Leaf & Vine Cafe and Wine Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

I was annoyed. And impatient. I was told to take a seat anywhere. The kids were Hangry and they really needed to go to the toilet. No one came to take our coffee order. I was well prepared. I had it all planned. I looked up the menu so I can order kiddie’s food and coffee straight away then dash to the toilet. BUT NO ONE CAME TO SERVE US.

I made a decision. 2 yo on one arm, dragging my 4 yo on the other, dragged them to where two ladies are making coffees to order. They ignored me. I dragged them to another waitress l, blurred out my food order and ran to the toilet.

We came back. No one asked us whether we wanted coffee. FIFTEEN minutes after we sat down we got given water. We got our coffee and I got an extra scone to share. By this time my annoyance has reached a boiling point. I have places to go. Things to do. I need my food NOW.

Whoosh. A beautiful, decadent platter landed on our table. Gasps and wows ensues. Annoyance subsided. In front of us was a beautiful breakfast platter. There was egg, avocado, different kinds of bread, procuittio, gherkins, olives, pate, pancakes w icecream, fruit toast w homemade rhubarb and strawberry jam... it’s like a breakfast buffet on my table and it was the most generous breakfast board I have gotten. Yes, it also generate a bit of a #pategate on my Instagram {Piggyeatalot} (see pic), but everything was delicious.

My scones was also super tasty but to be honest we couldn’t finish it all because everything was just so huge. We did have a good stab at it though and kiddos even grab a few pieces of bread for the road. 🤣. Yes their service was slow and they really need to up their game on that (I wasn’t the only one on the day who thought that. People were chasing up on their orders & they were making mistakes on the orders) but the food more than...

The good - the service of the staff and the atmosphere of this place are both lovely.

Everything about the food was disappointing. I came here for Sunday brunch because I have heard good things and the reviews are excellent.

The drinks - The coffee was mediocre at best and it seemed like it was made from an at home machine. No attempt at latte art although perhaps that is being picky. The juice was served from an unopened bottle and not made on site.

I had the brisket benedict. Usually I love brisket, but this was dry and fairly flavourless. The egg was fine and the sweet potato rosti was yum, but as a whole, the dish was bland.

My partner had the avocado on toast with roast cauliflower and although it sounded delicious, the meal was uninspired with little avocado and a lot of cauliflower. The chickpeas were dry and tasted old.

It was a shame, the menu sounded so delicious and the ambience on a sunny day was lovely, but the meal was bland. Perhaps I would have been happy with it if I had made it at home on my own but with so many excellent brunch options in the area, and when paying decent money, I...

Sure, it's a nice little joint in a nice little suburb with convenient parking, but they forgot my coffee and then forgot my breakfast so I'm not gonna rate this one highly.

In general, coffee was average (oat milk over heated, coffee a bit week) and the cooked food at the table was not well cooked. Tasty, but a little under done. I had the mango chia pudding. It was fine. Lots of things are fine. My Nanna's crockery and placemats were fine, but they didn't cost me $17. That said, the pudding came with a side of honey dew melon and coconut ice, which was sweet and delicious. Kudos there.

Kylie (girlfriend, intelligent and witty, looks good in denim) thought the eggs were undercooked.

As for the service, they forgot my coffee and breakfast, which is basically the whole point of me being there. It's like a doctor coming into the operating room and forgetting to perform surgery. THATS WHY I'M THERE! Stitch me up with caffeine and tasty treats, people! Nuff said.

I bet the locals love it, though. If you live nearby, go there and support a local business. At the very least you'll be able to pat a...