Friday, April 20, 2012

Chicco

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Was Touks, now...  Chicco!  The newest member of the Seddon family has grace and poise, but is still friendly and inviting.

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The decor is gorgeous - if you squint your eyes, you could be in a coffee plantation out of an Isabel Allende novel.  Hanging baskets with curling creepers, old lace atop dark wood tables and cushions fashioned from old coffee sacks.  It sounds whimsical but it isn't - everything works together harmoniously.  The floor is cool polished concrete, each table has nice salt on it, and the front windows open right up to create a big, airy and refreshing space.

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Latte, $3.50

Chicco use Padre coffee, as do Footscray Milking Station, locally roasted in Brunswick.  This wasn't quite as velvety as a latte from the Milking Station, which might have something to do with MS's primo Slayer machine.  Still, a very nice cup.

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Babycino, $0.50

Babycinos are just too adorable!

I love the menu - it's visually appealing and adventurous in its content.  Breakfast veers away from boring build-your-own plates to dabble in unusual touches like eggs with dukkah (a Middle Eastern nut and spice mix), minted eggplant puree, beetroot relish and house-cured salmon.  There's organic bacon as an extra, as well as chillies!

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Roasted red pepper and cashew pesto with poached free range eggs, smoked paprika and spinach on sourdough, $14

These poached eggs were glorious, on great Dench bread spread with fantastic, rich red capsicum and cashew pesto.  Earthy smoked paprika was complemented by a herbaceous drizzle of good olive oil.  Simple yet smart, and seriously yummy.

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Cheesy jaffle, $3.50

There's a kids' section of the menu that is intelligent and well priced, and therefore BRILLIANT.  Scrambled eggs on proper toast ($4) went down a treat, and I love these old school jaffles!  Once upon a time, before sandwich, I mean, panini makers went all flat-plated on us, many an after-school snack was made like this.  The edges are crimped down to create two golden hot pockets of melty yellow cheese.

The lunch menu looks great, with a free range chicken schnitzel with Italian slaw and garlic aioli I've got my eye on.  They're licensed and have a couple of fun ciders on the menu.  Sweets continue to gently bend the boundaries with a walnut and bourbon tart, as well as old school lamingtons.

I can't wait to try more of Chicco's confident and clever menu.  What a lovely fresh face in Seddon village.

Chicco on Urbanspoon

Chicco (turn sound down if at work!)
77 Charles Street, Seddon
Hours:  Wed-Mon 8am-4pm (closed Tuesdays)



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12 comments:

  1. Thanks Lauren, I drove past the other day and noticed that Touks had undergone a bit of a change, and I thought to myself, that must be a brand new change, or I would have heard about it on the Footscray Food Blog already! How was the menu for non-egg based breakfasts?

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    1. Hi Kate! There are some goodies, like avocado herb salad with field mushrooms on rye, or muesli with vanilla bean labne. Also a posh jaffle with pancetta and provolone. Have a look at the menu on the website www.chicco.net.au

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  2. I wonder if it's the same management that took over from the original Touks crew?

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    1. Good point, I don't think so (someone my husband works with knows of the new owners) but would be interesting to find out. Did you ever visit Touks pre or post sale?

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    2. Oh heck yes - when it opened, we were living just a few blocks away in Windsor St; we seemed to be there all the time. Brekkies,meals, but mostly for the $1.50 scoops of Ricketts icecream! When it changed hands, we'd moved to Yarraville, our tastes had moved on from cafes and Hello Gelo had opened.

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  3. Was the owner a young good looking greek guy names Nick? He was my colleague, left and took over touks. I never had the chance to visit his restaurant, don't remember the name he gave it when he took over, could possibly be chicos..

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    1. That sounds like a match Neeno! Do you know if he ran it as Touks before the revamp?

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    2. I remember he mentioned Touks, then later he said the name changed. I remember cos I asked if the new business would still accept the Touks Entertainment voucher. Glad to hear Nick is still there and business is treating him well! He was a really great guy to work with. I have no excuses now not to visit, that breakfast looks delicious!!

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  4. Oh, dear yum. Beautiful decor and I love the sound of the pepper and cashew pesto!

    Is it tacky to admit that my favorite part might be the kids' toastie? We had one of those pre-flat-panel presses growing up. The sandwiches would erupt with Cheddar lava. Sheer bliss to see that those things are still around.

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    1. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Oh, how I loved those flat jaffle irons. In fact, I saw some buttons for sale on Facebook that said "I Love Jaffles". I think I need one.

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  5. I visited Chicco recently and I wonder whether the chef has moved on/management changed hands. After reading everyone's rave reviews I was not impressed. The food was pretty run-of-the-mill and the presentation could be much improved though servings were generous and it's a kid-friendly space. Personally I prefer some other cafes in Seddon.

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    1. Darn... There's certainly no room for average cafe fare in Seddon these days.

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