fourth chapter

my first impression wasn't great- the first thing that was said to me when i walked in was "you're not wearing spikes are you? don't ruin my floor". i was wearing cleats because we had ridden there, and i had covers on them, which you could tell because i wasn't clicking on the floor, unlike the women behind me wearing stilettos and probably doing a lot more damage to the floor than i was. this didn't put me in a very good frame of mind- i'd only just arrived, and i felt unwelcome. we love to ride to cafes for brunch on the weekends and i have never been made to feel like that.

my husband's sweet potato nachos were very delicious, and quite original. i had the avocado, which was okay, nothing special.

so... after hearing all the hype about this place, i was keen to try it out. the inside was lovely but unfortunately the same could not be said about the service i received. 
after asking the waitstaff what made the pancakes not vegan, she replied saying that they were. we then got her to check with the kitchen and we waited 20 minutes before she came back to say they weren't. without apologising or giving us the menus to make another decision, we asked for the baked porridge. i clearly indicated i am coeliac and she states it is gluten free. all would have been good and well if this was the dish we received. however we were given the granola containing gluten and i did not realise this until after i consumed the dish. i am currently at home wincing in pain...
i didn't expect a refund or free drinks but i did expect an apology. i understand mistakes happen but unfortunately for this cafe, i will never be returning.

great interior set up - the high ceiling, the front glass wall and all that weekend sunshine. however, food and drink lacks consistency.

the coffees were weak to taste, but the matcha latte i ordered - look and taste wise - is milk with a layer of green powder.

the mushroom french toast was a delish savour surprise. the slight cheese taste to the toast makes it more moorish with the gooey poached eggs and soft, juicy mushrooms. i stole some from my friends' plates.

the pina colada hotcakes promised so much on paper, and delivered so little. when the plate arrived - it was a pretty set up - the hotcakes looked dark and dense. on the outside they were tough and chewy, and yet solid and gunky on the inside. overall unpalatable texture and taste. the overly salty nut crumble also made an odd companion to the dish. it reminds me of bar snacks. my friends told me i got gypped on both food and beverage :d

a plus is the the hot bowl of crispy sweet potato fries. loud crunch filled with soft sweet mash. if only the dip was enough to last the whole bowl - the dip came in a tiny dish. it finished around a third of the way into the fries.

lined up for one hour today which was a lot longer than expected.... we were starving.

in terms of the food, the beetroot and cheddar waffle was really really good, except for the hot smoked salmon that came with it. the salmon was dry and tasted really fishy... but everything else was good, so i would order the waffles and replace the salmon with something else.

the hotcakes looked amazing on the plate, but it tasted bad. it was too sour and the texture was sloppy. we pretty much left this dish untouched.

peanut butter s'more waffles also looked amazing. it tasted better than the hotcakes but the banana was hard like rock.. and the waffles were hard too. except the marshmallows were so nice and soft!! so overall the dish was quite average.

and finally the french toast was really yum with good flavours and a generous portion of mushrooms. oh and i really liked the sweet potato fries - it was nice and crunchy!

delicious! great food, great coffee and great service! will be back. we sat out in the courtyard under some heaters, the view of the park was simply gorgeous!

so after a second visit i can definitely say that it will be our last. with all the options in melbourne the last thing i will do is return to an establishment that doesn't put it's customers first. from the service received by the staff member who took our order and laughed at me for requesting an extra egg. to the guy at the front who decides which table you sit at who rudely came up to the girls in front of us and asked them very abruptly about why they were seated there and who told them they could sit there. on top of that they the food was very bland but i actually can't get past how rude the staff were. i just don't understand why people choose to work in customer facing roles when they are better suited to jobs which require no people interaction. shame really because it had so much potential but instead of getting better, they've definitely gotten worse. in a city such as melbourne where there are tons of options, service stands out and this one certainly did but for all the wrong reasons.

one of the most impressive front facades on a cafe we have seen! this cafe has been booming since it opened, tuesday was no exception. we were offered table outside, politely declined as it was freezing cold and gale force winds 💨 (strange offer 😉) we instead opted to wait for table for three inside, first seating was in the window along a bench, every time the door was opened we were treated to an arctic blast ❄️. coffees ordered we were then offered a table along the walk further inside the cafe. the cafe has been nicely fitted out but it seems there are too many seats/tables inside, it feels quite cramped. there was very little room to move next to the wall and one of our three diners had to repeatedly move his chair for staff, prams and the delivery man who went though with a trolley of supplies at least three times in the middle of lunch service!! 😉 there needs to be a sign indicating the one/unisex toilet is out the back door, several people walked towards back of cafe and just found themselves at rear of kitchen.
the food was very tasty and good size portions , the menu had quite a number of different offerings which was nice to see. the coffee was also very good, and we would have had a second if we had been asked that important question - was there anything else we would like ? , when the plates were being cleared. but alas for the second time in a week at two separate (both newish) cafes, that all important question was not forthcoming! depending on the number of people at the table they are potentially losing a minimum of $10 in coffee/tea orders extra!
the staff were nearly all very friendly and we would return again, to sample more of the menu 😊

