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Thursday 23 August 2012

grace cafe, fitzroy

Wall art on the exterior of Grace Cafe in Fitzroy, by Australian graffiti artist, Matt Adnate.

It was a rainy Friday, well past noon and I was still curled up in bed, browsing on Simon's laptop when I came across this post by Fitzroyalty on the recently opened Grace Cafe (76 Rose St, Fitzroy). Immediately enthused by its proximity and the nice looking food, I suggested to Simon that we have brunch there and in no time at all we were off, the housemate's fluffy dog in tow, to brave the cold and the drizzle.

The cafe is quite ambiguously housed in a cottage with an interesting history - it has, apparently, operated as a brothel and a BDSM film editing studio in the past. Now, street art is splashed across the outside walls; walk in and it's all warm, rustic and friendly. We sat outside, perching ourselves upon wooden seats attached on top of recycled plastic crates, unwittingly providing free advertising for the cafe, if the intrigued looks from passers-by were any indication.

Hot drinks to warm us up? Yes please! Simon had a cappuccino, and I had a chai, which was served adorably on a framed page featuring the tea party text from Alice in Wonderland. This was okay - we're still looking for a chai in Melbourne that's as wonderfully spicy as the one Simon brought home from India, but mostly we've given up and I've taken to making my own instead, with great success. But I digress...

loose leaf calmer sutra chai, $4.5.

The food here celebrates tried-and-true flavours that just work. Take, for example, the baked eggs, cooked with chickpeas, eggplant, tomatoes, onion, garlic and cumin, garnished with fresh herbs and fetta. One of the eggs was more cooked than the other, but it was still satisfyingly delicious.

baked eggs, $15.

Then there are the juicy field mushrooms served on sourdough with roasted beetroot, rocket, pine nuts and herbs. Our cheerful waitress suggested an upgrade with a topping of goats fetta, which made it a little pricier but also all the more pleasurable to eat.

field mushrooms, $14 (+$3 for fetta for a total of $17).

I like Grace. With a sustainable sway towards kind, locally-sourced quality ingredients, and a menu that easily caters for those on gluten-free and vegetarian diets, it's a charming addition to Fitzroy's residential area. I can foresee more visits in the future, on those lazy days when we want a good wholesome feed without doing the hard yards in the kitchen...

Grace on Urbanspoon

32 comments:

  1. Oooh, I want to live this life of lounging about on Fridays! Oh, well, I sort of already do;)

    Those mushrooms look decadent and really delicious. And I love that teapot!

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    1. Yes Fridays off are awesome! Only thing is I have to work on Sundays, but that actually isn't too bad, really. :)

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  2. It's all stunning!! The art, the teapot, the food! I'm in :P

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    1. Yes! When your travels take you to Melbourne again...

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  3. This looks lovely :). Teapot looks gorgeous! I'm interested to know though (if you've already posted about it apologies), how do you make your own chai?

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    1. No, I haven't done a chai post yet, though I might, eventually. I've just been playing around with some ground spices with good results. Simon and I like it with a good hit of black pepper. ;)

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  4. God I miss Australian brunches. They just don't do it like that over here.

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    1. Your comment made me realise that I'm so used to Australian brunches and I've been taking it for granted. And I've never thought about it, but they do seem to have developed quite a distinctive style.

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  5. Ooof did you sit outside for brunch? But it's still so cold! Brrr!

    Love the look of the baked eggs though.

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    1. Ha, yes, we had to because we brought a dog along. Otherwise we would definitely have sat in!

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  6. I am laughing at your comment above - we eat in all sorts of inclement weather for our doggie! Love the look of those baked eggs, mmm.

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  7. I want those giant mushrooms!!! Yum! Sitting outside? You cray cray :)

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  8. Love the idea of serving tea on a framed page of Alice! too cute <3

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  9. Love this space!! I want to check out real soon!

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    1. I didn't manage to get good photos, but the indoor space was particularly nice, reminds me of a country cottage.

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  10. those mushrooms look so plump and the teapot so shiny - I'm sold :p

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    1. Yes, very plump mushrooms and the beetroot hiding underneath was lovely too. And the cheese! :D

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  11. Oh man this place is fantastic. And for some reason, it seems to me that a place like this can be found in nowhere else but Fitzroy! I'm referring to the charm, sense of community and support towards local produce, etc. I love it! Been meaning to find a new cafe in the area to try, this is now top of my list haha thanks!

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    1. It certainly suits Fitzroy! Cool vibe, cosy feel. :)

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  12. Those mushrooms look insanely great! I love having lazy breakfasts out at cafes. Looks like you found a great one.

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    1. Yes, this is one we'll be happy to visit again, particularly being so convenient location-wise.

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  13. Dear leaf,

    There are so many nice cafes around Fitzroy and we only had time for a couple the last time we were in Melbourne.

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  14. Nothing beats baked eggs on a cold morning! Gotta check this place out

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    1. I'm a total fan of baked eggs. Love them anytime, but yes, particularly satisfying during the cooler seasons!

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  15. yummm!! those mushrooms look delicious :) I'm going to Melbourne in 2 weeks- so I'll keep this place in mind xx

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  16. Hadn't heard about this place before! Looks good, I love that teapot...

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