restaurants

The Left Handed Chef

The Left Handed Chef is a cosy brunch spot in a peaceful, residential area of South Melbourne. Its menu has a unique addition to standard brunch places, with a growing collection of “Things from Home” – that is, warm and hearty dishes from Israel, where the head chef and owner, Ehud Malka, is from. With friendly service, and generous portion sizes without compromising on quality, LHC gave us a chance to leave with a growing appreciation for Israeli food and very, very full tummy. Not to mention, we found their coffee delicious and aromatic, whilst the watermelon juice a refreshing side to the heavy main meals. The good fat: Gorgeous presentation in the pan and the wooden chopping board, which complemented the variety of fresh colours! The potato at the bottom was thinly sliced and cooked softly, allowing it to act as a base to soak up the juices of the vegetables above. The eggs were poached perfectly, with the yolk acting like a sauce to cover everything. The eggplants were roasted perfectly, smooth to bite into and full of Israeli spices. A refreshing, slightly crunchy touch came from the juicy tomatoes whilst the parsley and chives on top added to the complexity. I thoroughly enjoyed how each of the vegetables contributed their own variation of flavour to the dish, making it an overall, hearty and yummy meal! Last, but certainly not the least, a huge shout out to the delicious pita bread on the side – the homemade pita was so delicious, especially when it came out warm at the beginning of our meal. It was slightly sweet, airy on the inside with a bit of toughness surrounding the edges and it was beautiful to just simply pull it apart. The bad fat: After having discovered my love for tahini at Moor’s Head , I was so excited to see that it was going to be on the sabich. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have a lot of tahini on this, just a small dollop on the side that wasn’t very strong in sesame taste or the aromatic earthiness I had just experienced a few days before. Would love this to be stronger + more quantity! Also – just because we loved the pita so much it would’ve been fantastic to have a little more on the side as we ran out when trying to soak up the juices at the end. Fat-o-meter: 4/5