The staff are very friendly, the food is absolutely amazing...I love the vibe of the cafe.
I highly recommend it..
Best coffee in town�
We are sitting in here now finishing with a coffee and almond croissant after a delicious lunch. The prices are super reasonable, the menu fresh and tasty and the staff friendly and helpful. The space is light and a happy blend of modern rustic minimalist. Can't wait to be back!
Love the spot at the front near the windows - such a perfect brunch spot! The staff here are so friendly and nothing is a problem. Food is yum too!
Loved the food and coffee. The staff are welcoming. Great place to visit.
Definitely worth it. Good environment and food was great.
Rebecca Elizabeth Gray
+5
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Neither - here it is all about service and savvy. Greeted by a friendly team, beautiful decor and the sweet aroma of oven-fresh muffins. Great coffee without a hint of bitterness and finally a corn fritter which doesn't fall apart at first touch. Every thing has been considered and achieved. Five stars, welcome!
Amazing staff, amazing food. always have a great experience
The baked Spanish egg is amazing! Coffee is smooth!
171007/08: Another great addition to Maling Road and excellent to see CotE following the trend of becoming more aligned to special dietary needs (Fructose / Gluten intolerances etc) ����
Such a nice place to enjoy your coffee or brunch ~~Friendly service,comfortable seating& delicious food;)Love it~~By the way, if you’re a regular customer, you can enjoy every eighth coffee for free;)It is really a good deal!
Niveditha Vathsangam (Niv)
+5
Really good coffee. Quick service and friendly smiles all around.
EXTREMELY impressed with Chicken or the Egg, located in such a beautiful area, Maling Road! been meaning to visit for a long time and now i am glad i have!
the service was amazing, greeted so beautifully by the owners and staff members! we had coffee to start with which came out quickly and i also had my dog with me which they accommodated for so nicely as they are dog friendly and love all dogs who dine with them!
we ordered a few things to share and everything we ordered was made to gluten free: we tried the COTE burger, acai bowl, chicken quinoa salad and a side of veggies! my favourite was the COTE burger, i was impressed by the gluten free bun, it tasted like normal bread! the chicken was cooked beautifully and i loved the addition of the egg!!
we ended off with some cakes to try and they were all very delicious! thanks so much to the amazing staff for having me, i’ll be back in no time! :)
Fantastic cafe, come here regularly with the family, great food, great coffee. Love the updated menu and service is always excellent.
Best cafe ever!!! Go to the school just up the road and Paul never fails to make my morning with the best coffee and friendly service. Absolutely no faults.
This cafe has a lovely feel to it and I do love the provincial style furnishings and decor. We came by on a rainy weekend and it was filled with a mixture of retiree couples, not-so-young families and small groups of yuppies. The menu is fairly standard and features a mix of old favourite and modern classics to suit the diversity of the customer demographic.
Been here multiple times and always so popular! Food is great, had the acai bowl and the sweet potato affair, and both very delicious (though the bowl is definitely not as filling). The sweet potato affair is full of flavour, the feta cheese is great and the bread is not ridiculously crunchy. Cafe offers Chai lattes made with leaves and not powder. Staff are very friendly
We ordered lamb and cote burger. All I want to say is the food was brilliant excellent taste. Will try special pasta next time. Highly recommended!
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I recently made the trip to Chicken or the Egg to trial their new menu and I was beyond delighted by my visit. In fact, it was one of my partner and I’s favourite brunch dates in a while (and we brunch a lot!).
Not only are the staff an absolute pleasure here (the family and community focus of their business is completely overt), the venue itself is positioned in the perfect spot. I visited on a Sunday and whilst the cafe was bustling, the area is quiet enough (especially outside) for truly sitting back and enjoying yourself. The staff allow you ample space to do this as well.
As for the menu, it’s stunning! I enjoyed the smoothie bowl with a side of my favourite (PB+J toast), while my partner indulged in the halloumi burger. We shared normal and sweet potato fries (it’s worth getting both haha!). You can imagine how excited I was to see a PB jelly smoothie so I had to try that too! Every aspect impressed. Even the filter coffee is presented in a beautiful manner.
This spot ticks all the boxes, in terms of an ideal atmosphere AND delicious food! Will definitely be back again soon.
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Super unique pancakes!
