St. Ali ★ 4.8
St. Ali in South Melbourne is Melbourne's original brunch destination: the warehouse and espresso-led egg menu set a standard hundreds of cafes have followed.
Order: Eggs Florentine with St. Ali espresso
History
Chef Bill Granger of Sydney's Bills served smashed avo on toast from 1993 and many sources credit him with the genesis, though Melbourne cafes including Stepping Stone Cafe were running similar plates the same year. By the early 2000s the format had become standardised across the Melbourne cafe scene, with St. Ali in South Melbourne and Auction Rooms in North Melbourne setting the modern template: thick-cut sourdough, fork-mashed avocado seasoned with lemon, sea salt, chilli and good olive oil, often topped with feta, dukkah or poached egg. The dish briefly became a global culture-war flashpoint when an Australian property executive blamed it for millennials being unable to buy houses.
Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy (if served with feta), Sesame (if served with dukkah)
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 thick slices good sourdough country bread (about 2cm thick)
- 2 ripe but firm Hass avocados
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Maldon sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper
- 1 small fresh red chilli, finely sliced (or 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper)
- 2 tbsp good extra virgin olive oil
- 60g Persian feta or marinated goat curd
- 2 tsp dukkah (Egyptian sesame and hazelnut spice mix)
- Small handful fresh coriander or mint leaves
- 1 garlic clove, halved (optional, to rub the toast)
Method
- Toast the sourdough on a hot dry griddle pan or in a pop-up toaster until deeply golden with some charred edges.
- While hot, rub the cut side of the garlic clove lightly over each piece of toast (optional, but adds backbone).
- Halve, stone and scoop the avocado into a bowl; add half the lemon juice, a generous pinch of sea salt and a grind of black pepper.
- Smash with a fork into a chunky paste; the texture should still have visible avocado pieces, not a puree.
- Spoon a generous mound onto each toast and spread to the edges.
- Crumble the feta over the top, scatter the chilli and a heavy sprinkle of dukkah.
- Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, the remaining lemon juice, fresh herbs, and another small pinch of sea salt flakes.
Tip from the editors. The avocado must be at perfect ripeness; press the pointed tip and it should yield without going completely soft. Underripe is grainy, overripe is muddy. Add the lemon before mashing to keep the green colour bright.
Where to eat smashed avocado on toast
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