Cornerstone & Co. — Restaurant in Melbourne

22/10/2024 :

Our family had made the biggest mistake this year. Decide to give this place another chance..

Sadly, their ignorant service, poor quality of foods, and a limited menu have continuously wrecked this place.

The food was appalling even though it was on a quiet Tuesday.

Someone must have a SERIOUS talent to ruined a milkshake. We had to bin barely a quarter way through because I have never tasted something so unbearably foul. HOW DO YOU RUIN A MILKSHAKE?? WHAT DO YOU PUT IN IT??

On the upside, it is "DOG Friendly", which is great... she got most of the meal anyway...

It really puzzles me why the owner has decided to remove all the crowd favourite dishes??? BRING IT BACK MATE !!!

15/09/2024 : This place used to be my ONLY go-to local for over 3 years.

Was here for brunch on Sunday, the 15th.

Sadly, it would appear that new owners/management make a big difference. (Noticed a few new faces in the kitchen/floor)

Went from being our FAVOURITE to an only when we really have no choice.

Great menu, but standard has dropped recently, food too oily. The fritters were greasy and inedible. The relish was overwhelming by sugary and tasted commercial.

Hotcakes I had were absolutely terrible. They are more like a dense stodgy Hotcakes. Better value buying shaker pancakes from the supermarket or making your own from scratch.

After all this, we were still hoping for tasty food. We were instead met with a bland warm Buddha salad that we could make at home with more taste and less cost.

I cannot envision going back and would not recommend the venue to others. Complete let down with the food. It's no longer serving the best food in bayside.

It's a shame to see a great venue went south just like that.

8/8/2022 : Next level brunch!!!! Incredible food you’d normally find in a high-end CBD restaurant. We ordered the SPECIAL - Mince on Toast & Boysenberry Ricotta Hotcakes. The dish flavours and top notch presentation is unbelievable. Hat off to the Chef and the kitchen team for doing such a great job.

*lots of work needs to be done with the customer service, the foods definitely a saviour for the venue, wouldn't be back if not

25/11/23 : Revisited on Saturday for brunch.

We weren’t acknowledged when we walked in, needed to call someone for water, menus, or to get a table.

4 staffs chit-chatting behind the counter. They told you to sit wherever, but then we had to go back inside to ask them to clean the table. Took a long time to get someone’s attention.

Poor management and its shame as they have the best brunch in bayside. Their meals are beautifully designed and consistently delicious.

The BEEF BENNY is cooked to perfection.

SMASH AVO is the best i have ever had in my life and presented like an art.

BUDDHA BOWL offers a delightful combination of textures and flavours, making it a savoury and satisfying...

I realised only recently that I hadn't officially written a review for Cornerstone & Co. in Hampton East, and to be honest I'm pretty damn disappointed in myself. I've been coming here for close to 3 years now and it's by far my favourite cafe in all of Melbourne.

You heard me. My favourite cafe.

So why haven't I written a review on them yet? I think it boils down to the fact that I feel so comfy at Cornerstone & Co. that at some point my brain stopped filing it away under 'Cafes' and instead had it under 'Home #2', and therefore didn't even think to review it. So here goes.

Cornerstone & Co. in Hampton East is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of busy Hampton Street, and unless you knew it was there you'd never find it. Down a charming but suburban street, Cornerstone (as the locals call it) is a pet and human-friendly Italian-Japanese fusion cafe that serves up the genius that is head chef Shoichi Ueda's creations.

The space itself is bright, warm and welcoming with a flowing layout conducive to enjoying good food in good company. The raw and recycled materials used for the furnishing, fit-outs and decoration are not pretentious or 'hipster-ish' at all, instead just adding to the family home feel.

As for the food, the menu is seasonal but you can just about count on it always offering Shoichi's take on eggs benedict and okonomiyaki, both of which are the meals we come back to time and time again. At the moment the menu touts a pulled pork benedict with a karashi hollandaise, and then the okonomiyaki is paired with a poached egg and okonomi sauce.

Their 'Health Club' items are always amazingly delicious too, and I highly recommend you try the granola pannacotta while it's still on the menu. Cornerstone seems to be on the forefront of coffee trends too, as they were serving up turmeric lattes before they were even a thing. ** Hot Tip - Try their turmeric chai latte. It's not on the menu but they can whip you up one and it's mind-blowing.

One thing you can't help but notice once you've spent some time here is how genuinely lovely the staff are. Operating in an industry that is renowned for high staff turnover rates and stressful environments, Cornerstone has found the magic formula to find dedicated, passionate and long-term employees who really seem to love their jobs. I can't think of another cafe I've been to that has this positive culture, so hats off to you...

Friends had recommended so husband and I went and had coffees (soy lattes and flat white) and breakfast (scrambled eggs on toast and avocado smash on toast with side of houlami). Food really nice and avocado smash presented like a piece of art! Guess for all those who like taking photos of food. Though I forget to ask for multigrain..... lots of seating inside and out (front and back) and nicely decorated. Very very popular for take away coffees! Will go back to try some of their lunch items. Some parking out front and side street. 2.6.23 here to pick up my free Coffee (soy latte) in partnership with our local gym. 4.8 there for brunch with 12 of us from gym. 17.11. 11 of us there for brunch, lots of coffees (soy lattes, cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites) and food (muffins, baked oats, fruit toast and paninis - I had cheese and tomato). I actually didn't have phone on me (!) so friend took photo of her beautifully presented oats. We were outside which was nice. 15.12 10 of us there for brunch, I had vegetarian panini (mushrooms and chili mayo) and it was delicious! Others had scrambled eggs, hotcakes and salmon panini and coffees (soy lattes, flat whites and cappuccinos). 2.2.24 acai bowl for me, takeaway panini for husband and nice soy lattes. 3.5 free Coffee Friday. Soy...