PROUD MARY

172 Oxford St, Collingwood - ph: (03) 9417 5930

I first heard about Proud Mary from a coffee aficionado friend who knows all the best places for coffee around town. Proud Mary is the (relatively) new venture of one of the former owners of Liar Liar in Hawthorn, also famous for its coffee.

Like Liar Liar, the place was packed on a Saturday morning and it took us a good 20 min to get a table. Once we sat down, we were greeted by the same waitress who used to work in the Hawthorn cafe.

Short macchiato ($3.50)

Coffees for start took a long while to arrive, but tasted very good once we got them.

Food was also good. Hubby had the soup of the day (tomato, beans and bacon) and chicken and pesto toasted sandwich.

Soup was ok, although I expected a bit more of a punch from the bacon. It wasn't as 'hearty' as I'd expect it.

Beans, bacon and tomato soup ($9)

Sandwich was delicious. I loved the thick multi grain bread and chutney on the side. Tender chicken breast and melting cheese went really well with the peppers, rocket and pesto. I ended up having half of it.

Chicken sandwich ($9)

To be honest, I chose plain eggs because I wasn't inspired by any of the egg dishes they had on the menu. Eggs were poached well and, as far as eggs on toast go, my dish was quite good.

Poached eggs on toast ($8.50)

I probably sounds harsh, but as much as I enjoyed the food and coffee and found the prices quite reasonable, I'm not sure I'd come back to this place. Quoting The Castle movie; 'It's the vibe'; the place was so full that staff just seemed to be rushing around without even noticing the customers. I felt the cafe was more like a production line of food than a place where you can sit down and just relax. Maybe it was just my impression, but I didn't leave the cafe with a smile on my face.