Maling Road is one of the few remaining heritage shopping strips around. The village-like atmosphere of the street creates a local friendliness that extends into Chicken or the Egg, one of its newest cafe additions.

Chicken or the Egg has an all-day breakfast and lunch menu, and if you’ve always wondered what savoury hotcakes might be like, here’s your chance to try. Their Mushroom and Ricotta Hotcakes, are topped with sauteed mushrooms, spinach, cherry tomatoes and a poached egg. There are mushrooms within the hotcakes too, which means it’s difficult to get that super fluffy texture you might be used to with their sweet counterparts, but they’re still very moist. Balsamic adds a tangy flavour, and the egg helps bind everything together.

The Calamari Salad sports a generous amount of golden, lightly crumbed calamari that stays crispy for a long time. It’s a lighter brunch option that has a good balance of protein and carbs – the pink-coloured moghrabieh has a zingy dressing that livens up the seafood-based dish.

For those on the health train, the Buddha Bowl is a real treat. Brown rice, spiced chickpeas, broccoli, radish, pickled coleslaw, turtle beans, pumpkin, cherry tomato and hommus dressing combine to create a tasty and satisfying feed. There’s a good amount of hummus to provide balance of flavours and moisture, and the brown rice and quinoa mix is well seasoned. We add crispy-skinned grilled Atlantic salmon, and it’s cooked to perfection.

Chicken or the Egg’s bright and white atmosphere is a great fit for the quaint atmosphere of the street. Its menu makes it worth a visit, whether it’s for a special visit, or as part of a mosey down Maling Rd.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Chicken or the Egg as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time

Chicken or the Egg
76-78 Maling Rd
Canterbury, VIC, 3126
(03) 8395 7132
http://cotecafe.com.au/