I've ridden past Acustico on the Upfield bikeway quite a few times without ever getting the urge to stop in and visit. It looked tiny and a bit amateurish, with a hand-drawn sign and a kind of ramshackle vibe. I assumed it would have a dull menu, mediocre coffee and a limited lifespan.
Well, you know what they say about people who assume. One of our friends recommended it for a Saturday brunch and opened my eyes to its charms. The tiny front room that made up the original cafe has been expanded with the addition of a lovely back room, fitted out with an unassuming but stylish mix of mismatched op-shop furniture.
The menu is short but varied - sadly the day of our visit saw both sweet options (strawberry and apple breakfast crumble, $10 & a croissant with strawberry, almonds, chocolate sauce and mascarpone, $9) out of stock. Luckily, the savoury menu had enough to keep us interested.
I couldn't ignore the baked eggs with cauliflower, caramelised onion, confit garlic, cream and greens ($13).
What a brilliant dish! The eggs were perfectly cooked, but it was all the trimmings that made it - tender cauliflower, a smattering of marinated fennel and pickled celery that was deliciously salty, mustard seeds and little bursts of garlic.
Cindy ordered the vegan savoury dish: avocado, marinated fennel, pickled celery, slow roasted hazelnuts, pepitas, quinoa, parsley and citrus dressing ($10, or $13 if you add poached eggs).
This was similarly excellent - in fact, the celery and fennel mix was exactly the same as the topping of my dish and it worked just as well with ripe avocado and a smattering of nuts and seeds.
So Acustico turned out to be an unexpected winner - the unassuming exterior held a lovely laid-back cafe with excellent and original breakfasts at pretty great prices (the sub-$15 brekkie is increasingly rare these days). It's great that Melbourne can still spring the occasional surprise, and that there are excellent cafes out there that just quietly go about their business without queues or hype. We'll be back for another visit, particularly if they get their sweets up and running again.
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Acustico hasn't lured in too many bloggers - just melbournechaitimes and new international students so far, both of whom are very positive.
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Accessibility: There's a small step on entry. The front room is a little cramped, but things open out nicely in the back area. Ordering as at the table and you pay at a low counter. We didn't visit the toilets.
this is great, as you know I live on this street! but I just dont think there coffee is very good.. so always go elsewhere... but I will definitely check it out for food... look delicious!
ReplyDeleteHey Carla - you know I'm not one for coffee, but I'm pretty sure that avocado dish is vegan and I'm certain that it's great. ;-)
DeleteI love it when you find an unexpected gem!
ReplyDeleteHi Cakelaw! Yes, always a nice surprise. :-)
DeleteWe went on the weekend on the strength of your recommendation, winner! This place is gold.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Eliza! That's terrific, we all owe fellow pub-clubber Dave a debt here.
DeleteAlways nice to stumble across a hidden gem in the neighbourhood! Those baked eggs sound delicious!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz - yep, so great that it's a stroll from our current home. :-)
Deletegreat to hear about this place - I have been past many times and wondered about it but never when I need to eat - good to see it sounds well worth a visit
ReplyDeleteHi Johanna. Yes, I think you'd like it - though keep in mind that the menu is small. I'm not certain which dishes E and/or Sylvia might enjoy!
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