaps it was just my cup.
Address: 658 Church Street, Richmond VIC 3121
(South-East of CBD)
Most convenient location as Tram 8 stops right outside the cafe.
I can't tell much of the subtleties but surprisingly this was my least favourite coffee out of the lot. The coffee was flat and slightly bitter. Thankful for the milk content in my flat white to balance it out.
Similar to the hotcakes found at Paddy Hills and an even more uncanny resemblance to Stranger's Reunions hotcakes with the purple sugar. I'm pretty sure the cafes in Singapore took one out of Top Paddock's book. Although I haven't tried Stranger's hotcakes, the hotcakes here soar above the ones at Paddy Hills. The hotcakes here did NOT taste like a giant madeline; instead, it was soft, fluffy, airy, with crispy sides and exterior, plus the batter tasted really delicious. Moreover, the blueberries and ricotta inside the hotcake were flavorful compared to the ones at Paddy Hills which were sour. The double cream on the top was generous and tasted like butter with a softer and creamier texture. Its gotten popular and mainstream, but still I would think its worth a try.
Heartiness (portion): 4/5
Tastiness (product): 5/5
Worthiness (price): 3/5
16/05/15
Cool vibes and great food ensure this place draws huge crowds of locals and tourists even on week day mornings. On the day we went we spotted ex-Masterchef Australia contestant Sarah Todd. The de rigeur flat white was the best so far we'd had in Melbourne, surprising given Melbourne's reputation for coffee(The coffee we tried so far was only average or sub-par).
Chorizo, pickled onions, peppers, basil, bacon, Adelaide green tomatoes, poached eggs & relish on toast. Top Paddock's Top Paddock is their version of the big breakfast and boy is it bang on. This massive brekkie eschews the usual suspects like baked beans and hash brown in favour of the various vegetables that add crunch, acidity and heat to compliment the richness of the bacon, egg and chorizo.
Happy Friday! On this day last week I first tried Top Paddock's ricotta hotcakes, and they, were, AMAZING. We ordered them because they were pretty as a picture, but I wasn't expecting such a taste revelation from what was essentially a supersized pancake. Luscious berries scattered atop a burnished golden brown hill of pillowy hotcake goodness, studded with sweet, melty blueberries like goldmines on a mountainside, gently soaking in a pool of pure organic maple syrup, absorbing its mellow sweetness. Savour it as your knife glides through the fluffy cake like hot iron through butter, then spread the lavender sugar specked double cream over your portion for an extra dose of decadence. The sunflower and pumpkin seeds add much needed texture to what can be quite an overwhelmingly rich dish. What a winner.
Fresh qld. Soft shell mud crab roll with a fennel and dill salad and lime mayonnaise in a brioche bun 👌👌
Blueberry and ricotta hotcake with berries, organic maple, seeds and double cream.
Pan fried local snapper w chilli fried egg, avocado, tomato, lime & a corn tortilla
Fresh QLD. soft shell mud crab roll w fennel & dill salad & lime mayo in a brioche bun.
Blueberry and ricotta pancake after a healthy paleo brunch. This is the BEST dessert I ever had in Melbourne, and the BEST pancake in my whole life. No kidding. Super pretty presentation!Fluffy texture with crispy edges pancake, had this with double servings of double cream. No regrets. BEST EVER.
Name of this dish - Top Paddock. Phenomenally delicious and beautifully plated. Lost count of the number of eggs that I had murdered.
