Four Kilo Fish Coffee & Tea — Restaurant in Melbourne

The latest addition to Hawthorn brunch scene, one of the highest rated new cafe: @fourkilofish_hawthorn. If you're looking for a new brunch place to try this weekend then we highly recommend this cafe. • We ordered: 🐄 Yunnan Beef Sando (Angus beef mince in yunnan home style, coriander, mozzarella, cheddar, kewpie, ketchup) 🐖 Green Benedicts (Poached Free Range Eggs, Taiwanese-style Pulled Pork, Caramelised Pineapple on Ciabata with Matcha Hollandaise) 🥞 Hot Ricotta Pancakes (with candied orange, mixed-berry coulis, cinnamon-infused orange syrup, fresh fruits) ☕ Tian Yu Single Origin Latte 🫖 Aged Fermented Pu'er • First of all, this is not a fish and chippery - it is a cafe tha provides coffee & Tea sourced from their lovely hometown Yunnan, China. They also do brunch really well. • We started off with Yunnan Beef Sando & Green Benedicts, both were delicious. The beef sando is one of the best you can find in Melbourne, very punchy and packs of flavours - the beef was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The Green Benedicts was on the sweeter side because of the sweetness that comes from the pork and caramelized pineapple but still savoury enough to satisfy your morning cravings. The matcha hollandaise is an interesting combination too, must try! • The Hot Ricotta Pancakes is fully loaded with combinations of fruits that works together harmoniously. Suprisingly not overly sweet and it is perfect for sharing. • The specialty coffee & tea is a must-try here. We tried their single Origin Espresso: Tian Yu and we love the stone fruits/cherry/red wine coffee notes on this cup of latte. We also tried their famous Aged Fermented Pu'er, while it's hard to describe the complex tea flavor but we still like it very much. If you're a tea lover then you should not skip their specialty tea here. • If you're going for specialty coffee, here's the place you should go. The blend are from Yunnan which you rarely find in Melbourne, one of a kind to try. The staffs are super...

One of my favourite cafes and roasters in Melbourne. All the coffee (and tea) is sourced from China and roasted by Four Kilo Fish. The flavour notes are always interesting and beautiful, roasts vary from light to medium. Scarlet Finch at the moment is a must-try. The fermented pu-erh tea is also fantastically complex. Basically any beverage you order you can expect a good time 😂 I often buy beans from them as well, their filter roasts are always enjoyable (though the aforementioned Scarlet Finch comes in a filter and espresso roast...)

One of the reasons it's on my favourites list is the attention to detail which runs not just through the entire coffee menu but the dining area and food offerings. The ceramics in which tea and coffee are served are also sourced by the owners, creating an experience curated to the very last.

Food is also very good, although with the removal of my favourite egg salad Sando there aren't heaps of vegetarian, gluten free options, but the pork and chicken Sandos I have also been assured are delicious.

On weekends and even sometimes during the week it can get super hectic and busy inside the small cafe so turn up early if you want a table, or be prepared to sit outside, although gas heaters and blankets are on offer for chilly days. With the advent of QR ordering I do miss the interaction with the very knowledgeable and lovely Yee, but again given the size of the interior there are only so many staff you can...

I had high expectations, but was disappointed.

Came around at 12 on a Sunday, wasn't very crowded fortunately. The place itself wasn't too bad, good ambience but just a bit too small and narrow.

Service-wise, I cannot give it a good score. Our table wasn't wiped after the previous customers. What a standard, ey? No water was served upon arrival (even after seated for 5 minutes) while other customers received it as soon as they were seated. I had to walk around and ask for water. Quite disappointed.

In terms of food, it's OK. We ordered their Yunnan sando and Cheesy corn jaffle. Nothing special, but only ordinary. Drink-wise, I think there're some points to creativity, despite following the trend. We were quite happy with the drinks menu offered because there were quite a bit of options available. We ordered the Orange Cream Cold Brew and an iced latte. It was 3/5. Great idea but slightly lacking in execution, but it's subjective. However, disregard the specialty drinks, I was interested in their pour over options, would keen to try one day.

Overall, not the best experience and will not be coming back for...