Betwixt Cafe & Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

I have been coming here often for years and the boss can be quite sharp and off putting in his manner sometimes but today he was truly shocking. It took such a long time to be served (over 30mins) that by the time they came , I realised that I only had a few minutes until my parking meter timed out so I no longer had time to have a drink. Because I wasn’t able to have a drink, he asked me to leave immediately, standing over me like I had done something wrong. It was bizarre and humiliating and I was quite confused because I had just told him that my car meter was about to run out so I had to leave anyway to get to the car on time. At first I thought I must have misheard. He then continued saying that even though I had been a good customer for two years and that he recognised me because I was ‘very good to him’ that I had to leave and he was going to stand there angry until I did. He made a horrible public scene of it and I felt absolutely crushed. It was astonishing. What is with this guy? FYI The cafe wasn’t busy at all, with plenty of tables available at the time and no one waiting for a table. And I was at a table with other customers to boot! I wasn’t being rude at all. I had just been sitting there quietly drinking water waiting for service and hadn’t realised how much time had passed. Don’t know if the owner understands what hospitality is. I will be requesting for meetings to be held elsewhere from now on. Food wasn’t so great in any case and lots of $$$. Reading some of the other reviews, I see that I am not the only one who has experienced this guy’s anger and rudeness; in fact the two women I had been sitting with also mentioned he had a go at them too. Be warned; it could be ok, or it could go bad; who knows what triggers this guy, or why he is in...

The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and a busy location near a university. However, there was no one to greet customers or any sign about seating, so I had to ask for a table myself.

After sitting down, a staff member immediately asked if I was ready to order—even though I hadn’t looked at the menu yet. I told him I needed a moment. Later, I asked a female staff member if I could have miso ramen with added protein, but it wasn’t an option. She politely checked and confirmed it couldn’t be done, so I just ordered an iced matcha while I continued deciding.

When I was ready, what seemed to be the manager came to take my order. I clearly pointed to the chicken curry dish on the menu and asked for it to go, along with miso ramen to eat in. I never mentioned noodles for the chicken curry.

However, they brought me chicken curry noodles as the takeaway. I double-checked the menu and explained that I had pointed to the curry dish, not noodles. The staff firmly insisted I had ordered noodles. He asked if I wanted to change it, but his tone didn’t feel welcoming, so I let it go.

In the end, I ordered two dishes but didn’t get what I actually wanted. The food was just average—not bad, but definitely not memorable. Considering the price, I expected better quality and flavor. The iced matcha was good and fairly priced at $6.50. One female staff member was attentive, but overall, the service, communication, and value for money were disappointing.

I’ll never come back again, even though I live just...

Updated for 2021: Cute little Japanese place on Sturt Street, not your typical sushi roll kind of place but with things like Ochazuke and Japanese Tempura baguettes it's amazing to have something a bit different in the neighbourhood!

Great coffee to boot! Had a nice cold brew on a sunny day in the very open air restaurant. Obviously one of the new restaurants that got caught in the middle with lockdown - hope it can get up to speed soon so the full menu can be implemented!

Looking forward for my diet to end so can enjoy the food here!

Edit 2021 - I honestly think that unless this place starts opening on the times that people actually do brunch and eat out (e.g. Saturday and Sunday mornings) that it won't survive. It's erroneous to think that because it's slower at other times that it won't be busy at these times. They have a unique menu and it's in a great spot - I hope we can visit for weekend...