A brunch outing is due with the girlies and one of the girlies picked The Vertue of the Coffee Drink. We arrived at 11:30AM on a Sunday and boy oh boy was it busy, it was peak hour for brunch / lunch. To get to this cute little joint, it’s through an alleyway and then another one and then BAM you’ll see people eating by the tables before you actually see the cafe. Now, once you finally get a seat, you’ll appreciate the decor inside the cafe. It was very green and it gets real warm too guys. Anywho, back to the important part, the drinkies and the food. The girlies got the ginger ninja and if you’re not a fan of ginger then this is not the drinkie for you. Yes it was refreshing but the ginger taste is very strong. Ms Channel loved it though because she’s a huge fan of ginger.
Ginger Ninja – $7.50
I got a soy latte and boy was this coffee delish! It gave me the hit of caffeine that I needed to start off the day and I was loving the coffee here.
Soy Latte – $4.50
My favourite dish was the Umami Mushrooms and this was absolutely AMAZEBALLS! The flavours were just amazing and the kale was perfect, the mushrooms were perfect, the poached egg was yolk-licious and the truffle foam was divine. I loved everything about this dish.
Umami Mushroom – $22
New season mushroom, house baked corn bread, kale, poached egg, truffle foam, beetroot, porcini powder
The Tamarind Prawn Toast was a touch disappointing. The prawn was stuffed inside the toast which you need to fight your way in before you even get to see the prawn. The flavours were Asian influenced and it was quite refreshing.
Tamarind Prawn Toast – $24
Fried egg, betal leaf, roasted peanut, young coconut apple salad
The most popular dish here is the return of the mac which is like the Rolls Royce of the mac and cheese. Yes, it definitely deserve its crown with the amazing braised ham hock with a perfectly cooked poached egg and amazing croquette. Get this if you need a little ham with your mac and cheese.
Return of the Mac – $23
House made mac & cheese croquettes, beetroot puree, slow braised ham hock, poached egg, beetroot bearnaise
The chicken burger was quite average. The chicken was a touch on the dry side but the curly fries were lovely and crunchy.
Fried Chicken Burger – $22
Buttermilk chicken, vertue house slaw, corn aioli, served with curly fries
For the sweet tooth, the french toast had a lot of flavours going on and was very rich in sweetness. It was a different take on the french toast and it didn’t really float our boat.
French Kiss – $21
Brioche french toast, strawberry coulis, charcoal lime ice cream, ginger crumble, walnut praline
The pannacotta on the other hand was just awesome sauce. When you have everything together from the granola to the pannacotta to the yoghurt, it was just perfect. We didn’t think this dish needed the fairy floss at all.
Matcha Pannacotta – $16
Wattleseed granola, seasonal fruit, passionfruit, coconut yoghurt, Persian fairy floss
The Vertue of Coffee Drink is a very cute hidden gem with friendly staff, good food and great coffees. I will definitely be back to check out the rest of the menu and definitely get the Umami mushrooms if you do drop by.
8 Raffa Pl, Carlton VIC 3053
Tel: (03) 8060 6987
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