Mem R.
Yelp
Ok, let's get the name rant out of the way, because there's clearly enough that I like about this place... except the name. Brunswick, you see, is a suburb of Melbourne. Are we in Melbourne? No. We're in Hobart. Do the owners hail from Melbourne? No, they're Tasmanians. Does Hobart respect Melbourne in the kind of way that if a cafe opens named after a Melbourne suburb, we're going to flock there in awe? No, really not. I've not heard a positive comment from a single local about the name of this place. I've heard a couple of lukewarm/neutral responses ("ol' mate said he got his love of food in Melb and that's where the name came from, but geez ay"). I've heard a lot of negatives. Maybe five years ago opening a place like this would have been revolutionary, but the local hospo scene has really shot skyward since then and we locals are pretty proud of it so why would you waltz in in late 2016 singing Melbourne's praises? If you love it there so much, maybe open a cafe there, not here.
HAVING SAID THAT/RANT OVER.
The owners are ever-present, kind and welcoming. The menu is crazy full of interesting options (and a few stock standard ones for your boring friends or family you may drag here)--though some options are getting a little toward the wanky end, eg bark as an ingredient. The prices are a little high (some might say... Melbourne pricing?). The coffee is actually a little disappointing, I have to admit--poor milk pour (oversteamed, maybe? One more than one occasion) and not a super tasty roast (not very Melbourne, guys!). The space is light and bright, but cavernous--I've only dined here by myself so far but holding a conversation would require a bit of a raised voice.
Talk about food, Mem. Ok. The hotcake almost destroyed me, in the very best of ways. A lovely balanced amount of flavours, though a little too much food. The eggs on toast were simple, fluffy and tasty, though I mostly chose them because I was hankering to try the peach, tomato and pepperberry relish... which I could have received a lot more of on my plate! I'm really looking forward to coming back more around lunchtime to try some of the lunchier options on the single all day brunch menu ("all day brunch" is a favourite phrase of mine) but I do also think there's a lot that could be tweaked here to raise that star count.
I've been pretty harsh with these guys. Maybe it's subconscious. Maybe if they were called Born in Bellerive I'd have gone easier on them. Who can really say?