Café No 5

Please believe that our lack of Eggs Benedict reviews is not for want of looking. We have brunched wide and far and tried all sorts of Australian variants of this classic. But Australia seems to have fallen out of love with the English muffin. Sydney in particular has fallen in love with Turkish bread this year. Not only is a Benedict on Turkish bread not kosher but we were horrified to discover that two slices of Turkish bread contains more fat than a Mars Bar!

Imagine our relief to discover Café No 5 in Melbourne's delightfully bohemian lane Centre Place. If you are visiting Melbourne a trip down Degraves Lane and (after crossing Flinders Lane) through Centre Place provides a treasure trove of fabulous little shops, cafes and bars.

Café No 5 is small and suitably bohemian with a large central table and original art work on the walls. There were some tasty looking paninis on display and they boasted great coffee but we were there for the Benedict which was described as "Poached eggs with grilled ham on English muffins, topped with hollandaise". Finally - no fluff no pretension no added spinach and the proper muffin base.

For once we weren't disappointed. The eggs were perfectly poached. Still soft and runny even after eating the first egg. The Hollandaise was lovely and the ham (though a little thin) was tasty. And yes there were muffins. No bells, no whistles, a single sprig of parsley as garnish - and we were in Benedict heaven after far, far too long in the Benedict wilderness.