Lolo and Wren — Restaurant in Melbourne

Catching up with girlfriends for brunch Lolo and Wren was chosen as one of the girls had to go directly to another engagement in Brunswick immediately after. We opted to stay in the same suburb and venue selection itself was an easy choice when I came across this place, or rather their hot chocolate, on Instagram whilst deliberating options.

We were off to a bad start with the four of us advised to squish around a two seater table. Understandably they were busy but they were quite reluctant to allow us to join two two seater tables and only agreed when I advised we would order 5-6 dishes between the four of us.

It then took and I am not even slightly exaggerating one hour for our food to arrive. At the 45 minute mark (and I know precisely how long because of the time stamp on my photos of the drinks) I enquired as to whether we would be eating anytime soon and was told the food would arrive in seven minutes. As the kitchen was relatively open I could see him speaking to the chefs and pointing out our table and the chefs gesturing wildly back as though they hadn’t even started.

Once seven minutes had lapsed I approached our waiter again and expressed my disappointment and asked if they had honestly even started preparing our food when he spoke to them. He eventually offered to wipe our drinks off the bill, but this clearly only happened because I complained.

As for the food itself one of the girls was very happy with her dish but I didn’t even finish mine and this is a rare phenomena that hardly ever occurs. It was a bannoffe porridge which didn’t taste remotely like bananas and the banana date compote and dulche de leche should have been folded throughout the dish as opposed to lumped up on top.

The flavours of those two elements were good but the base dish itself was very bland and really needed those components mixed through. We then all shared the gingerfrench man which mentioned ‘ginger’ in three different textures on the menu which was the appeal of the dish to us however we found it almost entirely devoid of ginger flavour. The pistachio crumb on here was also burnt to the point of blackened charcoal as per the photo (no it’s not meant to be chocolate granola!) and was quite inedible.

I found the experience overall seriously disappointing considering the dishes all read so well on the menu I literally wanted to try them all. It was even worse considering I’d driven almost an hour in torrential rain

*Note this is an old review. I have clicked on the venue and in doing so it seems I edited my review which has republished it as current. I have not been back post my original...

I've seen many recommendations for this place and my friend moving into the apartment block seemed like the perfect excuse to check it out. When we entered, the only table available was the one right by the door. They kindly moved us to another table once that freed up so it was much more comfortable. We then busied ourselves with the tempting menu and placed our orders.

The Smork deserved a mention. A handful of mini marshmallows were piled onto the dark Mork hot chocolate, creating a fun and colourful effect. The first few mouthfuls were exciting but it soon became too rich and I just surrendered to drinking the delicious hot chocolate.

The enormous Spanish Omelette, Sweetcorn and Zucchini Fritters covered the table with a side serving of buttered organic sourdough and rocket salad. The delicious omelette was packed with flavour by combining eggs, potato, chorizo, smashed avocado, roasted capsicum, sour cream and shaved manchego. The Chipotle relish added a kick that really complemented the other ingredients. My friend loved her fritters, which were just as huge, while I was defeated by the omelette.

Helpful and attentive staff ensured of quick turnovers in this busy spot. The space is functional for the real estate they have to play with and you can see the kitchen in operation. Overall, a satisfying and filling visit, worth returning to check out some of the other...

Came to Lolo and Wren off the back of an incredible star rating and multiple five star reviews. Expectations were high given that Lolo rates higher than some of the best calibre breaky spots in Brunny - Project 281, Code Black, and Lux Foundry. Wow!

Positives first off - staff were very nice and clearly care about what they do and who they serve. If you have limited options around the Brunswick West area, this establishment can be a good option for families with a kids menu to boot.

Comparing this establishment with some of the other top players in the area is tough as there is a lot of strong competition. Lolo offers more of a local country kind of vibe with pretty common breakfast options. If you're after the standard big breaky or eggs on toast you'll get it here. The flavours rung a touch average to me and perhaps weren't as punchy as I would have liked.

We ordered the Spanish omelette (comes with the side salad and toast) and the Mac and cheese toastie. Spanish omelette was relatively one note after a few bites and the Mac desired some salt and punch.

With such incredible competition that is striving for out of the box flavours, I'd be inclined to venture elsewhere for a smack in the face of flavour and more ambiance of...