Lemon Middle and Orange is a newly opened café in the Collingwood area from Magaret Lawless and Liam Ganley. Lemon Middle and Orange is located on Rokeby street amongst the industrial buildings and was once a paint factory, which now houses John Wardle Architects upstairs. John Wardle Architects was used in helping to convert the space into the café it is now. The name itself is an ode to its former life as Lemon, middle and orange were the chrome pigments they used.
As you walk in off the street, there is an outside sheltered sitting area with the bright yellow neon logo placed on the wall: a chirpy yellow bird with an olive branch in its beak. There are upturned paint cans used as stools paired with wooden tables. Large glass wooden frame sliding doors – which I couldn’t initially work out how to open (=p) – lead through to the main part of the café. The café is long with tables and chairs on the right hand side and the counter, coffee machine and kitchen area along the left side. The feel is modern, casual and inviting. The combination of wooden tables & chairs, with the concrete floors and exposed ceilings all add to this.
The menu is created by Sam Morris (former Rockwell and Sons, Auction Rooms) and pays homage to Ganley and Lawless’ heritage. Brown Soda Bread is baked onsite which is a traditional Irish bread, and is served with block pudding as a breakfast dish. The brunch menu runs all day, with a lunch menu starting from noon carrying through till early afternoon.
I order a latte before deciding what food I will order. Coffee is by Syndicate, and there is also a single origin by Clark St Roasters, which will rotate seasonally. The latte came out with pretty café art in the shape of a heart that reminded me of a kite. The coffee was creamy, smooth and nutty and I really enjoyed it. The milk was frothed to perfection as well.
The brunch menu is quite different to most cafes and has quite a bit of variety ranging from yoghurt, rice pudding to croquettes, breakfast rolls and house plum cured salmon as well as a poached dug egg dish. Lunch menu consists of a selection of four sandwiches – such as roast beef or confit chicken, as well as homemade dishes from the kitchen. These include Corned beef hash with piccalilli puree and kohlrabi sauerkraut, pulled pork neck or roast chicken breast with harissa vegetables and pearl barley. There are also Cakes available which come from local caterer Little Bertha in nearby Abbotsford which are handmade using local organic ingredients.
Both G and I decided to order the House Hot Smoked Plum Cured Tasmanian Salmon, Potato Latkes, Poached Eggs, Fennel, and Horseradish Crème Fraiche. The poached eggs sat in the middle of the dish with the thick, juicy and inviting salmon fillets surrounding them together with the crispy skinned potato latkes. The fennel which was dressed with the horseradish crème fraiche was placed elegantly on top. The eggs were poached as expected with the gooey yolk, the salmon cured to smoky heaven and together with the horseradish crème fraiche – it was foodie paradise. We both enjoyed our dish immensely and it was quite a filling dish – I had no room to try out the cakes on display.
Lemon Middle and Orange not only has a catchy name, but a memorable logo and vibe to it. I love the variety of dishes available, as well as the fit-out of the place.
Rating : 4 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to http://www.lemonmiddleandorange.com/documents/LMO_A5%20menus_Nov_6.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Modern and Chilled Out – love the front street covered courtyard area and the upturned paint cans for stools!
Standout Dish:
Service: Friendly and Welcoming.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://www.lemonmiddleandorange.com/
25-31 Rokeby Street, Collingwood
Tel No: 9415 1593
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7.30am–3.30pm
Saturday: 8am–3pm
Sunday: 9am–3pm
grazing panda 