The Kettle Black
50 Albert Rd, South Melbourne
03 9088 0721
Mon-Fri 7am-4pm, weekends 8am-4pm
http://thekettleblack.com.au
Before even tasting the food, The Kettle Black gives one hell of a first impression. The exterior of half modern office building, half refurbished Victorian home gives maximal contrast of old and new, while on entry, the slick white decor, marble benches, floor to ceiling windows and high ceilings create a spacious and airy environment. Natural light pours in all morning, highlighting the green pot plants, gold edged furnishings and reptile-scale-like ceilings. The waiting hordes of people, particularly on the weekend, is what might really strike you, however. Despite being located in a business area near the Botanic Gardens, it still draws the crowds just as much as its sister cafe Top Paddock in South Yarra, complete with a coffee and takeaway food cart set up outside in an attempt to alleviate congestion indoors and benches for those waiting for tables. If you come after 9am on the weekend, I would be prepared for to wait up to an hour, particularly on a sunny day.
The menu is just as stylish as the design. Many dishes are more sophisticated than usual cafe fare, and the beautiful presentation has neighbouring diners snapping away on smartphones, ready for instagram uploads. They also seem committed to innovation with Australian fauna and flora in a very modern way, sourcing top quality, local, seasonal ingredients. Though the infamous Top Paddock ricotta hotcake (with blueberries, pure maple, double cream & seeds- $18) makes an appearance, more unusual plates include chili scrambled eggs with cured flinders wallaby, feta & leaves ($18), soaked muesli with Australian grains, house-made yoghurt, seasonal fruits & flowers ($13), fresh crayfish in ash roll with purslane & local leaves, lime & yuzu mayonnaise ($21), and Cape Grim fully traceable beef with housemade mustard, seasonal fruit relish & leaves on The Kettle Black bun ($23).
The tataki ocean trout, served with a raw kale & pickled vegetable salad, seaweed, nuts & poached eggs ($20) is always a winner, though be warned that tataki means that it is raw/cured, rather than a smoked piece of trout more commonly found at cafes. I order this with a side of toast, however, needing something to mop up my poached eggs (and being a carb fan in general!). We did find out that one of the vegetable toppings is actually a native Australian succulent – another example of innovation in uncommonly used ingredients.
We also shared the mushrooms: seasonal local mushrooms – cooked & raw – on toast with mushroom powder & fresh goats curd and poached egg ($20). I have never been one for raw mushrooms, but the chefs proved me dead wrong here. The three types of cooked, raw and powdered mushrooms delivered an intense hit of flavour, balanced by the creamy tang of goats curd and all melded together and soaked up by the poached egg and sourdough toast.
Having just gone for a 12km run, we felt we deserved to share another meal (or just couldn’t decide on two!) and split the house-made coconut yoghurt with gluten-free grains, seeds & nuts, pear, citrus powders, fruits & flowers ($13). This is probably the most visually stunning menu item: artfully plated berries, pear, nuts and powders rests on a bed of thick and creamy coconut yogurt: the yoghurt itself being rich but not too sweet, and brought to life by the myriad of textures on its surface.
Although I was very tempted to do a repeat of the mushrooms on my next visit, I tried something new and went for the fresh kingfish with potato crisps, tomato, avocado and leaves ($23). The just-cooked pan seared, sashimi-grade kingfish elevated the simple flavours underneath into something special. Though small issues, I did notice the avocado had a few brown edges (I do admit that I am a picky avocado eater at the best of times), and the heirloom tomatoes could have done with being a bit riper, sweeter and juicier (I don’t mean the ones that were supposed to be green!). However, overall this dish was filling but still light, fresh and healthy – perfect for lunch.
Dan opted for the polenta porridge with burnt maple, textures of stawberry and basil ($15). Not being a porridge fan myself, I couldn’t judge, but the mouthful I tried was cream and textural with polenta grains, sweet but not too milky, and the decoration of strawberries, both fresh and freeze-dried, made elevated an otherwise ordinary looking dish. He did find the portion size a bit overwhelming and was only able to finish half, however.
Again we felt a dessert dish was needed and went for one of the day’s specials: baked quince, chestnuts, ricotta set cream, passionfruit sorbet and lemon curd. This should be a permanent menu item. Seriously. I could have eaten this ALL day. Flavours that I would never have thought to put together worked perfectly: tender quince chunks rested on smooth ricotta cream and a bed of tangy lemon curd, topped with a scoop of intense passionfruit sorbet, with deep red quince puree on the side and the contrasting texture of the nut crumble over top. 10/10 dish – I have been inspired to try to put these flavours together in some form of dessert when I am next home.
The Kettle Black is a slick, stylish counterpart to its ever popular sister, Top Paddock, with near constant queues out the door and an effortlessly sophisticated menu. The beautifully plated menu items draw in the young Gen Y crowd looking for the perfect photo, while Melbourne foodies are always going to appreciate dishes a little outside the cafe norms. Definitely the perfect place to go to impress an out-of-town visitor, or to just treat yourself to unique brunch experience: atmosphere, architecture, food and service combine to raise The Kettle Black above many of Melbourne’s cafe options.
Rating: 8.5/10
Do: arrive early on the weekend or bring change for parking if it is a weekday
Features: takeaway coffee and sweets cart, doughboys doughnuts, outdoor seating.
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