beautiful cafe! polished interior with plenty of light, friendly service and amazing food! i ordered the baked rhubarb, apple and blackberry porridge with buckwheat, pistachios and labneh- piping hot and absolutely delicious! it wasn't too sweet and was perfect on a cold winter's day. i took so long to choose what to order because everything sounded so good! although being slightly more pricey than most cafes, i'd be very happy to come back.

the experience today was similar to several reviews posted to date. great decor/feel; friendly staff; enticing menu; good coffee; long and unexplained wait for food; poorly prepared or precooked food; expensive for a cafe.

french toast - looked great on the menu, but appeared pre cooked and microwave heated. a little bland.
porridge - is not porridge at all, but is in fact stewed fruit with a crumble topping
sweet potato nachos - included pre cooked (hard and chewy) pancetta, a couple of pieces of sweet potato and a lot of salsa as a filler. gluggy blob of cheese - perhaps a sign of microwave cooking.
coffee from nicolo was great.
we waited 45 minutes for food with no apologies or explanation (this is a cafe - not a restaurant).
$85 for 3 drinks and 3 cafe meals is about $20 too much for what was served on the plate.
friendly staff helped compensate for poor kitchen. it's early days, so hopefully they take note of the reviews and correct a few things to make it a great cafe

lovely new place in the hood!

i used to come here when it was the previous vegan place - yet fourth chapter is stunning to eat at. love the roadside tables as having a toddler you never know if he's going to be really good; or really bad haha. so i opt usually to sit outside no matter where i go.

staff are all a 5/5 - very friendly, well mannered and creative types; good food as well if you love a little gluten free meal - i had the paleo bread which was a vege, seed bread and it was good; little one didn't catch on it was vegetable so all good.

avocado was a half; relish was so good and i had a side of saganaki (lost half a point as it was too overdone) but overall a great place to chill and eat.

coffee with almond milk perfect too - only criticism was the salt - spherical rocks that couldn't be broken with your fingers so couldn't use them - might have just been as it was outside in the cold but shakers can cure that! will be back..... !! :)

a new cafe. read the reviews and decided to try it out on my day off. the macha latte was lovely -enjoyed it. the menu looked so good and had a hard time deciding. i settled on the big breakfast and was slightly disappointed as the bacon was a bit too dry. wished i tried the granola which my friend got!

ive been here 3 times now (twice in the last 2 days) and loved it every time! the venue, staff food and coffee are all amazing. and heaps of vegan options available which is often hard to find! it was really busy today too and for good reason :)

everything thing and one are great here, good vibe goin on here. love the glass front with that big door! very nic! must go check this one out guys!

layout and interior was up with the latest of styles, really cool yet still inviting.
coffee was ok, almond milk used was the almond milk & co, which i don't really like in any coffee, it doesn't steam right or creamy compare to the barista blend. would of loved a smoothie but $11, really? i couldn't justify that so i stuck to my latte which you still needed to add $1.50 on for almond milk.
the food was great, not huge portions but defiantly enough and worth it. i ordered the roast pumpkin which was $19.50 but you could of added an egg for another $2. i didn't as again i thought, really? isn't breaky meant to be the more cheaper meal of the day, but it defiantly should come with an egg cause it needs it.
my partner got pulled beef brisket cheeseburger for $22.50 which looked and tasted great, the sweet potato wedges were also really well done, golden and crispy without being too oily.
all in all was a positive experience, maybe would return on a more special occasion when i would justify spending big on breaky.

yet another bright young cafe that has sprouted up in the suburbs of melbourne. fourth chapter does a lot right and there is good reason for a 20 minutes wait for a table for 2 at 10.30am on a thursday morning... this place is popular and it lives up to the hype. 
first things first, that front door!!! now that is a statement. once inside a friendly but quirky waiter greeted us with a smile and took our names down. 
soon enough (20mins or so) we were seated at the front window with a view to the street. coffee orders places and then we started dissecting the menu. this took some time as we watched with interest the dishes arriving to tables next to us. 
i eventually settled on the roast pumpkin salad w kale, edamame, almonds, miso and 2 poached eggs. perfect size, plenty of crunch and tasted great. my friend loaded up on the 'big breaky' and boy was it a plate full. 
the place has a good buzz about it and service and food are top shelf!