Coracle — Restaurant in Melbourne

Well located in the village. Atmosphere was good with background music and minimalistic approach to decor. We were the only group to be seated at the time; but yet, had to put our names on the window. I understand the need for managing waitlist but only if you were only seating one group, it wouldn’t be too hard to remember the details.

Food was well-plated. Had the yakitori set due to limited choices as described below. Chicken was tender and had some good smoky char on the outside, but could do with a bit more flavour overall. Also had a nice pandan tea from a previous menu.

Service - this was where the dining experience faltered. We had a medically tested food allergy to cater for and the venue is not able to cater. For eg, we were interested in ordering the udon set. But it listed ajitsuke tamago (braised ramen egg) which we’re allergic to, and asked if the egg could be served separately. However, our waitress wasn’t sure what tamago was but did say there was an egg. AND they did not cater for any variations, even allergies. The explanation was that it’s a single kitchen. Unless the egg is part of the broth, or a core ingredient of udon noodles (which it is not), this just reflects their unwillingness to be customer focused and displayed a sense of arrogance. Plus I would expect a venue to have staff that knows the menu details well given it’s a small menu. Oh food does take awhile to be served. I think we had about 45min wait.

Would I be back? Probably not. There will be many others who are willing to accept the negative aspects for the privilege of the dining experience here but I prefer to visit a place that is more customer-focused.

Addit (post owner response):

You mentioned that you value constructive feedback. And yet your response demonstrates a persistent trait and style across other responses you have posted.

Firstly, having a medically proven allergy is not a choice. Asking for an allergen to be separated from the main dish is not being inflexible. If you do not understand food allergies, then please seek further education to understand the topic further. Furthermore, your menu does not clearly display allergens as common practice would dictate eg (contains gluten, soy, nuts, eggs); it lists the descriptive names which may be foreign eg okazu, tamago - otherwise, your waitstaff would have known better. And as you have mentioned, ultimately the business owner is responsible.

As for catering for children, the food was picked off the floor onto the disposable container. However, we are not going to wipe your floors. If you truly do cater for children, please explain how you only had one high chair when there is 2 toddlers in the group. The tokenism was noted but I had refrained from mentioning previously as I wanted to keep the focus on the food, service and environment.

Similarly as you’ve mentioned that your customers doesn’t not understand your industry, please do not be presumptuous to undermine your customer’s perspectives.

Lastly, I had already mentioned that we wouldn’t be back. So I’m not sure why you see fit to unwelcome us for future custom. A more matured approach would suit better in any business, particularly...

Ok initially this was a 5 star review.

UPDATE: so I've had ordinary service here a few times. But chalked it up to chance. Today I ordered two coffees and an egg and bacon roll to GO. They give me the coffees. But are taking around 15 minutes to make the roll. Had a I known they'd serve the three tables seated first, and had nothing actually ready to go...I'd have skipped it. I wait. I wait. The coffee is stone cold I finally ask. The cook YELLS AT ME from across the cafe that shes DOING IT. I cant believe what I'm hearing. I say "I'm allowed to ask! My coffee is cold" she yells "I'll make you another!" Unbelievable. I say "don't bother jesus". And leave after being yelled at in front of the three tables they have. ?! I drop the cold coffee in the bin. 21 dollars. I will never ever go back there again. Did they have some kind of advisor help them at first? Or did they just run out of steam? Slow service? Yes the other reviews are true. And rude? Omg.

To the "response" from the owners: NO I didnt "come back in" and order coffee. The waitress didnt ask me if I wanted drinks. I had to ask her for them. Not a separate order. I had to flag her down and call her back. It was absurd. Despite having nothing else to do, she just wandered off...

And she told me you now made bahn mi instead so I said ...great! She suggested it Dont act like you were doing me a favour. It was on the menu.

I have no idea whether you are "making to order"or not. I dont work in your cafe. Say something. Tell me itll be 15 minutes. I had a puppy outside, I even told you it was the first time he'd been tied up. I ordered 2 coffees did you think they were both for me?

And dont yell at people across your cafe. Disgusting bloody behaviour. It's a cafe. Not brain surgery. Youre a cook doing egg and bacon breakfasts in a cafe. I worked in hospitality for years and ill telling you 100 percent, if a person is taking away...do them first or warn them..

The three tables you had were sitting and chatting.

Or at least say "sorry ...its coming...two minutes".

Even people who have given you 5 stars have mentioned how slow your service is. Bringing out one plate at a time incredible slowly (yes I noticed) as if it's a degustation is not normal guys. Maybe listen to the feedback you're getting.

I'm really annoyed. I dont think I've ever been spoken to the way you spoke to me today, all because I asked how much longer my order would be? Come on. You may as well have been telling me to piss off. The only words I want to hear from you is "sorry..that was out of line".

Back to Wee...

Coracle is a pan-Asian cafe with a focus on extremely high quality food based on semi traditional cuisine from the region. I am not from Asia, nor have I spent too much time travelling through the area. As such, I don’t really have any strong nostalgia-inducing memories of the place. How then is Coracle able to invoke such feelings? A longing for a past that was never mine. One of my favourite dishes, the Singapore breakfast, made me feel like an 8 year old enjoying his mum’s kaya toast and milo while watching cartoons on a Saturday morning in Singapore ( I was born and raised in Melbourne and grew up on vegemite toast and orange juice and have only been to Singapore once briefly). Such is the quality, care, and dedication that Coracle puts in to its food that they are able to make you feel you are back somewhere you have never been with people you never knew. Things you will love about Coracle: The food. Hands down some of the most appealing, innovative and enjoyable Asian cuisine in the area The service. The wait staff are extremely nice, dedicated, attentive and all-around fantastic The coffee. Lim would be one of the best and hardest-working baristas I’ve seen. The love and care she puts in to every drink is incredible The rare feeling of being in a cafe where the people working there actually really care about you and what they are doing. You get the feeling they’d rather be no other place. Things you might not like about Coracle: Wait times. You are likely to get a table, but expect to wait up to 45 minutes for food in some instances. This is primarily due to the limited staff, and almost obsessive attention to detail for their food and coffee. However, once you expect this and plan accordingly, you will learn to just enjoy the experience, embrace a slower pace, and just appreciate where you are and who you are with at that moment.

If you are in a rush, or have several kids with you, or are really hungry and need food right away, Coracle might not be for you. If you want an incredible experience, beautiful food, the feeling of being genuinely valued, and are willing to put aside some time, I could not recommend Coracle highly enough. This may be my...