Good food is wise medicine

There is nothing better to catch up with friends for a bit of brunch in the Saturday's sun in the court yard of Porgie and Mr jones to celebrate Paul's birthday.

Banana Bread

Never being here before but had entered my wish list and was truly up to expctations. This unique cafe is housed to individual rooms for both small and large gatherings, a grassed dining area and pebbled court yard. A quirky layout and welcoming staff truly made the start of our day perfect.

Greatful that on this occasion we did not need to wait for a table, as on weekends it has been said that the line is down the street due to it's amazing breakfasts we settled and ordered the first round of coffee.

What a coffee! smooth bodied blend and served at perfect temperature, it has landed on the top 5 best coffee places on my list. The consistency of there coffee is to be acknowledged as when ordering a second (even branching out to the large size) the coffee was perfect and well balanced.The kitchen is 

Deck seating

With the kitchen open until 3pm and a wide selection of breakfast, small dishes and mains there is something for each and everyone. Paul's choice of banana bread served with mascarpone, berries and pistachios was the eye catcher from all our dishes. A sneak taste while he wasn't looking I was in banana heaven. Not only was it light and moist this dish was something amazing and truly the highlight of the Birthday boys day.

Not to say that my P M & J breakfast was anything to complain about. Perfect poached eggs served on thick crusty bread and accompanied by smashed avocado, slow roasted tomato, bacon and roasted thyme mushrooms, was pretty darn tasty. Of course to top it off though a side dish of hollandaise sauce made it even better. The only thing I would have to say which was a little down fall was the amount of lemon juice in the avocado. It was a little over powering and unfortunately for once who is not a citrus fan like myself would find it slightly disappointing, however not so much that it would ruin your entire meal.

P M & J Breakfast

As we ventured into the late afternoon at Porgie & Mr Jones, time seemed to get away from us being in such a relaxed atmosphere and with good friends we realised that dinner was only a short couple of hours away.

For somewhere a little closer to home for dinner I made reservations over at Half Moon. For a surprise party of 12, this was no problem to arrange on a Saturday night in there small dining area.

Ribs

Another enjoyable atmosphere although slightly loud from the parties and music from either side, you would have to expect this in it's pub environment. But decked out with it's clothed tables, which were spacious and made you feel welcomed rather than feel like a sardine in a can we had a fantastic beginning to the night.

Staff were attentive and welcoming which is always nice when you have such a large party. Happy to arrange some share platters of chicken & chive gyoza, Charcuterie plate (cured meats, pate served with corn bread and brioche) and the Nicola rose pizza (rosemary & potato pizza). It was a great start to he evening.

If you ever go to Half Moon all I can say is for Main - HAVE THE RIBS! Tender pork which has been rubbed with a fantastic spice which almost whacks you in the face with intense smokeyness and hint of chilli. With it's accompaniment coleslaw which allowed you to cool down and had a fantastic flavour similar to an asian slaw with fresh corriander or mint. It truly made the dish of the night for me.

Dessert was in the cards to finish off the night of course, you have to arrange to sing happy birthday to the birthday boy when your out in a restaurant...... who doesn't?

Gooey chocolate pudding

For a chocoholic there is nothing else to have but the Gooey chocolate pudding with honeycomb ice cream. Perfectly cooked and intense in richness, it was my match made in heaven to complete my night. If you were not a fan of chocolate like I am I would suggest to go for the panna cotta. Although still chocolate, it is silk smooth and very mellow. I must say though that looking around the table there was not one disappointed face during desserts. 

As the night continued we did have to begin to yell rather than talk to each other due to the function room being used and the bar area filling up, which was a little bit of a let down although you can't expect it to remain quiet when your out on a Saturday night in a pub. However in saying that we did seem to loose attentiveness from our waiter, but I am unsure whether that was due to the demand at the bar, labour cut backs or because we had ordered desserts and felt they couldn't get much more sales from us.

Over all the night as well as the day was eventful and delicious which is always a good thing to have especially for a Birthday. Both places that were visited are recommended for eateries and both places we shall be returning in the future.

And to Paul..... I wish you all the happiness in the world for your Birthday.

Hip Hip Hooray!