On Tuesday my lovely boyfriend and I ventured to a new cafe that I had heard so much about: Demitri’s Feast in Richmond. Oh my goodness. It was heaven on a stick then, and after heading back today, only four days later, with my parents, I can assure you that nothing has changed. It is to die for. Heeeeeaven.
Last time I tried the baclava french toast (deserving winner of the Age Cheap Eats Guide 2010’s Breakfast of the Year) and my better half had the scrambled eggs. The french toast comes with Greek yoghurt, walnuts and orange honey sauce – I’m not too sure how they work the baclava in, but the toast isn’t too eggy or flaky with pastry. It’s like a cake, and I can’t think of a much better breakfast.For those of you who don’t know (which I’m sure is a dwindling minority), this is a Greek-inspired little gem located on Swan St. The owner, Demitri (or Jimmy as he calls himself) has done a great job of making the place feel like authentic Greece. I swear, you feel like you in Corfu the moment you step into their beautiful courtyard. With olive oil tins as seats (padded, of course) and overflowing hanging plants all around, it is the perfect setting to indulge in some of the beautiful treats on offer.
The scrambled eggs are also delicious and they manage to put an interesting twist on an old classic. Served on light sourdough bread and with cooked cherry tomatoes still on their vines, the eggs are fluffy and topped with crumbly goat’s cheese. You can tell they really value great food and put just as much emphasis on beautiful presentation. Have a sneak preview here (mind you, my camera phone doesn’t quite do it justice):
Today I again had the french toast (so that my parents could try it – I am hanging out for the semolina pancakes though), dad had the scrambled eggs and mum had the spanakopita. Delicious. Light and tasty and perfect.
We had a chat to one of the waiters who turned out to be Demitri, as he was wearing a Liverpool shirt and my dad loves his soccer. When we we went to pay, dad informed him that he was the coach of the Preston soccer club years ago, and Demitri knew his name. He then proceeded to take down three shot glasses, and gave my dad, my mum and myself a shot of ouzo each. Love it! We downed it like fiends. We were already planning on a return visit, but that really sealed the deal. All of the staff that helped us were really friendly and not snobby at all. The food is delectable, but affordable. Such a great find.
We then had a peek around Dimmey’s and managed to find some great bargains. $8.00 towels! $1.00 duster! So much good stuff in there – Richmond really is a great area. It’s funny how one great cafe experience can convince you to move to that area, but I feel like that is what Demitri’s Feast has done. There is a great vibe about Richmond, and I think it would be an exciting place to live.
That said, it is nice to be home too. I love having a Sunday off! And I love my local shops. I’ve been to a few careers fairs this week and have started applying for jobs, so it seems that I may be moved out by the end of the year. Which is why I love making the most of living in such a great area, and where I know the staff of the shops I frequent. The small business way of doing things really appeals to me.
I’m off to do some spring cleaning, I hope you’re having as a lovely a Saturday as I am!
UPDATE: My boyfriend and I visited the fabulous Demitri’s Feast again yesterday (6th July), as we had been hanging out to treat ourselves to their beautiful breakfast. Again, I had the baclava french toast (heaven), my boyfriend had the scrambled eggs, and then afterwards we (or mainly, I) decided to also order the cinnammon crumble with poached pear. It was nothing like I expected – it was a million times better. I was expecting a cinnammon crumble, filled with the pear, but instead the pear was nestled on a bed of crumble and edible rose petals. Have a look for yourself:
Incredible, no? The pear was soft an juicy, the yoghurt tangy and the cinnammon crumble and rose petals crunchy and beautiful. Their presentation really is second to none, and our waitress was fabulous as well. Jimmy was there again, and he certainly runs a flawless establishment. There is a lot of love in this food, and I just had to share this with you. Hopefully it will inspire you as much as it inspired and amazed me!
Hi there!
I really want to give Demitri’s Feast a go, particularly since people have raved on about the baklava toast. I’m just a bit worried that it would be overly sweet though 🙁
Hi Libby!
Thanks for your comment 🙂 Demitri’s Feast is definitely worth the hype. With the baklava french toast, they give you the orange honey syrup on the side so you can monitor the sweetness somewhat (ie. you don’t have to drown it in the syrup like I do!). It’s absolutely worth experiencing, even shared with someone else because the serving is so generous. Maybe order something salty to go with it? The fetta scrambled eggs are delicious… Drool…
Let me know how it goes!