Baba Sus — Restaurant in Melbourne

Made a booking via phone about a week and a half before the actual booking. It was for 2 people on a Sunday at 10:30am.

Arriving at 10:30 - there were already a decent amount of people seated. Definitely recommend booking as it got very packed as it approached lunch time. Seating is 90 mins. and if they’re busy, they will let you know you have to leave.

Menu wise - I want to flag you won’t find your typical Melbourne breakfast here. They do have a smashed avo and they also have a “make your own” option with eggs, toast, and additionals. The menu is small, and there aren’t any images - recommend looking through here or on other review apps for pics.

They have a carefully curated menu which is mostly Asian fusion. I ordered the Baba Sus pork belly, and my friend had the Piglette (just realised it’s called this because it’s basically a pork omelette). I loved the pork belly. Sauce was a bit too sweet for me, but the flavours of the fresh veggies and the crunch of the pork belly was so good. The Piglette came with a slice of toast and a spicy sauce. You can ask for this on the side if you’re not confident in your spice tolerance! We also ordered the Hong Kong Egg Waffles for dessert to share - and oh my god, this was heavenly. The custard, the warmth of the waffles, and the tartness of the berries all went so well together. The matcha ice cream was such a great addition flavour wise, as it wasn’t too sweet. Price wise - all together the food was just short of $100 total. This included 2 coffees (with extra costs for other milks) and a smoothie. Pretty decent cost and expected for the area it’s in.

Overall I loved our meals. I would have liked to try their bao meal, and maybe the congee (especially in Winter!)

Staff were really attentive and nice. The location itself is convenient with street parking all around. It has lots of great big windows which allows lots of natural lighting.

Great experience. I will likely...

Whether you like the food or not depends on what mindset you have when you approach the food. I am Asian, so I prefer breakfasts that are light and don't sit in your stomach like a lead weight.

They don't advertise themselves as an Asian breakfast place, rather "Asian inspired", so I guess that the totally disproportionate amount of fat and protein in relation to carbs is OK. For an Asian this is way too much fat and protein for breakfast and it really fills you up.

If I put aside Asian expectations for breakfast and compare it to other Melbourne style breakfast cafes, this place is really good. Dishes are innovative and creative, and quite different and difficult to pigeonhole. For example, the Hong Kong style waffles hits the right notes with the texture, but the toppings are definitely for Western palates. The Pork belly may have Asian flavours (a rather odd combination of kimchi, soy sauce, rocket, and quinoa), but it is way too rich to be eaten on its own. The chef likes to experiment and ... ummm ... I guess that it sort of works. I would prefer less pork belly and more kimchi though.

Everything tastes good if you put away your expectations and bias. The coffee is excellent, and the staff friendly...

I attended this cafe recently for the second time. My original review stands and I would still give 3 stars.

This time I tried a few savoury dishes, one being the Ramen which I did not enjoy. It lacked the beautifu and complex stock base I would expect from a Ramen. I was not able to finish this meal. The buns were okay (pictured). Coffee was good.

[Previous review from 2020]

I chose this place for all its good reviews. I also looked up pram friendly cafes and this one came up in my search. The pram was an issue and I had to come up with some solutions for it to fit. The staff didn't try too hard to help me. The main door was left open causing a big draft. It was cold in the cafe to make it easier for staff to service outdoor customers.

The coffee was average. I ordered the Hong Kong waffles which was okay. It looked like a really good fusion- type cafe when I was selecting a cafe. Maybe I needed to try a savory dish instead of a sweet.

Initial service was slow; we had to flag down a waitress to order. This shouldn't happen in a small place that's not too busy.

Sorry to say but I...