FOOD: We ordered the Prana Chai Pancakes & Eggs on Toast w/ Mushrooms. The Prana Chai Pancakes were really unique and their texture was great. It was soft and fluffy but chewy at the same time so I really enjoyed the pancakes on their own but they were also infused with chai so they had an amazing spiced flavour to them that when combined with a MATCHA mascarpone and maple syrup, it was absolutely magnificent. The raspberry curd was also amazing with the pancakes. I LOVED this dish. The scrambled eggs were done amazingly and the mushrooms were also cooked to perfection, they were seasoned super well and tasted so so good but the ciabatta was abit hard.
SERVICE: The service was just okay. The cafe was extremely packed so I wouldn’t completely blame them but getting their attention was really hard.
Overall, if you’re in Canterbury, Chicken or the Egg is a great cafe with really unique offerings and a good cafe around! Definitely recommend the pancakes and if you’re feeling simple, eggs are great too!
One of the best smashed Avos in Melbourne! Simple but with quality delicious ingredients 🥑👌 Pancakes were also DELICIOUS - sweet & rich but not sickly🥞❤️. Always love their ☕️🥰
INCREDIBLE food and even more incredible staff and service!!! Honestly felt like i was eating with family the staff were so accommodating and friendly. Not to mention the food tasted amazing and the portions were extremely generous (HUGE plus in my books!) so so much love for this cafe it’s now one of my favourites!!
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Chicken or the egg? What came first? who knows?
What I do know, is that this cafe has some of the most interesting and incredible food out there. Their ability to adapt and alter their menus to be not only with the times, but ahead of them, makes them one of my favourite cafes I have ever visited.
Greeted with a modern, bright and light space with a large amount of solo and group seating options, this cafe is extremely flexible.
As soon as I looked at the menu, the first thing I loved was that you can get both breakfast and lunch all day. This allows you to choose whatever you want, whenever you want. A detail that shows how much the owners connect and understand their customers.
With so many options, I had to go for the dish that first caught my attention. The ’Sweet potato affair’. As I have seen many smashed avocado dishes, even smashed pumpkin. But this was a first. This dish came with mashed roasted sweet potato, feta, spinach, roasted baby beetroot, zaatar and poached egg on grain toast. And there is only one word to describe this dish. Perfection. I will go as far to say, it has been one of my favourite dishes this year. The combination of the roasted flavours from the sweet potato and the creaminess from the feta made my tastebuds sing. The toast was fresh, fluffy and not chewy at all. The addition of the greens really completed the dish. I could not fault this dish, and I understand why it has the name it does. I will be definitely going back to this over smashed avo!!
My friend went for the ‘Mexi bowl’ with brown rice & quinoa, beef brisket, salsa consisting of a beans, corn, onion & chilli. As well as slaw, smashed avocado, pickled roast capsicum, all spiced roast pumpkin and jalapeños. She also had glowing reviews and walked out happy, smiling and full of good, delicious food
Of course, since the menu looked so good, we had to try a third dish. We settled on the ‘Garden smash’ which was smashed avocado, spinach, grilled broccolini, mukimame beans, beetroot puree, sumac and a poached egg on grain toast. Once again, not your usual smashed avocado. I loved the addition of the beans and the broccolini which gave the dish a charred element.
Overall, a 5/5 experience. From the food to the service. The staff here clearly have passion and that shines through. I recommend this place to anyone in Melbourne. It is definitely worth the drive.
Heard great things about Chicken or the Egg and to be honest, it lived up to what I heard about it. The food is not only delicious but they’re able to cater for dietary requirements such as vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. Have to say my favourites are their smoothies, eggs benny and their mushroom dish for lunch. Service is top notch and friendly which is always a plus!
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I was lucky to attend the new menu launch event at Chicken or the Egg cafe, and all I can say is WOW!
Firstly, I just want to point out how cute and humble this cafe is! The venue reminds me almost of a little cottage. The staff are incredible friendly and super welcoming too.
Onto the menu - I was honestly in disbelief with all the incredible options they had. The menu is extensive, and they have so many unique and creative dishes you won’t find elsewhere. Lucky for us, we were able to sample almost their whole menu, and what an experience it was!
Although every single dish was delicious, I won’t be able to go in depth about each one (otherwise it would go on forever!). But some of the main highlights for me were:
Açai Bowl - one of the tastiest açai bowls I’ve tried! It’s made with dragon fruit so the colour is a gorgeous vibrant pink. It’s very light and refreshing, and so beautifully presented. I absolutely love all the toppings and it works so well together.
