Campbell shops are mighty fine on the food front and one of the most recent destinations is The Bloom. So dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON went there.

It was brunch time, on a stunner of a morning and we settled into outdoor seating at The Bloom surrounded by mature trees.

At The Bloom, you order indoors with meals brought to your table. The all-day food menu is designed around loads of breakfast items and it runs through to lunch options. 

Coffee is excellent with The Bloom sourcing quality beans from multiple-award-winning Ona. Great flavour and the barista is artistic with coffee designs. Tea is a major feature, with 10 varieties available.

The menu kicks off with simple items such as toast ($9 with jam, vegemite or peanut butter) and tops off with The Bloom Breakfast ($26), a whopper of a meal.

The mushroom dish immediately caught my eye. Two large, thick slices of mushroom – sauteed to perfection – arrived on top of a slice of sourdough. Poached eggs were on top with micro herbs dancing about for added colour ($21). The rocket pesto added zip to the dish, as did the creamy goat cheese. I’m an “eggs-not-too-runny-not-too-hard” kind of a gal and The Bloom executed my request with precision.

My friend settled on the smashed avocado ($19), which looked lovely on the plate. The avo arrived with poached eggs, goat cheese and dukkah. The nutty flavour of the dukkah married well with curled thin slices of pickled cucumber and – for extra zest – pretty pink pieces of pickled radish and bright green pieces of fresh mint (The Bloom cares very much about presentation).

If you’re looking for something smaller, check out the arrays of goodies in the glass display fridge. The day we visited the line-up included slices for $4 (pecan and macadamia, as well as apple, date and maple), fruit salad ($6), banana bread ($5), and muffins ($5). Also decadent-looking cookies, such as a salted rye chocolate chip ($4).

The Bloom ensures vegetarians, vegans and those with gluten-free and dairy-free preferences are well taken care of. The usual suspects for breakfast include a Bircher Muesli and a granola (both $15), as well as pancakes ($20) and baked beans ($21).

Order a chicken or beef burger for $21. The eggplant stack sounded intriguing with sugo and savory and dense Grana Padano cheese ($17). My bet is that the fresh salad would be amazing (beetroot, grilled halloumi, beetroot relish, mixed herbs and lemon dressing, $16).

The Bloom’s interior is clean and contemporary and there’s plenty of indoor and outdoor dining. It’s service with a smile.

Other food places at Campbell include Hello Café (now an institution at the shops), Les Bistronomes (award-winning fine dining), Just Wok, Department of Pizza (excellent) and Café Express (part of Supaexpress).