Little Tommy Tucker

Finally there are the beginning  twinglings of good quality brunch places opening up south-side. Little Tommy Tucker is on the relatively busy side of Centre Rd in Bentleigh, very close to the station (so noone has an excuse not to hike out to suburbia!) It is a lovely set up inside with enough open space and light to remain friendly and open, coupled with a random/cute wooden cubby down the back where the kitchen operates.

Iced Coffee ($5.5) had a nice dollop of icecream, which made the coffee kick less intense.

The Chocolate Milkshake ($6.0) was not quite rich enough for me, very milky milkshake.

Lamb Sausages, Chilli Fried Eggs, Braised Baby Onions, Sourdough Toast, Celeriac Remoulade ($18.0) was the Big Breakfast option which I have vowed to never try - unless I am able to sample someone elses! The lamb sausage was meaty and dense, and I really liked the twist on the chilli eggs though they were not quite spicy enough for me. The sweet pickled onions were a nice lift on the dish, as was the creamy radish salad. 

  

The Crumbed Barramundi, Pea & Radish Salad, Herbed Couscous, House-made Tartare Sauce ($19.0) was soft on the inside and crispy battered on the outside. The tartar sauce wasn't too sour and the addition of the savoury sago balls was unexpected, but went surprisingly well with the dish. The salad was light and lightly seasoned; a nice healthy option.

The Kali Drinking Chocolate ($4.0) was on the bitter side, and quite a significant size too!

Tommy Tucker Wagyu Burger, Cheese, Lettuce, Pickled Cucumber, Mustard Aioli, Tomato Relish & Kipfler Wedges ($19.0) is a stocky, chunky burger, like those dudes you see coming out of the gym. It is packed with a juicy wagyu beef patty and pretty decent wedges. It probably isn't the soppiest burger I've had, so I would go elsewhere if I needed a burger hit.

This unassuming Pulled Otway Pork Roll, Fried Egg, Tomato Relish, Watercress ($13.0) was quite delicious. The pork was tender and tasty, and the tomato relish had a nice sweet kick to it. It was a nice simple little dish which ended up being surprisingly filling.

If you are looking for a traditional dessert dish, I would avoid the Cold Coconut & Chia Pudding, Maple Syrup, Banana & Walnut Crumb ($13.0). This was very strange, mostly due to the chia seeds being drenched in coconut milk and turned into a pudding that was almost too gluggy. That isn't to say it wasn't nice, but the taste definitely came as a bit of a surprise. It was a very light, refreshing dessert - almost not sweet enough for my liking, and the banana was slightly under-ripe, but I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort dessert zone. 

TL;DR Ultimately better food than Merchants Guild, though less variety. I'd return in a heartbeat - a small selection done well.