Prana Chai Pancakes - yes, chai pancakes. Enough said! The pancakes were so fluffy, and the matcha mascarpone added a nice creaminess whilst the raspberry curd gave it some tartness to balance it out. An incredible dish!
Cote Benedict - you can’t go wrong with a classic Benny! But they’ve put their own twist to it by using grilled polenta, pulled beef and the most addictive house made hollandaise!
Haloumi and Eggplant Burger - such a great veggie burger! I loved the haloumi and the grilled eggplant was so soft and creamy.
Sweet Potato Chips - when you’re here, you MUST try these! By far the best sweet pot chips I’ve had! They are so crispy and coated in almost a tempura like batter.
Plus, the coffee is very good here too - it was served piping hot and very smooth.
Honestly I can’t recommend this cafe enough! Their amazing food and kind hospitality definitely put them up there as one of Melbourne’s top cafes!
Thank you so much for having me!
Liv (nourishinglively)
+4
Visited this gorgeous cafe in Canterbury to try the new menu & was absolutely blown away by the options on the menu. Having dietary requirements there were options for me without difficulty and plenty more! The cafe is a beautiful bright open space with plenty of indoor seating as well as spots outside for the warmer months. The staff are wonderful and make you feel very welcome! I recommend the açai bowl, smashes avo & GF pancakes! There hot chocolates with almond milk are next level creamy as well, the perfect winter warmer! Definitely one to add to the brunch spot list! Can’t wait to visit again!
Melanie (ForeverBrunching)
+5
Attending the launch of the new Winter/Spring menu at Chicken or the Egg was awesome!
The cafe is simple, but in the best way. One lovely open space, surrounded by white walls and bit windows. It felt slightly rustic, but also had very modern/minimalistic touches.
The food and drinks were delicious! I unfortunately couldn't list them all because I had the opportunity to try a lot of different dishes. However, here are a few:
Fresh soy chai: Start of the meal. Nice warm milk and nicely spiced
Sweet potato chips: One word: addictive. These chips are so crispy on the outside and soft on the inside
Pancakes: A winning dish! They were really fluffy and topped with so many sweet goodies
Eggs Benny: Another stand out dish. The pork was so soft and juicy, perfectly paired with the creamy hollandaise
Açai bowl: Very rich, sweet & refreshing! Lots of crunchy toppings to compliment the açai.
The friendliest staff, who have a great attention to detail when taking orders & speaking to you
We stumbled upon this cafe while doing some window shopping around Maling Road. The food here was pretty decent. I enjoyed the beautifully presented burger. The bagel was soft and chewy and the ingredients used were top notch. The highlight though were those crispy, tasty and addictive fries!
There were limited dessert options which disappointed my second stomach.
The coffee was robust and aromatic - truly satisfying.
🎃 pumpkin smash & haloumi popcorn
🏚: Chicken or the Egg
📍: Canterbury, Melbourne
💵: $19.9AUD (~450฿)
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📝: There’s no need for you to worry what came first between the chicken or the egg, because at this cute little cafe, you can have both! Situated just outside of the busy CBD, the Chicken or the Egg cafe serves up homey all day breakfast and lunch menus.
❤️: Got out of my way of ordering the usual acai bowl to get this awesome Pumpkin Smash and Haloumi with roast cauliflower, beetroot puree, crispy kale, dukkah, popcorn haloumi, and poached eggs on grain toast. For a pumpkin lover like me, I couldn’t have possibly asked for any better.
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This cafe was definitely a great place for large groups as it was spacious and still cosy. We had their special linguini, Bruchetta and Atlantic salmon. All of the dishes were fresh and delicious.
Great atmosphere, drink, food and friendly service.
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What do you call an egg that goes on a safari? An eggs-plorer!
And from my eggs-ploration, let me say that this place doesn’t not yolk around, oh no!
Paul was the funniest host with such a positive and good outlook on life that I could stay chatting with him until eggs would go hard 🥚 he’s definitely such a good egg!
Nicole and him decided to venture themselves into hatching this little place and not only do they have eggtastic options on the menu but some other things to chicken with for sure 🐣
Being honest with my reviews I have to say that I came here with the intention to try their ‘instaworthy’ and very famous dragonfruit bowl... only to find out that they had run out because they the delivery hadn’t come the previous day. So, Paul seeing my disappointment face tried to make it up and transform one of his smoothies into a smoothie bowl.
