I have been wanting to check out The Last Piece for a while and on this Saturday N needed to pick up some merchandise from the Hawks Nest and The Last Piece is located a couple of doors down from there. Perfect!
The Last Piece is located in Mulgrave at the Waverly Park Estate, and overlooks the grounds where Hawthorn train. Double incentive to check out this place! =p The Last Piece was buzzing with activity and smelt of delicious coffee and food when we went. The fit-out has a modern and contemporary feel to it with black tiles, high ceilings and an upstairs area which can be used for functions. There is a mix of sofa/booths and tables to enjoy the food and coffee. There is also a large terrace area at the back which overlooks the oval that would be great in the sunshine.
The team behind the renovations and rejuvenation of The Last Piece is Mark and Attil Fillipelli (who own Il Foranio) together with Adrian Ciorciari and Rebecca Romanelli have created this pizza and house-made pasta cafe in the suburbs. Not only is their focus on pizza and pasta, but on coffee and desserts. Coffee is sourced from St Ali, Noisette Bakery provides the bread with desserts and pies from Il Fornaio.
The menu is quite intriguing and is seperated into different sections – All Day Breakkie, Coffee&Co, Take Me Home Tea, Juicy Juice, Lunch Time and Hawks Under 12s. The dishes & drinks have interesting names to them just to make things more interesting. I did have trouble deciding what I wanted and looking around the venue, seeing dishes coming out of the kitchen only made it harder to decide what I wanted. I decided on Quinoa Fritter with Poached Eggs, Avocado, Mushrooms, Candied Walnuts and Yarra Valley Feta and N had the Big Breaky.
To start with I ordered a latte, followed by a Chai Latte. The Last Piece serves Panella instead of the usual sugar or brown sugar. Panella is unrefined whole cane sugar from West Columbia which is processed organically to give a delicate caramel flavour. You can purchase Panella from here as well for $12 for 500 grams. The coffee was nutty and creamy and the Chai Latte is a Calma Sutra Wet Chair which was just as good.
The dish I ordered for breakkie came out beautifully plated up – the Quinoa fritter on the bottom with layers of spinach, avocado and egg on top surrounded with mushrooms and the candied walnuts. I have had quinoa before – mostly in a salad form but never in a fritter form. It was tasty! The fritter itself was moist and just the right thickness – I am not a fan of thick fritters – and was cooked to perfection. Pairing it with all the aforementioned ingredients only enhanced the flavour. N enjoyed his Big Breaky as well but would have liked more chorizo. The serving sizes are quite generous here.
If breakfast is anything to go by I definitely have to come back here to check out dinner or even their lunch menu. It is pizza and pasta that they specialize in and as they are all home-made I really don’t think you could go wrong. The menu has been created by Ray Carthew, and looking at the menu, the interesting names of dishes continue – such as the Rex Hunt, Shane Crawford, Mary had a little lamb pizza’s – just to name a few. The variety of ingredients that are mixed together peak my interest as well.
The Last Piece is such a great addition to the ‘burbs, and no matter where you are you really should check it out! And if you are a Hawthorn AFL Supporter, there is even more of a reason to visit – what is better than seeing your favorite players and eating delicious food all in one!
What is even more exciting to note is the team behind The Last Piece together with Hawthorn Footballer Josh Gibson are opening a new venture in Brighton called Schoolhouse – a sister cafe, on site coffee roaster and coffee education centre. I cannot wait till it opens to check it out =)
Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – All Day Breakkie Menu, Lunch and a Dinner Menu is available – check out http://www.lastpiece.com.au/Menus.html for more info
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Modern, Comfortable and Relaxing. Has a very vibrant and buzzing feel to it. Great for a weekend catch up.
Standout Dish: Quinoa Fritter with Poached Eggs, Avocado, Mushrooms, Candied Walnuts and Yarra Valley Feta
Service: Friendly and Always happy to help
Online Booking: Yes via website – http://www.lastpiece.com.au/Contact.html
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.lastpiece.com.au/
Waverley Park
7/2 Stadium Circuit, Mulgrave
Tel No: 9545 3040
Opening Hours:
Monday & Tuesday: 7am to 4pm
Wednesday – Friday: 7am to Late
Saturday & Sunday: 8am to Late
*The Last Piece is open for Dinner from Wednesday to Sunday
grazing panda 