humble rays

staff were quick, efficient and polite. they got us seated quickly, and attentive to get our order soon after.

i had the matcha latte which was silky and not too sweet, and balanced with the bitterness of matcha.

i also ordered the crab meat scramble. i enjoyed the scrambledeggson croissant with the hints of chilli. however, i couldn't really see the crab meat or taste much of it. overall, still an enjoyable dish.

i would still be interested to try the other dishes.

🍳egg benny
🌟4.2/5
a must have! the base is a crispy potato rosti that is paired with a savoury chili bacon jam, making it a pleasant change from your regulareggsbenny. the yuzu hollandaise especially cuts through the richness that usually weighs down a lot of bennys, which was a pleasant surprise. the only minor downside is that the ginger braised pork belly wasn't as tender as hoped, but that isn't to say it wasn't thick and tasty all the same😋

🍄miso mushroom udon alfredo
🌟3.7/5
the umami from creamy garlic miso and muchroom makes this a very unique yet comforting brunch dish. though i did wish that the miso flavor was stronger, the flavors were more than sufficient from every other player on the plate. being an alfredo lover, i couldn't help but love this dish and its on the to-eat list for next time we come back!

we ordered: 🌸
- thai tea latte & coffee
-eggsbenedict
- duck congee
- black coco waffles

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
the food was delicious. we are generally wary of cafes that looks instagram-able (food wise), as from experience, they don’t often translate to delicious meals and are purely for aesthetics.

happy to say that this place was one of the exceptions. the thai tea latte was absolutely fantastic and was tempted to order another one! theeggsbenedict was great and full of flavours. we also really enjoyed the ice cream for the waffle.

the service was also fantastic. we had to line up but it wasn’t a long wait.

highly recommend and we can’t wait to go back!

loved the food. i had theeggsbenny and hubby had the crab dish. both were pretty good. love the atmosphere as well.

when covid brunch lines take the same amount of waiting time as pre-covid 🤦‍♀️

food:
🍔 crispy chicken hot sauce: gochujang marinated chicken, black sesame mayo, sweet pickle roots veg, fried shallot, cabbage and coriander slaw on charcoal bun served with chips and seaweed aioli ($21.00)
🍳 crabmeat scramble: crabmeat scramble, coriander, spring onion, fried shallot, red chilli, sriracha mayo, chilli oil served with croissant ($22.00)
🍝 linguini mushroom: seasonal mushroom in garlic miso butter, linguini pasta, spinach, bonito, edamame, seaweed, parmesan, pickled ginger, onsen egg ($20.00)

review:
i loved humble rays' crispy chicken burger and their lightly toasted buns which brought me to new crunchy dreamy heights. the slaw was also light enough to cut through the heaviness of the fried chicken but the chips were a bit lacklustre...
chilli scrambledeggswere actually spicy and had that burning-in-your mouth sensation. you could also taste the crab through the scramble which was so pleasant and made the dish very interesting!!
my least favourite was the linguini. for us, there was too much cream which became overbearing quite fast. luckily we split between 3 - that it didn't seem too bad. however i could see myself struggling to finish this dish by myself... even when i adore mushroom so much!

service was excellent. friendly faces, and an organisation with covid precautions front and centre. they were also attentive (i was able to flag them down for more water, extra utensils, the bill), which is key when they focussed on table service to limit contact.

with floor to ceiling windows, the interior is gorgeous. with ample space inside (hello 1.5m rule), you really feel as though you get the privacy but around people. let's get back to brunches melbourne!

one of my favourite brunch cafes to go to. there are always lines during lunchtime so make sure to have a booking or avoid the rush.

i personally love the chili scrambledeggsand the desserts- thai milk tea bing soo which is sooooo delicious and a favourite. the chilli scrambledeggsis on a croissant which is cute but the portions are on the just right side- which is, you probably need a dessert to feel a little bit more full.

overall a great environment and vibe, i always love going here to eat!

excited to finally to dine-in for first time since covid lockdowns, so i wanted to choose a brunch place with a high rating on zomato. place was cute and looked presentable and clean, food was presented nicely. looked at the menu (they need to update the menu on here) and the crab chilli scramble caught my attention, especially because it was meant to be served with a croissant (literally the only few dishes with an image & always excited to try something different), except it came out with toast... i did not get informed, had i been informed i would've requested for a different dish before it was made with no issues. maybe it was the fact thateggscovered the toast almost completely that i had only remembered what i actually ordered (croissant) or that i was hungry, but i didn't want to ask for a refund/exchange since i already ate half of it by the time i realised. i brought it up, and asked if interpreted the item incorrectly when i went to pay for the food or if they just ran out. apparently they were out an over an hour ago. she apologised that noone informed me, and i still paid in full. was a bummer because in terms of flavour, both theeggsand burgers were okay. definitely would of tasted much better with a croissant, crab taste was subtle. chips were soft and plain. burger is missing something in terms of flavour, maybe some onions? i work in the hospitality industry as both a waitress and a kitchen hand, so this is more about the basics of customer service 😕 the latte was nice though.

