Single Origin

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Vertue Coffee – Carlton – Numerous Occasions – Breakfast & Lunch

Tamarind Prawn Toast

It is true. I get very excited about what some people think is a necessity. I’m talking about food. While eating well, and drinking good coffee, isn’t a “necessity”, it is really important!

Pea Smash

Well, like my old mate Big Kev, I am excited! Vertue Coffee was actually on my list for so long I had the old name still noted down. “Vertue of the Coffee Drink” was definitely a little bit long for a cafe name. From what I can tell, that is the only mistake the owners have made here. It is cafe heaven and I’ve put my reputation on the line taking some good friends over the past six months.

Funnily enough, Inward Goods, just off Swan Street in Richmond, is the reason Vertue became a must visit. They stock Vertue roasted coffee, changing the single origin every week or so. It is beautiful coffee, and well made by the team at Inward Goods which is one of the crop of bike/cafe venues.

Carlton is not that far from where I live, but the cross-town traffic can be exactly what Jimi talks about. I’ve put that aside and been here four times in about seven months. First on my lonesome, next with Catherine, then good friends Guy and Laura, and finally with my mate Puch. All of the food I’ve eaten here is top quality cafe fare. Dishes like the “Return of the Mac” and “Tamarind Prawn Toast” are quite unique. As you would expect, the coffee is superb.

Return of the Mac

At the back corner of a petrol station, and down a laneway that is pretty ugly, this is a very unusual location. Once inside you are in perfect comfort with an industrial feel, and very high ceilings, allowing daylight to come through in good measure. Service is good on the whole, with the manager particularly attentive to customer needs.

Chai Latte

Catherine’s tried the fried chicken burger, and the pea smash a couple of times. The burger is huge; a brioche bun filled with delicious buttermilk chicken, house slaw and corn aioli. Again a generous serving, and beautifully presented, the pea smash comes with hummus, toasted pepita, and dukkah. It is flavoursome and fresh.

Fried Chicken Burger

My favourite dish is the Tamarind Prawn Toast because it is such an interesting take on what is more of a western Chinese ‘classic’. That flavour from the fried goodness of sesame toast filled with juicy prawns, the freshness of the young coconut apple salad, peanuts, and the gooey fried egg yolk saucing it up. What did initially get me back was the need to have a big appetite to go after the Return of the Mac. This is serious. Mac and cheese croquettes, slow braised ham hock, beetroot puree, beetroot hollandaise and a poached egg. You don’t need me to tell you it works.

Tamarind Prawn Toast (Mac Croquette side)

Vertue has quickly firmed itself into my list of favourite cafes. Food, coffee, service, and venue, all marry each other in perfect harmony.

Vertue Coffee Roasters Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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Mr Hendricks – Balwyn – Wednesday 12 October 2016 – Lunch

Charcoal Australian king prawn roll with cos, celery, apple and mayo

Charcoal Australian king prawn roll with baby cos, celery, apple and mayo

Painting a picture of the economy is something business journalists have to do regularly. As much as they might try to make these narratives relevant to the populace, generally it is something that the majority skip past when reading the paper. So, saying the number of smashed avos going around is one of the reasons first home buyers can’t afford their deposit, was always going to be more interesting than fundamental economics.

Obviously, the two have almost nothing to do with each other. Though when you venture out to the suburbs for lunch on a Wednesday, you don’t necessarily expect a full cafe that is turning over tables multiple times. Sure, Mr Hendricks has a great reputation, and while this is a sign of an affluent economy, I’m not going to draw the long bow that this means housing deposits are being overlooked for another smashed avo.

Guatemalan single origin long black

Guatemalan single origin long black

If you were to be neglecting your housing deposit for breakfast or lunch, I wouldn’t blame you for starting here, with an enticing menu, and a couple of single origins on hand. On the latter, I tried both single origins and they are expertly crafted, with distinctive flavour, sourced from Guatemala and Panama by Padre Coffee. Catherine had Greene St Juice Company’s “The Hamptons”, which is the first we’ve seen of this brand, but it is certainly worth sampling.

For lunch, I instantly was intrigued by the charcoal prawn roll and had no trouble in narrowing down my order, until I realised there are many other great options. The charcoal bun is more a gimmick to me than about adding flavour, but it does look cool. The prawns on the other hand, plump, juicy and fresh, on a cos leaf, plus some soft shell fried prawns on top, are abundant and delicious. The cubed celery, and apple, works well with a nice mayo bringing it all together. The fried prawns in their shell did add texture, but I must admit that a couple of them gave me a sting in the mouth!

Fried buttermilk chicken brioche roll with Asian slaw

Fried buttermilk chicken brioche roll with Asian slaw

Catherine ordered the fried buttermilk chicken brioche roll and I was close to having some menu envy. It was delicious, as fried chicken generally is, and the accompanying Asian slaw added to the flavour, with shredded cucumber, and slightly hot kewpie mayo finishing off the combination, all housed in a fluffy brioche bun. I enjoyed my multiple tastes.

We drove out to Mr Hendricks on a pretty depressing rainy day. Once we were inside, there was an instant warmth in the food, coffee and service, making it abundantly clear why this cafe has such a good wrap. It is completely worth the drive out to Balwyn if you are not a local.

Mr Hendricks Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato