The Pickle Barrel
60 Ferguson Street
Williamstown
VIC 3016
Ph: (03) 9399 8338
In the trendy seaside town of Williamstown lies The Pickle Barrel, a cosy cafe and deli serving up a huge range of brekky options, ready to go foods and antipasto-type goodies. Fellow ex-William Angliss student Holly and I met up half way-ish between Warrandyte and Geelong to try out this little cafe.
The new Pickle Barrel – prosciutto, roasted tomato, poached eggs with pesto ($12.90)
A simple idea but a stunning combination of flavours, the new Pickle Barrel was a hit for me. My perfectly poached eggs spilt out bright just-runny-enough yolk to soften the pesto-smothered sourdough bread. Good quality prosciutto is kept simple, served on the side, and the roast tomato adds a freshness to the plate, cutting through the rich flavours of the basil and of the meat.
The big one – bacon, sausage, hash brown, baked beans, eggs and roasted tomatoes ($16.90)
Holly made a few modifications to her meal – she asked for hollandaise sauce instead of the baked beans, and for her poached eggs to be cooked very well through. Both requests were met. This Italian-influenced cafe has a reputation across melbourne for their excellent eggs and we were both very satisfied with the way ours were cooked.
A selection of the ready to go meals at The Pickle Barrel, like tuna patties, risotto balls, foccacias, and baguettes, as well as sweet items, ranging in price from about $3-$9.
The Pickle Barrel has over a dozen breakfast options, ranging from traditional Eggs Benedict or bircher muesli, through to fresh ricotta pancakes or crispy stacks of pancetta, rocket, eggs and asparagus. Its a cute cafe with small and communal tables, good coffee and a friendly vibe on buzzing Ferguson Street. At $16.90 for their big breakfast, value here is good too, with many cafes around the city nowadays charging $20+ for similar meals.
It’s a venue that gets mixed reviews – there have been reports of cold breakfasts and slow service, as well as great coffee and friendly staff. Our experience was good, but we did dine mid morning on a weekday – it would be interesting to come back on a Saturday at 9am and see if the cafe still holds up.
WOW!! The new pickle barrel dish looks and sounds SMASHING. Flavours sound refreshing and not too heavy as well. Definitely have to give this one a go next time I’m in the area. Can imagine eating that with a hashbrown and nice cup of coffee on the side. Bliss… =)
It was fantastic Winston, can’t wait to get back there for another brekky, there’s so much to choose from!