Here’s what we had:
- Golden smoothie in a bowl version: the kitchen tried to modify the smoothie by adding 1 banana and removing the rice malt syrup, coconut flakes and chia seeds but unfortunately it didn’t work. It was too watery, lacking taste and there were even ice chunks in it. I obviously reported this to Paul and even though it wasnt successful achieved I thanked him for his attempt to please and his efforts.
- Toast of Paris in a vegan version: again, this meal wasn’t originally allergen friendly but luckily Paul had an alternative bread that the kitchen could use and in this case it worked wonderfully! The bread had corn pieces inside and was perfectly crunchy and at the same time moist and slacked in the sweet pouring syrup.
- Sushi bowl with smoked salmon: my friend had this one and was seriously impressed by the quality and presentation of the meal. She is not even a fan of smashed avocado but she loved combining it with the other toppings! Definitely a great meal that I would be keen to try in the future!
- Matcha almond latte: quite strong taste and had a thick layer of matcha lying on the bottom (probably from the time we spent taking pictures). The latte art was well achieved considering that it was done with almond milk!
- Peppermint tea: that special gut treatment for any meal to aid digestion. Exceptionally presented in a blue teapot!
Unfortunately because of the smoothie bowl failure (how me and Paul called it 😂) I won’t be giving this place a 5 star rating. But I have to say that on terms of service this place deserves way more than 5 stars and me and Paul had amazing conversations about life and the importance of enjoying life when things are happening and how we shouldn’t care if it's good things or bad things.
He told me a very wise quote, that I will never forget: ‘You know something that I say to people when they ask me why I am so happy? It’s because today I broke a personal best record. A personal record of most consecutive days alive’.
He is such a good person and actively supports foundations to raise money to their causes. He’s definitely the type of person with a heart of gold and I definitely want to go back and try that bowl so I can give this place the biggest 5 stars 🌟
Eat_today_diet_tomorrow
+4
We were lucky enough to be invited to this cafe. The cafe is really cute and spacious. The staff were lovely too! We had matcha latte and chai latte. They both tasted great, the chai smelled amazing! We had prawn linguine, Atlantic salmon, and Mailing rd Bruschetta. They were yummy especially the Mailing Rd, it came with delicious brioche.
5/5 from me! This place is beautiful, looks amazing, recently done the owner is fantastic and the staff are delightful also! the food is even better, with changing specials and great food quality, i will return undoubtedly
Jessica Sargeant (Unbeleafablefood)
+5
What a lovely brunch we had at Chicken or the Egg! The decor is lovely, and the location on Maling Road is great too.
I had a yummy soy latte here, really hit the spot.
Food wise, I tried the Smoothie bowl and the tofu sushi bowl. Both were so fresh, vibrant and tasty!! The serving sizes were decent too, I left feeling super full!
On top of the great food, the service is excellent too 💚 Would definitely recommend this cafe!
Beautiful and bright cafe with great coffee, excellent food and lovely staff. Visited with my family who all have specific dietary requirements. The staff and kitchen were very accommodating to our needs. Will return.
The Crab omelet is special - one of the best tasting omelet I have had any where!
There is a hint of Thai inspiration to this dish, but it exceeds anything I have had in Thailand.
Highly recommended!
My first official Melbourne brunch of 2019 is a venture down the renowned Maling Road, for Chicken of the Egg Cafe on the busy Australia Day public holiday. Blue skies, gentle breeze, and spacious white timber tables – it was a perfect day to sit outside in the morning, enjoying a wholesome Melbourne cafe to start 2019 and the Chicken or the Egg certainly didn't disappoint!
Such a pretty looking cafe! We only had coffee from here this morning and sat outside! The coffee is one of the best I’ve ever tasted! The staff is very friendly. Definitely gonna try brunch next time!
Very nice local cafe! Good coffee, good food, and good service. Cannot pick on anything. Tried the Pumpkin smash and Blue crab omelette, and both dishes are well presented, with very balanced flavor. Will definitely come back.
Eat Play Live Melbourne
+4
Maling Road is tucked away off the main road in Canterbury with the cutest little shops and laneways. Coming here is like visiting a completely different place where time slows down and we instantly feel relaxed. At one end of the strip is COTE, one of our fave brunch spots – with a fresh white and natural wood interior, covered & heated seating outside for our fury friends, great coffee (Axil is the brew of choice here) and a consistently delicious menu.
In addition to their focus on exceptional food presentation and quality, the team pride themselves on making sure their visitors have the best possible experience. The staff are always so happy and friendly and it really shows in their customer service.
