Devour Cafe

806 High St, Thornbury; 03 9484 8496

I came to Devour for a dish so loved by those in the know that a chalk-written sign in the window was enough to have me salivating for breakfast the next day - 'Baked Eggs are Back!' Devour is a small High Street cafe, with a menu that is definitely different from your average cafe, but not off-puttingly or unnecessarily fancy. Their breakfasts are legendary and memorable, for example the corn flake encrusted French Toast with berries. Patrons can observe busy High Street from the front of the cafe or retreat with their paper to the slightly raised back area, both of which feature colourful wooden furniture and interesting artworks.

But back to the Baked Eggs. The menu advises of a 25 minute wait, reconfirmed by the waiter. There's no need for apology - the extraordinary Devour Beef Burger that SG ordered comes with similar advice, and it points only to the quality of method and produce being used. In the case of the burger, the wait is necessary to cook the hugely thick pattie adequately. The Baked Eggs are so much more than just eggs - homemade baked beans line a ramekin, top by two eggs with spinach leaves in between. Around the sides, clam style, are chunks of chorizo with just the right amount of spice. The dish comes with plenty of toasted sourdough 'soldiers' for dunking (be warned, if you like to dunk runny eggs, do it straight away as the yolks continue to cook and harden in the steaming hot ramekin). The homemade beans are vastly superior to anything out of a tin, and scooping the mix onto great bread brings breakfast possibilities to a whole new level.