‘Dip In’ these bread bowls

We are back! The blog has been quiet for the last month while we were preparing for exams… and then doing the exams… and then recovering from said exams. Such is student life. But now we are free and back to blogging. 🙂

A while ago, somewhere in the midst of exam study, we dropped by ‘Dip In Café’ for lunch. The main focus of Dip In’s menu is its dips, which are served in small hollowed-out bread bowls (along with other fillings). Logically, we know that putting the dip/egg/other fillings inside a bread bowl isn’t going to make it taste any different than if it had sliced bread… but it’s cuter, more fun to eat and a nice change from your average café lunch.

On the menu we counted 17 different dips, including the basics (hummus, roasted eggplant, tzatziki) as well as some you don’t see as often (Moroccan carrot, chimichurri and biltong pate). This sounds great, but remember that there’s only going to be one dip in the bread bowl, and if your chosen dip isn’t in one of the “signature Dip In dishes” then you’ll have to design your own. When designing your own, the cost of the eggs/bread/dip/sides are all separate and then added together, so it ends up costing more. For this reason we chose to order from the signature dishes menu.

[It’s also worth noting that they do offer some breakfast options and other lunch options like burger and schnitzel, but we weren’t really interested in those.]

‘Mushroom Madness’ – Spinach and cream cheese dip with two poached eggs, served in a bread bowl with halloumi cheese and mushrooms ($15.9)

Ani ~ I picked this dish because of the halloumi and the mushrooms and the halloumi. Mmm halloumi. I wasn’t sure whether the spinach and cream cheese dip would be any good, since normally you can’t really taste the spinach. Sure enough this dip tasted predominantly of cream cheese, but it was surprisingly moreish in combination with the bread and mushrooms. I would be happy to order this again. The poached eggs helped make the dish feel more filling. The salad was your average side salad.

‘Dip In The Atlantic’ – Eggs scrambled with dill, chilli and smoked salmon served in a bread bowl with a cherry tomato, pine-nut and basil salad ($16.9)

Wendy ~ The bread bowls all looked pretty cute – the cob loaves were mini sized and had a little “lid” leaning against the side. Mine was brimming with scrambed eggs and salmon, a classic brunch flavour combination which I enjoyed. The side salad added a fresh touch to the dish. Overall, I enjoyed the concept of the bread bowl but in this instance the flavours were very familiar, so I definitely need to order something else next time I visit (preferably with a dip in it!).

Iced Coffee ($5.5)

Ani ~ The iced coffee was ok, but a little on the watery side. I needed the caffeine but I probably wouldn’t order it again next time.

Mural in the café

Verdict: This is cute way to eat bread and dip/eggs, and the flavours combinations we tried were good. Prices are normal for this type of brunchy city lunch. Ordering one of the signature ‘dip in’ dishes is cheaper than designing your own.

Location: 20-22 McKillop Street in the Melbourne CBD. They have a website and a Facebook page.