Review: The Moody Chef

A perk of my summer research job at St Leonards was breakfast at some top notch cafes. The Moody Chef has 2 cafes and a coffee shop within walking distance of each other, and has even opened a little cafe in Parramatta now! Their menu is quite different from most classic brunch menus I've seen and definitely has a more hearty, lunch feel to it. I ordered the melt while my friend had the pork belly.

Left: Chai Latte - $5.50
I don't believe this chai was made from loose leaves which is the
way we like. Either way it tasted good but was a bit too sweet.
Right: Ice Mocha - $6.90
This was just too strong on the chocolate. There was at least a 2cm
sedimentation of cocoa at the bottom of the glass and the drink
wasn't very iced. I couldn't drink much as the flavours were just too
overpowering.

Coffee Pork Belly and Poached Eggs - $20.90
w/ roasted potatoes.
This dish was just a bit to dry and heavy. The potatoes were well roasted,
but some salad and toast would've have lightened and freshened up the dish.
The pork belly itself had a high fat proportion but was grilled well with
a nice smoky flavour, but the coffee flavour wasn't very prominent.
I also didn't like the vinaigrette sauce, didn't suit the dish.
The eggs were poached well and overall the dish had great flavour,
but just needs more balance of ingredients.

Shredded Chilli Pork, Jalapeno, Red Peppers, Manchego & Chilli Jam Melt - $18.90
w/ chunky chips
More like a pizza than a grilled cheese sandwich. However,
I found it to be way better than a pizza. The bread was had a nice toasty crunch
and was thicker than your normal crust. It was loaded with tonnes of meat, vegetables,
cheese and tomato sauce. The fries could've been more crispy and seasoned but were still good.
Definitely more of a lunch item than a breakfast item.