Elsternwick seems to be the new cafe hub of the South-Eastern suburbs. Last year saw the opening of Next of Kin (try their crazy crumpet flavours) and in the last few months both Glover’s Station and Bancroft Brewers have opened their doors. Glover’s Station, by those of Bentleigh’s Little Tommy Tucker, has breathed life into the old service station on Glen Eira Road, while Bancroft Brewers combines the skill-set of the restauranteurs behind Stables and Como, Drugstore Espresso and the ex-chef of Coda in a specialty coffee-orientated cafe named after Henry Bancroft, who introduced the Gaggia Espresso Machine to Melbourne in the 1950s. We have paid them both visits in recent weeks, and this is the verdict.

Glovers Station
258 Glen Eira Road, Elsternwick Victoria 3185
03 9532 7765

Occupying the old brick mechanic’s station in Elsternwick, Glover’s Station has been designed with spacious elegance in mind – large windows on three sides of the high-ceilinged room let light stream in all day over the sophisticated light timber and black wooden chairs throughout the split-level dining room focused around a central hub of the sweet cabinet and espresso machines. White tiled walls further lighten the space, while a generous outdoor courtyard allows diners to soak up the sun in the gradually warming spring months.

Innovative and seasonal, the menu urges diners to “rug up and embrace the season”: organic oat porridge is served with banana, yogurt and walnut crumble ($15), rich braised ox tongue is paired with burnt, smoky onion puree, mustard butter and chili fried eggs on toast ($16), and smoked beef and bean cassoulet comes with sourdough, white bean puree, potato and corn crunch ($17). More health orientated dishes include Yousli activated bircher with honey yogurt, poached apple and crushed macadamia ($14), a smoked salmon mousse with poached eggs and a crunchy quinoa and snap pea salad ($16) and poached ocean trout with quinoa, kale, goji berry & broccoli salad, piped avocado puree and a poached egg ($19). A small kids menu is also available, as is a colourful sweets cabinet, with everything from croissants and muffins to custard tarts, lemon and blueberry almond friands and mini-passionfruit cakes. The passionfruit curd doughnut was sugar coated and sticky, hiding a filling of thick, tangy passionfruit curd, while my chocolate ganache tart was one of the best I have ever eaten – rich and deep with chocolate, with a topping of ganache that dripped over the edges when heated.

I went for the beetroot and sorrel salad ($17), where tender beetroot chunks were paired with piped dollops of smoky goats curd, the crunch factor of sweet candied walnuts, two perfectly poached eggs and a slice of toasted sourdough. Not only aesthetically pleasing, this components of this dish were perfectly put together – the creamy curd and tang of beetroot offset by the nutty, toffee-like walnuts. My only comment is that the beetroot might have fared better if slow roasted rather than boiled, simply for the caramelised taste and crisp edges it would engender.

Dan was very happy with the pressed lamb shoulder ($18): a thick slab of slow cooked lamb is served with a crisp, layered Yorkshire pudding, seasonal peas, beans and fennel with a crisp fried crumble and a mini-jug of creamy pea sauce. Each component clearly carefully thought through for complementary flavours and textures, he only wished he had an extra Yorkshire pudding!

Service was also impeccable – although the cafe was busy, staff were friendly and helpful in choosing what to order and meals arrived quickly. Offering menu items off the beaten track with no avocado smash in sight, Glover’s Station offers a modern and polished dining experience for any occasion – we will be back to try that famous braised ox tongue.

Rating: 7.5/10
Don’t miss: the chocolate ganache cakes or passionfruit curd donuts

Bancroft Brewers: Review
480a Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick
9523 1198

Welcome to Bancroft. Moments count, calories don’t reads the message board inside. The motto reflects the on-trend atmosphere at Bancroft, where beanie-wearing hipster staff might come and join you for a chat as you decide what to order and specialty coffee is the aim of the game – think micro-coffee farms, cold brew and Bancroft house blends.

The menu is a mixed bag of contemporary Melbourne cafe dishes and international cuisine: brunch fare prevails with the golden folded eggs with goats chevre & king ora smoked salmon ($21), spiced baked beans & eggs with smoked pastrami ($17.9) and the avocado bruschetta with mint and Persian feta, a nod is given to the yoga/health food crowd with a coconut chia pudding with poached quince and grapefruit ($12.9), steel-cut porridge (with pecans, pepitas, coconut sugar and poached quince – $13.9), an array of super smoothies and raw zucchini noodles with cashew and basil pesto ($14.9), while the lunch options range from a green chicken curry (served in a coconut husk with a jar of fresh coconut water to drink – $20.5) to a Hopkins River beef brioche burger coated in fontina cheese and herby aioli ($18.9), a daikon & shitake mushroom soup with tofu & endamame beans ($15.9). and a beef tataki Korean bibimbap with brown rice, kimchi, pickled carrot, sauteed kale, shiitake mushrooms, citrus soy dressing and a poached egg ($20.9).

Feeling virtuous, I went for the breakfast salad along with a side of goats cheese ($16.9), a  piled plate of quinoa, broccoli, peas, avocado chunks and radish slivers topped with a poached egg and hazelnut dukkah, lifted by a bit of mint tossed through. After a few impressive Melbourne green breakfast bowls in recent months, this was a little disappointing: although filling, it was very heavy on quinoa and lacking in broccoli, the dish as a whole lacked flavour and the expected hazelnut dukkah was nowhere to be seen. I was left with menu regrets, thinking I should have heeded their warning of calories not counting and chosen the folded eggs.

Cathy opted for the rainbow acai bowl ($14.9), a thick creamy smoothie loaded with banana, date, brazil nuts, coconut milk, acai and mixed berries, topped prettily with strawberry slivers, coconut flakes, more fresh berries, buckinis, cacao nibs and flaxseeds and served with an extra (optional) jar of granola. This healthy option was more satisfying and will have snap-happy acai lovers pleased with the generous size and instagram worthy design. Jeff went for the Full Henry ($20.9): Bancroft’s version of a big breakfast, it was a stacked plate of perfectly poached eggs, roasted field mushrooms, smashed avocado and smoked bacon on toast – the latter an improvement on the often oily crispy bacon frequently offered up and each component well executed in its own right.

Service was another mix: perhaps some of the friendliest in Melbourne but also some of the most forgetful and disjointed – a coffee order was completely forgotten and had to be retaken fifteen minutes later, while our food order was repeated back to another staff member in order for appropriate cutlery to be distributed.

By the time we left the place was packed with Elsternwick locals, and it is not surprising – with chatty staff, a wide-reaching menu and specialty brewed coffee (just $2.5 for a take-away), Bancroft is another solid addition to the South-Eastern suburb cafe scene.

Rating: 6.5/10
Pro tip: sit at the communal table near the front windows in the sun, grab a $2.5 takeaway coffee on your way out

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