John Gorilla

John Gorilla is in Pearson Street, West Brunswick. It's a real head-turner as you go past because there are some interesting pieces of street furniture (like the sunshine yellow chairs below) and there always seem to be squads of cool-looking people hanging around. This was our second visit and both times we've really enjoyed it. On a changeable Monday morning, it was quiet enough for us to get a seat almost straight away, after passing perilously close to a fabulous-looking overstuffed carrot cake and some beautiful little sweet creations such as individual lemon polenta cakes. The rooms are light and airy and filled with what seems like a highly personal selection of quirky items: the "Tasmania" trays holding the salt and pepper, the family portraits, the Charles and Di wedding memorabilia. The room out the back, where we sat last time, has now been covered over and garnished with bright paper lampshades and plant pots, and diners share one very long table. We sat at a comfortable banquette with an entire table to ourselves - perfect for keeping little ones in check. Staff were friendly and efficient: our orders arrived lickety-split (albeit one was wrong). I ordered the leg ham and gouda toasted sandwich with onion jam, which was delightful, although the liberally-applied English mustard was a little overpowering for my taste. D had the eight hour brisket which was warm, flaky, sweet and tasty and served in a generous quantity in a soft white roll. The smallest member of our party wolfed down his babycino but had to wait for his French toast as the waitress brought the wrong thing out (though that looked pretty good too). The French toast looked and tasted divine: a thick slice of brioche lightly fried and served with maple syrup. My latte was just right: a rich flavour, with no bitterness. A very pleasant experience: if it's not too busy, we'll be back to try the cakes.