Switchboard Cafe – The Cutest Retro Cafe Ever!

panda 4 rating

Switchboard Cafe

Switchboard Cafe

The Hole in the Wall Cafe

The Hole in the Wall Cafe

Latte at Switchboard Cafe

Latte at Switchboard Cafe

I was meeting C for a catch-up the other day and was looking for a coffee place located somewhere near City Square in the Melbourne CBD. C suggested Switchboard Café which I hadn’t heard of before and boy am I glad she introduced me to this quaint and cute little place.

Switchboard Café is located in a somewhat drafty arcade laneway on the ground floor of the Manchester Unity Building – located on the corner of Collins and Swanston street. It literally is what you would call a hole in the wall type of café – fitted out in a Retro style feel complete with green and white floral wallpaper and brass framed glass windows. There is the world’s smallest “living area” glass box where patrons can sit inside and avoid the cool drafts that flow through – that can seat about 7 to 8 people max (Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of this). Literally across from this hole is another hole in the wall – which used to be the building’s old switchboard cupboard (hence the name) where the coffees are made.

I ordered a latte to have in and took my seat in the tiniest living area while waiting for C. It almost felt like being down the rabbit hole on the set of an Alice in Wonderland movie! The latte was absolutely perfect – full bodied with a great nutty after taste. I would definitely recommend this place for a good hit of caffeine when you feel the need – or for anytime for that matter.

I didn’t get to try out their breakfast or lunch range – but C did tell me that it was really great tasting food. Think warm soup, toasties, baguettes (Smoked Salmon) and bagels – you can choose from melted Haloumi, Tomato and Avocado just to name a few. For breakfast there is also Bircher Muesli or Fruit Toast available.

Definitely go and check out Switchboard Café – especially if you want to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy day at work! Next on the list for me is to come and try out their food!

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – A choice of soups, toasties, baguettes and bagels
Atmosphere / Ambience: Retro, Unique and Fun!
Service: Friendly!
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
Ground Floor
Manchester Unity Building
220 Collins Street, Melbourne

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7:00am – 4:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am – 3:00pm

Switchboard Cafe on Urbanspoon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Switchboard-Cafe/158990604124405?ref=ts&fref=ts
Twitter: @switchboardcafe
Instagram: switchboardcafe

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Long Shot – Superb Coffee & Delicious Sweet Treats

panda 4.5 rating

Long Shot Café is located in the newly opened Collins Square located in Docklands. The Walker Evans Baker Restaurant Group (Lang Walker, Pete Evans, Gavin Baker) together with Executive Pastry Chef Shaun Quade (Quay in Sydney, Biota in Bowral, Urbane in Brisbane), and Jo Barrett (MoVida) are responsible for this green and white themed cafe.  Joshua Willis (previously of Proud Mary) is Head Barista, pumping out the St Ali coffee for both filter and espresso coffees.

Long Shot makes use of the limited space it has really well. It is designed by a collaborative design team – Emily Pedersen of Walker Corporation, Anna Drummond and Trish Turner of Colab Design Studio. There are black and white checkered floors, with timber tables and window seating complete with tiny wooden stools. The centrepiece would have to the overhanging green and white light shades which are reminiscent of blooming flowers. It feels like the perfect setup for a afternoon tea party. There is seating both inside as described, as well as outside – here there are high bench tables, as well as some lower tables with cushioned seating. There is a grab-and-go window for patrons that are in a hurry. The atmosphere is casual, relaxed and has that feeling that makes you want to come back again and again.

As you enter you are greeted by the barista station to the right and the impressive cabinet filled with sweet treats and savoury delights – think baked pastries, gourmet sandwiches, freshly made salads. All the baked good are made in house, courtesy of renowned pastry chef Shaun Quade and Jo Barrett. There are also bottled fermented sodas, flavoured milks (flavours such as white chocolate and macadamia, strawberry) in cute pint sized bottles that can be bought. Each day there is a new sweet treat available and if you follow them on instagram (long__shot) they post up what is available for the day mostly – these can include things like their take on a classic éclair, a decadent strawberry and pistachio cake, or a frangipane tart. They also serve Iced Coffees and teas from Byron Bay leaf teas.
For those who want something other than coffee, Long Shot also has a single tap stocking crisp German Wheat beer as well as a variety of wines by the glass.

The coffee is from St Ali and doesn’t need to be stated for it to be known that it was great tasting coffee. I ordered a latte which had a strong, nuttiness to it. The creamy aftertaste added a nice finishing touch.

Whenever I go there to get a coffee – be it sit in or take away – I am always drawn into getting a sweet treat. I will just mention a few that I have tasted.

The Chocolate and Coffee Cake topped with Meringue – was mind blowing! The combination of chocolate and coffee in liquid form would be a mocha – but to have it in a solid form was amazing. There was a richness thanks to the robust coffee – when combined with the bitter yet sweet chocolately goodness – the result was one of brilliance. The meringue was crunchy on the outside, and gooey on the inside and added a different type of sugary sweetness to complete the dish.

