Mocha Jo's, Kingsway, Glen Waverley

There was a time say, five or six years ago, when you could count on three places on Kingsway in Glen Waverley for high quality food and excellent coffee: Coco Lounge, Zest 89 and Mocha Jo’s. On a good day they could compete with the highest of high end brunch places that dot Carlton and the CBD. Now Coco and Zest are well below average, only looking in any way favorable in comparison to the truly terrible competitors that have sprung up like weeds around them.

The only place that retains any of its former glory is Mocha Jo’s. It is still an acceptable place to visit for breakfast, and when I am in Glen Waverley meeting friends, it is my go-to backup.

I came here for breakfast with two friends and between us we ordered the Eggs Benedict with Spinach, Buttermilk Pancakes with Berry Compote and the Big Breakfast.

In order of enjoyment:

The Eggs Benedict were apparently a good choice. The eggs seemed really nicely poached, and the little scrape of hollandaise I tried tasted house-made and really quite nice. It looked a little silly at the centre of a super large plate – but hey that’s what sides are for I suppose.

I had the pancakes. They were nice. Not amazing. The berry compote was really tasty, but the mascarpone cream was too sweet and too rich, with none of the mascarpone flavor I was hoping for to cut through the sweetness of the pancakes. The pot of ‘maple syrup’ I thought was a nice touch, at least until I tried it and realised it was ‘maple flavoured syrup’ in the vein of what you get at McDonalds. I get that maple syrup is expensive, but don’t do a bait and switch with it. Just pile on more berry compote and leave it there.

Worst of the bunch – although not terrible – was the Big Breakfast. I mean look at the picture, it doesn’t really scream innovation or even amazing portion size! The friend who ate it is a bit of a weights junky and will generally go for volume over quality, however he was mildly dissatisfied in terms of the taste and still looked hungry by the end of it.

So in summation, if you absolutely must eat brunch on Kingsway your best choice is probably  Mocha Jo’s. However, if you feel like something sweet and an excellent coffee, I would really suggest you go to Hugo’s Cafe and Dessert Bar.