Demitri's Feast

141 Swan St, Richmond 3121

Visited: 26th Nov 2011

It was drizzling today.  Perfect.  We read online that Demtiri's Feast was usually packed by 10am especially on the weekends, so when we saw it was raining we kind of relaxed.

Demitri's Feast is easy to get to, even with public transport as it's right in front of Stop 10 (Tram 70 to Wattle St).  It was already quite crowded when we got there - there were also a few people lining up for takeaways, I'm assuming.  The staff was very attentive - they noticed us waiting and immediately found us seats.  We had the option to either sit inside or outside in the courtyard.  Usually I'd like to sit outside, but there was potential for it to start pouring, so we opted instead to sit inside.  

Demitri's Feast Counter

MerlinFan and I found a table for two right inside, near the counter and beside the narrow corridor leading into the courtyard.

Corridor out to courtyard

I've heard how good the hot chocolate is here, so I decided to try it instead of my usual latte.  The waiter asked if I'd like normal hot chocolate or the European hot chocolate.  I asked what's the difference?  The waiter said the European style was really thick, like soup.  Ok, I'm up to try it!

Latte and European style thick hot chocolate

The European style hot chocolate was everything it promised.  The waiter warned me to be careful, it's burning hot, and it was - there was still steam wafting out it it.  The hot chocolate was thick, rich, like chocolate soup, not too sweet, but with a hint of chocolately bitterness which was really really nice.  I tried MerlinFan's latte too - it didn't disappoint.

Our orders came within minutes, which I was pleased about.  For the breakfast, I decided to go with the Gigantes (FYI, it's pronounced Gi-gun-tes, not gy-gan-tese like I initially thought LOL) which was the giant baked beans, free range egg, lokaniko sausage and feta.  

Gigantes $15.90

This dish is packed full of flavour and the seasoning is perfect.  The egg was perfectly poached, still runny in the middle. I loved how the tasty feta went with the sauce and the chewy sausage and soft giant beans.  The bread itself was really light and crispy, doused in olive oil.

MerlinFan had the Baclava French Toast with walnut praline, sweet yoghurt and orange blossom syrup.  

Baclava French Toast $14.50

I love this French Toast!  To me it was more like a brioche than your average eggy french toast, which I really enjoyed.  It was light and crispy, not at all soggy.  And the orange blossom syrup came in a cute little jug so you could pour on as much (or as little) as you liked.  The sweetness was offset perfectly by the slightly tangy yoghurt, and the walnut praline gave that extra crunch and texture.  A really really good french toast.

The atmosphere seemed very relaxed, and the staff were very friendly and attentive.  They were singing and dancing around as they worked, and the customers seemed to know them by name.  As we finished our food and drink and were getting ready to leave, our empty platters were whisked away and replaced with a small dish with two pieces of Rocky Road for "dessert."

Rocky Road Turkish Delight

Sweet!  Gotta love freebies.  The rocky road was really good, very smooth and creamy, the thick chocolate bits not hard like a chunk of chocolate bar but slightly soft which I really liked.  The marshmallow was gooey but light, and I could make out the distinct taste of rosewater in those bites.  MerlinFan saw in the window later it was Rocky Road Turkish Delight.  Of course.

By now I was on total sugar high from my hot chocolate, MerlinFan's french toast and the rocky road.  LOL.  But who ever said that was a bad thing?