Manchester Press Revisited

8 Rankins Lane, Melbourne 3000
Date visited: 27th October 2013

MerlinFan and I couldn't get enough of brunch yesterday so we made up our minds to head out again today.  We were in the mood for brekkie fare and a serious caffeine fix - MerlinFan suggested 'that bagel place' with the really good coffee.  

Yep.  Manchester Press.  

Now you may remember this post from over a year ago.  With a seemingly endless list of places to brunch and new cafes popping up left, right and centre, it is not a common occurrence that we get to revisit the same brunch spot (so much to do in so little time).  So, deciding to come back to the same cafe does say a thousand words.

We groaned internally when we saw the people lingering in the alleyway as we approached Manchester Place and said to each other, "I hope those people are not waiting in line."

They were.  @_@

Thankfully, we were the only pair in a waiting list of groups of four or more so we got in in a couple of minutes.  Superb.

As you can see, it was packed even before noon.

We got a cosy little spot on a counter right in the corner facing the wall.  Sweet.  I much prefer that to a communal table, where I'd feel super obnoxious taking photos of my food and coffee.

We had our coffee and bagel orders taken in no time.  Surprisingly our bagels came out first.

MerlinFan's B.L.A.T topped with Cranberry and Chilli Plum Relish.  Looks beautifully rustic under that shaft of sunlight (albeit a tad ominous with the knife sticking out of it).

B.L.A.T $13

MerlinFan enjoyed her bagel, felt the salty bacon went really well with the juicy tomato and avocado.  I liked the extra punch of cranberry and chilli plum flavour thrown in by the relish, however MerlinFan said perhaps there was too much of the relish, for after a while she felt as though the sweetness of the relish seemed to overpower everything else.

I had the 12 Hour Roast Pull Pork with Lettuce, BBQ Sauce and Home Made Appleslaw.

Pull pork bagel $14

Half topless so you can see the overflowing pork

Will you look at that.  It was gorgeously presented, with a mountain of steaming pulled pork sitting atop a bed of appleslaw, sandwiched between two sides of toasted bagel, the salad greens studded with pops of colour from the little cherry tomatoes.  The 12 hour pork was juicy and tender, more sweet than savoury, which was a little unexpected.  The fresh, tangy salad provided a good contrast to cut through the sweetness.  The filling of the bagel was incredibly generous and I almost finished it.  

Our coffees came out halfway through our meal.  I had a Cappuccino and MerlinFan had her Latte.

Latte (back), cappuccino (front)

Pretty ordinary leaf coffee art, but taste-wise boring it ain't.  I remember last year we both thought the coffee was pretty damn amazing but wasn't hot enough.  Guess what, this time it was temperature perfect.  Strong coffee, beautifully creamy with the perfect amount of bitterness.  Love. 

Another great visit today to Manchester Press.  With their amazing coffees and nice selection of bagels that if you think about it, are max $14, they are really good value for money.  As Arnie so eloquently put it, "I'll be back."





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