Kim and I are terrible people. No, it’s true, we are! We had promised Jess that we would not go to Snow Pony without her. We promised most heartily, swore oaths to the fact. And we broke them, we broke those oaths. Because we wanted to luncheon somewhere close to our respective houses and couldn’t think of anywhere else that would have the possibility of being in the same level of deliciousness. We’re sorry! But it was SO GOOD! But we’re still sorry!
So what did we consume during this traitorous feast? I went with the ‘golden pony’ scramble, with basil, flat-leaf parsley and decadent dabs of smooth, melt-in-your-mouth rich goats cheese, served on two pieces of Noisette wholemeal bread. There were lots of nice fat seeds baked into the crust of the bread, which I found very pleasing (I used to have a severe aversion to seedy bread as a child and am now attempting to atone for my foolishness by eating as much seedy bread as humanly possible), and overall this was a very impressive breakfast dish, one that I would be very happy to wake up to every day!
Kim had the smashed avocado with thyme-buttered mushrooms and a poached egg, served with the same wholemeal bread. It’s pretty much the same dish that is also served at Friends of Mine (both Snow Pony and Friends of Mine are run by the same folks, so I am told), but, having not been to Friends of Mine, Kim was not burdened by any need for comparisons and gobbled it up happily, saying that it was a very delicious yet intimidatingly HUGE dish.
Being brunch it was inconceivable to me to not order a pot of tea, so I had a very floral earl grey. The cup it was served in was probably a tad too small if I’m being really picky (making me think I got more than four cups out of one pot, how obfuscating!), but otherwise it was very satisfying.
Dessert time! Lemonade scones, served with chantilly cream and Bonne Maman raspberry jam. Oh, I love lemonade scones, and these were real beauties, lovely fat and risen scones with a definite homemade look to them. Raspberry jam has always been my favourite type of jam, so I was happy on that score, although I would have been even happier had it been a homemade jam, but now really, I’m just flooding this entry with picky prejudices, it’s terrible. Everything really was so nice food-wise, I shouldn’t be picking anything at all!
Snow Pony is a very pretty cafe, full of little warrens and alcoves conducive to hiding away and scheming with pals over pots of tea (although those with accessibility issues would find this layout highly frustrating). The staff happily hum along, all very polished and friendly, clearly old hands at keeping everything ticking along smoothly.
In the battle of sibling rivalry, I think Snow Pony beats out Friends of Mine pretty handsomely. The food is a touch more polished, the staff are far more assured, and the overall vibe is just effortlessly pleasant. And it’s a heck of a lot closer to my house, which always garners two thumbs up from this outer province dweller. I’m raring to gallop back for another visit… although not without Jess (we’re sorry!).
Snow Pony
95 Whitehorse Road, Balwyn
Ph: 9816 8911
Ballroom Blintz 