The breakfast & lunch menu is served all day with almost all brekkie dishes having vegetarian options; all scrambled eggs are dairy free; and Gluten free bread is available. They have a menu for the little ones, plus a great selection of hot and cold drinks, coffee alternatives, milk varieties and vegan smoothies. I’m loving the current cafe trend of including kombucha on the menu – perfect for the summer weather and a great healthy option.
This is our go-to cafe when we’re on this side of town. Consistently great food and coffee with a truely friendly welcoming vibe. We highly recommend you drop by.
We absolutely loved visiting this place. We were greeted warmly, seating and offered drinks. The food was hard to choose from, because it looked all so good! But we ordered the Pumpkin Smash and Eggs Benedict which were scrumptious! We also had a lovely chat with the owner who was amazing! I also told my parents to go, and they said they had a lovely experience!
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The chicken, no, the egg, no, the chicken, no, the egg. But the chicken needed to lay the egg. But the egg needed to hatch to create the chicken. Which came first?
This dilemma has caused much deliberation, and while we folks have speculated this cause and effect scenario for years, the important thing is that they both exist.
Speaking of cause and effect. I had the opportunity to visit Canterbury's Chicken or the Egg café, and this caused great joy. The effect? Satisfaction.
The venue has a touch of class, with a French Provincial inspired interior.
The menu offers an abundance of breakfast and lunch options, with something for everyone. As I skimmed the all-day breakfasts, the Turmeric Crab Omelette, and Maling Road Bruschetta were tempting! I couldn't go past the Toast of Paris, which seemed most appropriate in this elegant venue. Gracefully presented as a work of art on a plate, the Brioche French Toast was adorned with passionfruit curd, raspberry compote, salted caramel popcorn, a poached pear, and vanilla mascarpone. Its sweetness married well with the El Salvadorian espresso sourced from Axil.
While I'm no wiser as to which came first- the chicken or the egg; I'm glad to have discovered another gem of the Eastern suburbs.
Beautiful bright and light cafe. Services was very friendly. Very happy with my crab omelet. Super filling and fresh.
Coffee was good and I grabbed a pastry for the car ride home. winning.
Such a delicious cafe in the Canterbury area ☺️ it’s such a nice, peaceful area to enjoy lunch in!
We ordered the sweet potato fries, chicken bao’s and the acai bowl. Those fries were honestly the best sweet potato fries that I’ve ever had - the batter was perfect and fried to perfection! The colour of that acai bowl was amazing! It was also super refreshing as well!
I will definitely be back ☺️☺️
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4.8 ⭐️
Melbourne’s best Sweet Potato Fries are created here. The crunch and flavour from every chip wants you leaving more, that I can gladly say that these fries are one of the best I’ve ever had (Also, sweet Potato Fries are something that are always on my Brunch order).
This cosy chic cafe with seating inside and out, nestled away in Canterbury is a brilliant spot to spoil your tasting palette with the variety of dishes on offer. Quite a busy little spot, that you would expect little staff interaction, leaves you feeling welcomed from start to end. Superb staff and a variety of dishes, what more could you ask for?
The Order:
I had the Toast if Paris, my friend had the Smashed Avocado and we shared the Sweet Potato Fries. I’ve already ranted on about how the fries were sensational but if you’re like me and have a bit of a sweet tooth, than the Toast of Paris will certainly tickle your fancy, as the Brioche French Toast is fluffy and simply delicious.
Would I visit again?
You can count on it.
Great coffee! The staff are super friendly and they go out of their way to help you. Great place to take your family and friends when you are in Maling Road.
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I was invited to a blogger event at Chicken or the egg and was blown away by deliciousness. The Buddha bowl and the açai were absolutely sensational and the staff so super lovely. I was a bit sad to see some old favourites the chicken and waffles and the calamari taken off the menu but there’s so much variety available even the fussiest of people will be satisfied.
The manager was telling us about how they get a lot of locals and like to look after them and that the daughter of one of the men who comes in for a long black every day wanted to organise him a coffee voucher for 25 coffees which they will keep track of which gave me a nice community vibe. It’s certainly good coffee too! Definitely recommend
Original review
We dined as guests of Chicken or the Egg yesterday. This quirkily named cafe has been cropping up on my Instagram and I was keen to check it out. Located on the lovely Mailing Road which is a beautiful strip of shops and cafes the venue itself is very clean and bright and super busy which is a very good sign considering it’s only been opened two months.
I began with a golden smoothie which was nice and summery. All of their smoothies are vegan and sugar free which is great for when you want to make a healthy choice.
