Review - Miss Jackson - $$-$$$ - V

The only downside to being spoilt for choice is having to choose! This morning I spent some quality time in bed with the latest Cheap Eats guide trying to decide on somewhere new to have breakfast. Thanks to a few too many glasses of bubbles last night I didn't really want to venture too far home so I decided on Miss Jackson in St Kilda.

The thing that immediately stood out for me was how relaxed and calm this cafe is. The hustle and bustle of Grey Street and all that entails - sex workers, backpackers, drug dealers and advertising execs all living harmoniously together - seems like a million miles away as soon as you ascend the stairs.

A shiny coffee machine, impressive looking brownies and muffins and a super friendly barista greeted us as we entered. We were encouraged to sit wherever we liked and chose the very last of four separate dining rooms.
The interior of Miss Jackson is all-white walls devoid of decoration, dark and blonde wood furniture and it felt a little stark.


The service was friendly and attentive but the actual arrival of our coffees and food was slow. Allpress are the beans of choice for the cafe and even though it was smooth and enjoyable we had to get the lattes down quickly in order for them not to become stone cold.

Even though the menu is not huge, there are enough appetising dishes to make picking one a little difficult. Mr Tea went for the corn fritters after seriously considering the corned beef sandwich. The people near us, who were trying to enjoy their lunch, had to deal with our food envy as we peered at their giant sandwich served on a cheese board.
I almost ordered herb scrambled eggs on cornbread. I don't actually like scrambled eggs but often in the throes of a hangover I have a menu meltdown and go for something that I would never eat. Common sense prevailed though and I opted for poached eggs on sour dough toast with a side of mushrooms and oven roasted tomatoes.

The corn fritters were more like corn pancakes. They were fluffy and flavoursome; the accompanying relish sweet and tangy; the bacon cooked well, not too crispy; but today's avocado was a little unripe and too hard to eat.
The eggs were perfectly poached with a little drizzle of olive oil on top and the yolk exploded all over the crunchy toast as soon as my knife pierced the googies. Two big meaty mushrooms and a generous serve of cherry tomatoes rounded out my plate. There was a distinct lack of salt on our table or any others near us and I wondered if this is a public service to protect our arteries. I was so hungry by that stage I just dug in without it, which was silly because the sides would have benefited from some seasoning.
(*Edit* I'm not the only one noticing the lack of salt on Melbourne's tables)

There was no need to hang around once we'd eaten, and as we left we realised we'd spent more time waiting than we had eating. Considering the cafe was far from full, the kitchen really needs to giddy-up because the wait time was real let down to what was an otherwise OK breakfast. With so many other choices in Melbourne, I'm sorry Miss Jackson but I'm not sure when I'll be back.



Enjoy!