In a corner-toting building on Thornbury’s High Street sits Short Round, an eatery that’s gone from serving critters to coffee – it was once a pet store – and fare as cracking as Indiana’s bullwhip. Occupying a spacious heritage space, Short Round has all the trappings of an outstanding local haunt; top-notch brunching, a sun-kissed outdoor terrace, communal and standalone tables with views that peer out huge windows, and even thirst-quenching cocktails.
Helmed by a sister duo who have a zeal for all things seasonal and sustainable – much of the café’s fit out is sourced from local furniture stores – Short Round boasts a menu that changes with the crops; expect spring lamb in summer and no tomatoes in winter. Indecisive types may be advised to arrive early as to avoid a prolonged state of menu-mulling; luckily, our cheery waitress came to our rescue, eagerly talking us through her personal recommendations.
With eyes that widened to the size of saucers as she took her first glimpse of her breakfast – roasted mushrooms and asiago omelette – Mother was clearly apprehensive. ‘What did they use? Ostrich eggs?’ she asked with trepidation. Lying languidly across a doughy slice of sourdough, the envelope of fluffy eggs, whipped furiously into submission, encased plump, earthy mushrooms and lashings of the smooth cheese that promptly melted, creating a stringy net around the fungi. Although not strong, the mild, parmesan-like cheese was the dominate flavour, corralling the mushrooms to the backseat; a squeeze of lemon would have offered the acidity to cut through the eggy-cheese medley. Crowning the omelette was a dusting of almond dukkah, a dollop of kasundi and an ample smattering of intensely green rocket. The peppery leaves provided a pleasant fiery contrast to the richness of the omelette, as did the intense spices from the chunky, unctuous tomato pickle; the crushed nuts were a smidge under-toasted for Mother’s preferences but added a textural crunch with every forkful.
It’s not unusual for me to have to fend off invading forks at our mother-daughter breakfasts; at Short Round, I seriously considered picking up and moving to another table. And with a breakfast that had the good looks of a supermodel, it didn’t come as a total shock. The attractive hodge-podge of avocado salsa, poached eggs, house made cornbread, bacon and red cabbage tasted equally amazing, an incredible marriage of textures and flavours with each bite. A square of golden yellow cornbread was the perfect base for a poached egg, which, when popped, spilled tangerine-hued yolk for the crumbly, sweet bread to soak up. As I assembled one mammoth forkful after another, I made an announcement to the table: ‘This is the best breakfast I’ve had yet’. Simply put, I could fault nothing; the bacon, rendered crisp and charred, was a sensational salty addition; a dollop of creamy avocado topped with chilli intermingled with the zingy freshness of a red cabbage and rocket salad to create an ever-changing (and always delicious) combination of flavours that I praised long after my plate was cleared.
Declining our waitress’ offer of something sweet – passing plates of house made waffles made it particularly difficult – we opted to go straight for a cup of joe. Short Round crafts their coffee from Proud Mary beans – seasonal blends, of course – that gave my smooth café latte hints of caramel with every sip; Mother’s long black boasted a golden, velvety crema and robust notes that lingered on the palate.
Straight from the Mother Short Round has everything I look for in a winning café: it’s bright and airy, courtesy of the huge windows; bucket-loads of room between tables so it doesn’t feel as though you’re sitting on someone’s lap; a menu brimming with so many tempting options it’s challenging to make a quick decision; and smiling staff happy to help. I did have an attack of the green-jealousy monster when I saw Daughter’s breakfast – thankfully, I managed to negotiate a mouthful – but I’m not too sad on missing out, I’ll be back soon.
Short Round
731 High Street, Thornbury
(03) 9484 3904
Mother Says 