Continuing on the health theme we opted for the chicken salad and the corn fritters with smashed avo and feta and a poached egg. This dish comes with bacon but not being a bacon eater I asked for smoked salmon instead. Note they do not do variations which I suppose if their prerogative but it’s a little frustrating that on something like that they wouldn’t swap the bacon for salmon even though both are listed as a side at the same price. Not particularly fair for a seafood eating vegetarian but I suppose in that instance you have to order something else.
Poached egg unfortunately over but I enjoyed the dish itself and there were a few others that appealed for a future visit including the açai and the chicken and waffles and it does seem like a friendly place. They are also open during the break every day bar Christmas and New Year’s Day so a good option if you don’t want to scrounge for your own breakfast
Awesome breakfast cafe in cute mailing road. Great food, coffee and service. Everything is intricately presented. A must breakfast spot! Will definitely come back here.
Loved this place. Best discovery yet on maling rd.
very stunning cafe on busy maling rd with beautiful, very good quality food, amazing service, perfect coffee. Staff were friendly with big smiles which was a huge plus.
The fritters were absolutely delicious and I was very happy with the portion size. Mum seemed to enjoy her croissant so I’m giving the food here a thumbs up. The staff were really friendly and made an effort to make sure everything was alright.
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Nestled amongst the stunning architecture and hustle & bustle of Mailing Road sits a quaint and welcoming café with a lot of heart. Walking into Chicken or the Egg, you can tell there is no pretention- from the delicious scents emanating from the kitchen to the welcoming smiles of the staff, we knew we were in for a wonderful experience.
It was an extremely cold and wintry morning in Melbourne which called for something hot and soothing- enter Mork and Prana *insert lovey dovey eyes here*. Our almond Prana chai latte and soy Mork 50% hot chocolate were both creamy, delicious and decadent enough to hit all the right spots and warm the soul.
Sometimes we go into cafes and the decision is easy and doesn’t require much debate. In the case of Chicken or the Egg, however, we found ourselves struggling over ¾ of the menu, as it all looked and sounded soo good! Luckily, with the help of our host Steph, we were able to narrow it down!
-Torched poached eggs- poached eggs, zucchini ribbons, pesto, asiago, smoked eggplant smash and olive crumb on crunchy bread with a side of mushrooms
-Baked Spanish eggs- eggs baked in house-made chorizo capsicum tomato salsa, topped with melted manchego and served with herbed toast
Being lovers of all Mediterranean- style food, the torched poached eggs were a no-brainer! When the dish first arrived at the table, the photographing process was delayed due to the heavenly scent wafting off the plate. Recollecting ourselves, we took photos as quick as humanly possible to avoid any further delays in devouring our food.
The dish was absolutely beautiful. The combination of the pesto and zucchini with the eggplant smash and crunchy bread made it a lovely, warming meal. The cheese was also a very welcome addition. We could’ve used a bit more pesto and olive crumb on the plate, but overall, we really enjoyed it.
Now, we’ve tried a few baked egg dishes in our lifetime and we are by no means connoisseurs, but we CAN tell you that this was possibly the best take on baked eggs we’ve tried to date. Where most contain some kind of feta or goats cheese, Chicken or the Egg opted to instead melt manchego cheese on top of the creamy, tomatoey eggs. Did it work? Oh hell yessssss! It was sensational! Every element of the dish was flawless! The generous serving of chorizo was flavoursome and not too spicy and the tomato salsa had a slight sweetness to it. A special mention also needs to go out to the herbed bread. When dipped into what we are now going to call ‘the little pot of heaven’, each mouthful became a delightfully crunchy and mouth-watering experience. This was the definition of soul-food.
A big thankyou to the team at Chicken or the Egg for a wonderful experience- from the delicious soul-warming food to the top-notch friendly service, it was an absolute pleasure. Thanks to Steph for being a wonderful host and to Paul and Nicole for providing us with the opportunity to visit- we can’t wait to come back!
A very fancy and very tasty place for brunch. The coffee is great. My long black was served with an explanatory note about the coffee itself which was nice.
I had the Benedict Royale. (Salmon). Was very nice. Served on bagel.
My companion had the mushroom pancakes with noises of enjoyment.
A worth while visit if on mailing road.
Juhi- Culture And Cuisine
+5
Chicken or the Egg (COTE) will be one of my most recommended places from now on. I still haven’t found something I can critique.