everything was good but we had to wait outside for 20mins under the sun. croissant was of good taste and theeggswere delicious. drinks were good and beautiful!

came here for breakfast this morning. such a cute place. we goteggsand bacon with a side of greens which was delicious and the french toast recommended by the staff. both were delicious. the coffee and chair latte was also really good. it’s so hard to get a good chair latte. definitely worth its high rating!

humble rays did not disappoint! finally got to try it after hearing about it for months. the place itself is lovely and has a great vibe to it. the crab scramble was delicious with a fair share of crab, and theeggsbenny was also a great pick.
the servings were generous and priced well for brunch food.
staff were helpful and polite, definitely would love to come back and try their other items !

my rating: 3.5

i believe this cafe is over-hyped. i found the food to be rather average, really nothing special to rave about. service was friendly and atmosphere somewhat good.

why are there always long queue outside the cafe? it seems to be quite popular amongst the asian community due to the owner/chef being thai and the menu is modern fusion.

🔆location🔆

humble rays cafe is situated on corner of bouverie street and queensberry street. it is about 6 minutes walk from queen victoria market.

the cafe is quite spacious with a green and white interior colour theme palette.

🔆service🔆

whilst waiting for my friend to arrive, i ordered a matcha latte. but for some reason it took a very long time to arrive. the family that sat down next to me after i had ordered my drink, received their drinks first.  it turned out that the young waitress accidently gave my order to their table first. 

overall staff was friendly and they were able to accommodate my request in removing chilli from my meal due to my allergy.

🔆menu🔆

crab meat scramble, $21.00
(crab meat scramble eggs, asian herbs, fried shallot, sriracha mayo, red chilli, chilli oil served with croissant)

chicken hot sauce, $16.50
(korean hot sauce marinated chicken, sweet pickled root vegetables, black sesame mayo, fried shallots, cabbage & coriander, leek slaw on black charcoal bun)

match latte, $5.00
fresh squeezed orange juice, $7.50

🔆verdict🔆
i ordered the crab meat scramble and requested without chilli and they were able to accommodate it and i had specifically requested to have the scrambledeggson the side of the plate and not inside the croissant to avoid it being soggy. i was excited to try it because its one of humble ray's specialty dishes. however it fell short of my expectations.  the croissant was unfortunately not fresh, crunchy or buttery it was quite soft and biting into it it lacked texture.
the amount ofeggswas very generous but flavourless.

i came here with a friend midday one day and the line was out the door, took a good 30-50 minutes to get seated. the food was okay, i got theeggsbenny however it is unlike ur regulareggsbenedict as they used pork belly and a potato croquette. definitely a bit expensive however that’s what you get for brunch places. didn’t get to try the thai milk tea bingsu but i’ll be coming back for that!

finally, a place in melbourne where the food is worth the wait! service is excellent and their scrambledeggsare superb. 

humble rays has become one of my favourite brunch/lunch spots - arrive before 11am if you can to avoid longer queues.

my favourite dish is the chicken hot sauce burger, though their duck congee is a strong contender.

one of melbourne’s most famous cafes - humble rays is so popular you can always expect to wait at least 30 minutes in queue just to get inside. but it’s well worth the wait!

despite how busy it was, the staff are incredibly patient and friendly, and exceptional service is maintained. 

the menu here is a fusion of thai flavours with melbourne brunch, and there’s seriously nothing you can go wrong with on the menu.

crab meat scramble - humble ray’s most iconic dish! this is definitely a must order when you’re here, and my absolute favourite. the scrambledeggsare cooked so well, creamy yet fluffy, with asian flavours and herbs. i loved the combination of sriracha mayo and i think it worked really well with theeggsand the croissant. so delicious! 

duck congee - this dish is perfect for winter (although the weather is getting warmer now). the congee was very light, and the duck was tender and flavourful. i loved the crispy seasoned shiitake mushrooms which added a surprising crunch to the dish. 

coco waffle - my favourite dessert! this dish combines all my favourite flavours into one! the egg waffle is so crispy yet so light and fluffy on the inside. the combination of coconut and sesame work so well together, and this dish is so heavenly! 

thai tea bingsu - you really can’t go wrong with bingsu, and humble rays does it well. it’s light and refreshing, and a strong thai tea flavour. the toppings are actually in the middle, underneath the shaved ice!

this cafe is definitely worth visiting! i definitely need to come back soon to try the rest of the menu!

🥞 had my pancake crave satisfied at humble rays!

there is always a queue outside the cafe. we have waited for approx. 40 mins on a sunday morning. luckily the service was quite quick and we were happy with the food and drinks.

ordered belly dancing (homemade pancake with maple syrup and nutella) (aud 18.5) and crab meat scrambled 🦀 (aud 21). the homemade pancake looked really nice. great portion. bacon was crispy and the egg’s nicely fried. i had the sauces served on the side, so that i could taste the eggy flavour of the pancakes.

humble rays also did a good job on the crab meat scrambled. theeggswas rich and creamy enough. it would have been even better if the croissant was more crispy :)

lastly, you won’t wanna miss their hojicha latte!