Two Birds One Stone, South Yarra - Sausage Days

There were not many options for lunchtime dining on Anzac Day and not wanting to get stuck into the tasty lager too early in the afternoon, we decided to converge at Two Birds One Stone on Claremont Street in South Yarra with the hopes of becoming adequately full before taking on the pub and of course the impending Collingwood-Essendon footy match.

As usual, Two Birds One Stone was filled to capacity. It didn't make a difference that it was a public holiday because this cafe always seems to be bursting at the seams with hungry punters waiting around on the street for their name to be called. Fortunately we live in a society that demands instantaneous gratification so from what I observed, a fair amount of people have their name added to the waiting list, only to skip out and be satisfied elsewhere. The wait for a table turned out to be a reasonable five minutes and we were shown inside to the high communal perch and provided menus. There is seating outside and interestingly enough some nearly-private booths along the perimeter of the eatery but we were not lucky enough to secure the prized real estate.

A single source long black ($4) was ordered along with a roast chicken sandwich ($16.50) which for me was exploring new territory since I have only ever consumed breakfast-type foods here before. Previously I was satisfied with the eggs and toast so I was not only curious but anticipating a substantial lunch. The sandwich didin fact turn out to be quite large however it was one of the most bland concoctions that I have consumed in some time. Adding a fair amount of salt and pepper did not help to enrich the taste of the very tame flat sausage that provided a bed of sorts for the chicken and tasteless aioli and rocket. The positive is that this was a big sandwich however with the weight of the boring sausage, the bread had fallen apart before it was finished.

The hiccup of the chicken sandwich is just that. I have always enjoyed the breakfasts as an aside. The Two birds ($22.50) is a substantial amount of food and comes with eggs on toast with mushrooms, spinach, heirloom tomatoes, haloumi, avacado, house made sausage and bacon and four dollars less if you forego the meat, which I do now. Although the same boring sausage is used in this all-day breakfast, it doesn't distract from the general taste provided whereas when it is used to compliment the chicken in the sandwich, it is an unnecessary annoyance.

There is a good vibe at Two Birds One Stone. Despite the place being filled to capacity it was not loud. The high exposed ceilings assist with acoustics and there is enough personal space when sitting at the communal table so you don't feel that others are eavesdropping on your important conversation. Service is pretty much what you would expect in a busy cafe. Nothing extraordinary but then again we were not asking for anything besides food and beverage to be delivered so I could not fault them if I wanted to. I suppose the lesson learned in this exercise is to stick with the Two Birds all day breakfast and get to the pub earlier to watch the sport.

Two Birds One Stone

12 Claremont St., South Yarra VIC 3141
(03) 9827 1228

http://www.twobirdsonestonecafe.com.au

My Rating: 12/20

Service: 3/5

Ambiance: 3/5

Quality: 3/5

Value For Money: 3/5

Twitter: @epicurean3006

e-mail: epicureanofsouthbank (at) gmail (dot) com

web: www.epicureanofsouthbank.com

At the time of this post, 82% of the reviewers on Urbanspoon like Two Birds One Stone.