Location- on the famous Maling Road. A short walk from Canterbury Station and if you are driving, dont worry about parking.
Order (Drinks)
V60 Filter Coffee- extremely smooth and super easy to drink. Was the right kinda strong 😍
Vegan Smoothie- Almond Kicker- it felt like a meal in itself. Super duper tasty and just so filling. Worth the buck!
Order (Food)
Acai bowl- They have absolutely nailed it. Not only does the bowl look gorgeous, it tastes GREAT. The combination of fruits is just perfect. Highly recommend it.
Corn Fritters- most places I have eaten these at, I feel fairly heavy after. That wasn’t the case at COTE. The fritters were really light and super well cooked. The presentation was super cool too.
Torched poached eggs- This was my first time trying pesto with eggs. It’s a very creative combination and tastes great together! The zuchini ribbon and eggplant smash were delicious too. I also ordered mushrooms on the side and couldn’t be happier!
Service- had the pleasure of speaking with the owner and he was an absolute delight. Loved the way he connected with customers and loved seeing him love his job.
Our table was served by a lady (it was her first day) and she was super lovely too. Extremely warm and super chatty :)
Overall, GREAT experience. Will be back for more and would recommend COTE to everyone!
Visited this cafe for the first time which has had a recent renovation and makeover. The ambience is bright and happy with plenty of parking around the corner.
The food was good and very well presented and the coffee was good too plus service with a smile
There was an error with my order and bacon was not excluded as requested and a complimentary coffee for the error would have been appreciated
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Chicken or the Egg is such a gorgeous café, right in the heart of Canterbury on Maling Road - one of the cutest little shopping strips in Melbourne. The café décor is beautiful - the rustic wooden tables and the gorgeous plates/bowls all add to the charm. If you choose to sit out the front, there are heaters and also rain shelter awnings, which makes it weatherproof for all conditions.
I started off with a latte which was delicious and had beautiful art on the top which is always a plus for me. For the tea drinkers (usually me in the afternoon!) they use Tea Drop tea - lovely! I ordered the Torched Poached Eggs which was such a beautiful meal. Resting on a bed of smokey eggplant puree was toast with 2 poached eggs, asiago cheese, pesto and zucchini ribbons. I asked for a side of mushrooms which came in its own little bowl and was extremely generous. The smokey eggplant puree was a game-changer - it was so delicious, I wanted to bottle it up and take it home and use as dip!!
The pastries in the cabinet looked absolutely amazing and are supplied by Penny for Pound. I was dying to try the almond croissant but unfortunately was too full!!! I will definitely be returning to try more of the menu options - the Fried Chicken with Waffles in particular!!
Chicken or the Egg is a relatively new cafe that has opened in Canterbury on the popular shopping strip of Maling Road, a five minute walk to Canterbury Station on the Belgrave/Lilydale lines and five minute drive from the heart of Camberwell. The staff were friendly and attentive, though there was about a 25 minute wait for our food. Breakfast and lunch are both served all day, and there's a good range of sweet and savoury options as well as a cabinet at the front of sweet goodies.
A Chronicle Of Gastronomy
+4
Maling Road is one of the few remaining heritage shopping strips around. The village-like atmosphere of the street creates a local friendliness that extends into Chicken or the Egg, one of its newest cafe additions
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I was so lucky to be invited to the release of their new menu about a month ago, and this new café did exceptionally well!
Food: The presentation of all the food was vibrant and well done. The taste of every dish was either was above average or excellent, majority nearing the excellent! Personally, I adored the Acai bowl which was neither too sweet, nor too bland, felt healthy, was healthy and very Instagrammable too! The chicken and waffles which was their top dish, was also very pleasant! Instead of a savoury waffle with fried chicken, the waffles had a tinge of sweetness that complemented the crispy fried chicken. The calamari salad and Buddha Bowl were also a crowd pleaser! The rest were all quite good and I would definitely revisit in future!
Service: Every single person was so friendly and accommodating. Though the food took a bit longer than expected to arrive; there were a number of dishes that needed to be prepared and in the meantime we were kindly offered any drinks of our choice. The staff regularly came over with a smile and to ask how we were and how the dishes were, each one of them so sweet and approachable.
Ambiance: The café itself is in a lovely location in Canterbury, on the main road. The café is flooded with natural light, and has a simplistic design that is very pleasant. There were quite a few customers coming in, all appearing to enjoy their meals. There was also some nice pop music playing in the background, accompanied with the aroma of delicious pastries and other treats on display.
