Food- El Mirage

El Mirage

349 Lygon Street Brunswick East

Almost everyone knows that I am a pancake girl. I love them.

From my childhood days of being the ‘packet mix queen’ and cooking up a batch every Saturday morning before netball, to my now undying obsession with eating cake for breakfast; pancakes have guided me through the many ups and downs of this oh-so-hectic life I live.

It all started with ‘The queen of hearts’ as I used to call it- strawberry jam and ice cream, or good old maple syrup, but this love affair soon grew serious when I ventured into the café world. Las Chicas in Balaclava was definitely the one to pop my ‘gourmet’ pancake cherry. #2: Sweet ricotta, bananas, strawberries and maple syrup, Rachel Zoe would die- In more ways than one.

#3: Orange mascarpone, blueberries and mint. The most unusual, but most rewarding risk I have taken.

So after this big spiel on pancakes, it seems only natural that I would jump at the chance to try ‘the best pancakes ever eaten’ as recommended by a friend.

This led me to El Mirage, located amongst the industrial centre of East Brunswick. As I passed several conspicuous looking venues, all with elderly Italian men grouped outside for their ritual meetings-I wondered, what it is that they talk about, or do they just stare at passers by? I almost walked past this café; tucked further back from most of the adjacent shops.

With a teal green wash on the exterior, this place reminded me of an army base of some sort. Upon venturing inside, I felt the vibe of a modern, industrialised diner.

In a nutshell- this place is uber industrial chic; very minimalist and very sterile- however this might have had something to do with the fact we were the only people seated at the time.

The table layout is very simple, with one wall dedicated to diner like booths with khaki coloured vinyl chairs and the rest of the room filled with separate tables. There is a wooden art frame enclosing the kitchen window, but other than that, the bar area is merely a long steel benchtop against the right hand side of the café, stretching across the length of the room. The ceiling consists of several wooden panels curving into the stark white conjoining walls- very cool.

The general feeling from this cafe is one of seclusion; you feel quite tucked away from the rest of the world. While I say industrial chic, this is one place you can take ‘the boy’ without him hating every second.

While the room slowly filled up with customers I couldn’t help but wonder what the acoustics would be like on a busy day. Not to mention how cold it was inside. Lucky I was about to be warmed up from within.

Coffee supreme was served at is best: perfect temperature, texture and taste. Food wise- it was an easy pick: Pancakes with maple syrup, lemon curd and mascarpone.

These were without a doubt one of, if not the best pancakes I have had.
Golden crisp on the outside (you even heard a slight crunch on the first bite) and light and fluffy within. The lemon curd was rich and tangy, complimented by the creamy mascarpone. Maple syrup made this a threesome one couldn’t refuse.

Today’s partners in crime Miss Breeza and Miss Abi, so kindly obliged to me tasting their breakfasts:

The Slim Jim- poached eggs with ricotta, fig chutney and avocado; I was very impressed with the contrasting sweet and savoury flavours. Bree went for the Mexican beans with melted Parmesan and salsa - spicy spicy but a good addition.

El Mirage has an extremely impressive menu. I just wish I could say the same for the service. Seeing as we were the only people in the cafe at the time I would have expected a lot more of a friendly response, and sometimes it’s a shame to get the cold shoulder in the early hours of the morning.

Kudos for the amazing food guys, you made me forget any prejudice quickly, I hope that next time I can love every aspect just as much.

Date rate: On an empty day… awkward alert- but as long as its busy its worth a trip!
Coffee cure: Satisfaction
Hangover happy: It’s possible
Price: Breaki under $20