I have also tried the Chia Pudding with Berries and Almonds. The Chia Pudding was fresh and had bursts of flavour – the addition of the berries added a sweetness and tang that was needed to spruce up the normally plain tasting chia. I really enjoyed eating this treat – and it being considered healthy was a double upside.

Long Shot’s take on the typical chocolate brownie was interesting as well – it comes in a ball shape covered with chocolate, coconut and almond flakes. It was a bit tough initially to crack into – you need to use two hands – one to hold the ball in place and the other to attack with your spoon. The chocolate brownie was dense, rich and oh so yum! The coconut and almonds bits on the outside broke up the sweetness which was good. This is definitely one for the chocolate lovers!

Aside from the coffee – what I also enjoyed are their flavoured milks – the flavour that I had was the white chocolate and macadamia. I loved the texture of this “milk smoothie” – it was coarse due to the crushed macadamias. The flavour combination of the nuts and the white chocolate was really tasty and would be one that I recommend trying – the sweetness was just right! I am looking forward to sampling the other flavours that they have.

Long Shot is a great addition to the Docklands area – and is the place that I go to most afternoons to get my sweet hit when it gets around to 3:30itis as I work in the area. It is bringing great coffee to all the office workers in this area, as well as some great tasting house made food and sweet treats, The atmosphere is welcoming and the coffee feels like you are receiving a warm hug.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Selection of sweet treats such as chocolate brownies, chocolate eclairs and more, as well a selection of pastries, baguettes and fresh salads. Teas from Byron Bay Leaf Teas, Ice Coffee, Fermented Sodas, Flavoured Milk Smoothies, Tap Beer, Wine – Refer to http://long-shot.com.au/menu/ You can follow them on Instagram (long__shot) to get updates of what their latest foodie treats are
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Fun, Relaxed and has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it
Service: Friendly
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://long-shot.com.au/
727 Collins Street, Docklands
Tel No: 9252 7979

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7am – 5pm

Long Shot on Urbanspoon

De Mad Hatter – Breakkie Invite with Alice

panda 4 rating

halal symbol
I had the privilege along with a host of other bloggers such as Brunch Addict, The World Loves Melbourne and Forksake to attend a breakfast at De Mad Hatter. Having worked in the Docklands area for the last couple of years I had previously been to De Mad Hatter for many our team lunches, as well as for coffee and ice coffees.

You can refer to my previous blog post for De Mad Hatter at https://thegrazingpanda.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/de-mad-hatter-alice-in-wonderland-style/

De Mad Hatter is located at the bottom of the recently opened Collins Square and is owned by the same people as Beanstalk Café – located just up the road from De Mad Hatter. De Mad Hatter’s low ceilings were the inspiration behind the Alice in Wonderland theme carried out throughout the venue and the menu. They change their menu twice a year according to the varying seasons.

As we were seated at our tables – the menu was laid out as well as the first dish for our breakfast which was the House Made Bircher Muesli topped with Yoghurt and Fresh Fruit. The muesli was presented in a glass- so you could see the layers of the different ingredients. The flavour was refreshing and the textures worked well together

Coffee is sourced from Degani and De Mad Hatter uses a flavour that is only exclusive to them – I ordered a Latte – which was full bodied, nutty and strong.

For the main dish selection of our breakfast – we got a choice of Homemade Pancakes topped with Fruit Compote and Ice Cream, Alice’s Brunch (Corn Fritters, Tomato, Grilled Bacon, Avocado & House made Tomato Chutney), Prosciutto and Asparagus Bruschetta (with Rocket, Olive Oil, Poached Egg and Parmesan Flakes) or the DMH Signature (which was Fried Egg, Chorizo, Oven Baked Cheesy Tortilla and toped with fresh Tomato and Bean Salsa).

Having a love of fritters – I of course selected the Fritters dish sans the grilled bacon. The dish came out with the fritters – there were around 4-5 fritters – on the base topped with the tomato, rocket and finally the avocado. The fritters were deep fried and as a result were crunchy on the outside. The inside was soft and cushion like, with the addition of the corn to create the juiciness. As a whole the dish was good but not great – I felt that the fritters could have been a bit bigger in size, therefore having a bit more of a filling to them. The house made tomato chutney was quite tasty and had a mix of sweetness and smokiness to it.

It was a great opportunity to not only meet my fellow food bloggers, but a chance to try out their breakfast menu, as a pose to their lunch menu which I have done many times. De Mad Hatter has a great vibe and serves good tasting coffee and food – if you are in the area check them out. Who knows maybe you will find stumble upon Alice herself or even the White Rabbit.

Also a point for all my Muslim readers – their Chicken is Halal. Their Chicken Parmigiana’s are ridiculously large and taste amazing. There are around 6 different types to choose from.

Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – A la Carte as well as food served in Bain Marie’s, as well as a selection of salads, foccacias, baguettes etc.
Fullness: 90%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Quirky and fun
Online Booking: No – you are best to book a table for lunch if you have more than 4 people
Restaurant Details and Location:
https://www.facebook.com/d3madhatt3r
797 Collins St, Docklands
Tel No: 9620 2226

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 6am – 5pm

De Mad Hatter on Urbanspoon