HOT: Brother Hen, Moonee Ponds

Brother Hen is a gorgeous family-friendly cafe just a hop, skip and jump from Queens Park Moonee Ponds.

The front room is cosy and warm, with wood panelling and the rumble of the tram providing window entertainment.

If you’re there with kids then you’ll probably want to head out to the back courtyard, which is covered and heated so still usable on a winter’s day. Out the back you’ll also find a small tub of toys, the chook house filling the fresh eggs bucket daily and a veggie patch that provides produce for the kitchen.

The two owners are both chefs and so the menu is really interesting and unique, with breakfast all day and lunch from 11am.

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With fresh eggs available barely 50m away you really must try a dish with eggs in it. I have the crispy fried eggs with a crunchy savoury granola, goats cheese, pumpkin hummus and truffle oil ($18). It’s a warming and filling dish with creative elements that elevate simple fried eggs on toast into a high dining experience.

We also order the very pretty ricotta hotcakes, wreathed in pistachio crumble, berries and pink pashmak. If you have a sweet tooth these perfectly fluffy pancakes are not to be missed.

The cakes are all made on site and the coffee comes from Allpress.

On Friday and Saturday nights Brother Hen is also open for dinner and is fully licensed. The set up makes it perfect for a relaxed family meal where the kids can eat and play while the adults chat and relax. There are separate menu options available from 4:00 – 9:30pm.