Followthefoodmelbourne
+4
I was lucky enough to attend a recent bloggers lunch at Chicken or the Egg where I sampled a selection of dishes from their new menu.
First off, the atmosphere was very welcoming as the staff greeted us with huge smiles. The cafe itself is classic and stylish, and fits in well with the whole Maling Road shopping strip.
Some of the dishes I tried included the calamari, fried chicken waffles, acai bowl, French toast and falafel/quinoa bowl.
- The calamari was hands-down the best one I’ve had in a long time!
- The fried chicken and sweet waffle combination is a pairing that shouldn’t work, but it so does.
- The acai bowl was fruity, summery and the perfect thick consistency.
- the French toast was thick, fluffy and delicious. I particularly liked the addition of chocolate covered strawberries however, I would have liked a tad more syrup.
- the falafel/quinoa bowl was excellent! Definitely a dish I’ll be ordering again, there were so many yummy elements and the falafels themselves were delicious!
Overall, I thought Chicken or the Egg was a delightful cafe. Their menu is eclectic, the food is high quality and the atmosphere has a real friendly/local feel to it.
I stumbled upon this place coming from buying a car, it was pumping with big smiles and vibes from staff to others enjoying there food and coffee! so i stopped by and had an amazing warm chicken salad, i’ve never had anything like this before, full of flavour and all the ingredients were fresh, i was greeted by one of the guys there and i was amazed with how good service was! i would give this place 100/100
will recommend to family and friends
I have been to many cafes around Melbourne and have to say fantastic. We were greeted with a smile and a hand shake, not many places do that anymore. Why, who knows.
I ordered the Blatzel with the polenta chips. The taste of that made my pellet water as soon as I took a bite. The coffee was spot on along with the decor of the shop. Very warm and inviting.
People tend to right reviews when things are b
ad, so hence I am writing to tell people to visit the place. You won't be disappointed.
Well done to the staff there.
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Suffering a bit of cabin fever after being cooped up inside for much of Yesturday so went somewhere local for breakfast.
Chicken or the Egg is right on Maling Road in Canterbury. This light and white cafe had just started to fill up when we arrived but we managed to grab a table. I chose the golden latte today and very glad I did because it was probably one of the more authentic I have had with no sugar and that real turmeric taste. The coffee was also very good.
I liked the look of the other food that was out on display and we couldn’t decide between several mains or whether we wanted sweet or savoury so in the end picked one of each and shared. We chose the “Toast of Paris” which was french toast with Passionfruit curd and Rhubarb. We also picked the corn fritter with avo, bacon and a side of salmon. Both breakfasts looked a treat.
The french toast was soft and well cooked. I definitely recommend you eat all the contents per bit as the rhubarb went very well with the curb and toast.
Then fritters were well cooked while the solo poached egg was a tad under for my liking (and I would have enjoyed an extra one but that would have thrown the dish presentation out). The salmon was vibrantly colourful as tasty.
Really enjoyed my time here and the brief sunny spell before the weather packed up again.
Recommended by our goodies foodies friends and had the truffle poached eggs and my brothers had the waffles chicken and the corn fritters. All the dishes not only looked great but tasted great.
Staffs was super helpful and AXIL coffee was just AXIL COFFEE great as usual.
Keep the good work guys and will see you soon for sure.
That what mailing road needed..
Thanks for the experience.
Lively and busy place to be on a weekend brunch. Inside can get quite loud cause the flooring or walls, we had a table inside and moved outside. The food menu was amazing and no doubt will be back to try a few more things. Truffles eggs with asparagus was top notch.
This place is an absolute GEM! Had brunch here when I heard it opened and I was blown away by the decor and ambience of the place. Staff here were lovely and very accomodating. Ordered the super bowl and my friend had the fried chicken and waffles - both dishes were delicious!! A waitress walked past holding some epic looking smoothies that I will definitely be back for! 10/10!!
Had breakfast this morning at this new cafe on Maling Rd. Place was packed and I now know why! Started with a coffee...by Axil Coffee Roasters thank you very much! I had the corn fritters and my partner had the bircher muesli. Coffee and meals were on point. We will be back. Definitely recommend a visit
This new cafe is just what Maling Road needed. The menu is fresh and the decor is bright and airy. The staff are very welcoming. I ate a modern version of a BLT which I really enjoyed. My mum had the tuna salad which she loved. She really enjoyed her coffee. The staff were very accommodating as we had a baby in a pram & made room for us. Will definitely be back.
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