Two Birds One Stone got two thumbs up from MTV and me when we visited South Yarra’s newest cafe for brunch on the weekend.  The cafe is from the same team behind Three Bags Full but it has much more of a slick and polished look to it in comparison to the industrial warehouse style of Three Bags Full and just about every other cafe in Melbourne.  Everything is white and shiny with tiled walls, plants hanging from macrame baskets and seating split between a big communal table and private booths.

The barista at work at Two Birds One Stone

The breakfast and lunch menus both run all day at Two Birds One Stone so you can order across the two.  There’s lighter options like Bircher muesli but also the sort of dishes that are almost guaranteed to make a hangover recede like the “One Stone” ($18.50) with egg, bacon and a pork, chili and fennel sausage.

Field mushrooms on brioche at Three Birds One Stone

Serving fat, juicy roasted field mushrooms ($15.50) on top of house-made brioche gives a great sweet and savoury flavour combination which is topped off with a scattering of creamy Meredith feta and water cress.

The communal table and booths at Three Birds One Stone

But the winning dish is clearly the charred corn and zucchini fritters ($16) these bouncy, light little discs are teamed with haloumi, guacamole and folds of salty smoked salmon.  I think these are the best fritters I have tried in Melbourne although MTV was a little concerned with the lack of meat in our brunch order and so added some bacon on the side as well.

Corn fritters at Two Birds One Stone – spot the bacon lurking behind there

The coffee menu is pretty succinct listing just “white”, “black” and “filter” but The Two Birds One Stone crew know their beans, roasting most of their own coffee along with getting some from Five Senses.  There’s a custom made four-group Synesso machine which produces a beautifully balanced latte ($3.80).

Two Birds One Stone is just a little bit more glitzy and polished than its sister cafes.  How very South Yarra.  But it’s still is a place that aims to please and generally does a pretty good job of doing so.

Essentials
Details: Two Birds One Stone, 12 Claremont Street, South Yarra, 3141 (Ph 03 9827 1228) Open Mon – Fri 7am – 5pm, Sat – Sun 8am – 5pm.
Damage: Reasonable.  Brunch for two came to $39.
8/10