Rombe Rooftop — Restaurant in Melbourne

We recently visited to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and while the food was ok, our experience was impacted by inconsistent communication, delays, and, unfortunately, cold and rude attitudes from some of the staff.

With no contact number on the website, we couldn’t confirm in advance if we could bring a birthday cake. Upon arrival, a lady informed us that we couldn’t eat our own cake but offered to store it in the fridge, which we appreciated.

After waiting in line for 40 minutes, we asked another waitress for an estimated wait time, but she ignored us initially and, when asked again, she talked to us in a cold and rude tone that you are still waiting because you got seven people! When we inquired about storing the cake due to the long wait, we were told conflicting information – this time, that we could eat the cake on-site for a fee, but they could not store the cake in the fridge. When we asked for details on the fee, the waitress walked away, saying she’d call a manager, but no one came until we approached another staff member ourselves. Eventually, we learned the fee was $5 per person, which was fine, but by then, the cake had been out for over an hour.

After being seated, we requested fridge storage for the cake again, as it had been out for an hour. Although a waitress said she would check with the manager, we received no follow-up, so we had to go and ask her again and were informed that no space was available in the fridge.

It would be helpful if the restaurant could list a contact number on the website so guests can inquire about policies on birthday cake in advance. Additionally, ensuring that staff communicate consistently and professionally would greatly improve the...

Perfect breakfast/brunch on a perfect day. We chose Rombe because the out door table are under a lovely pergola facing the lush community garden. This was going to be perfect for our dogs, I thought and I was right. We arrived early to ensure that we would not have to wait and to secure an outdoor table in the shade. The whole of Brickworks shopping centre is doggy friendly, so we go there often. Three out of the 4 of us chose the salmon pastrami. It came with horseradish cream, caviar, soft boiled egg, shaved fennel salad and a 15 layer potato rosti. Omg the rosti!!!! And must mention the perfectly crisp and seasoned side plate of chips. Everything was superb and perfect for the warm weather. On a sad note, I was disappointed that there was no watermelon cake, (which they are permitted by Black Star to make now). We had no choice but to try one of the individual dome cakes from the rather wide selection. They looked pretty but the mousse was very dense- far too much gelatin in the mix. The centre was also way too firm. It was quite heavy. This was especially noticeable as I had a stunning light summer sponge layer cake from Choukette the day before. However, that aside, we could not have been happier with our main meals. It was one of the best breakfasts I’ve had in recent years, and I’ve had many. Such a perfect balance of flavours. Good work, chef! The staff deserve a mention for their hospitality and good humour-...

I’m sure the atmosphere is better but because of such an awkward interaction with staff, we didn’t feel as comfortable. A couple of weeks ago, my friend and our kids came for some coffee and cake, there were only a few tables seated in the big space when we arrived and they were awkwardly arguing with us about our prams (not aggressively). I kept trying to explain that mine folds down thin enough to sit under the table by my feet and will not affect service, but the interaction lasted longer than it needed to, with them insisting that I place it in the designated pram area by the door since they weren’t listening to me. Once seated, we let them know we intended to eat, but they removed all cutlery and ordering was an effort with them, insisting we also wanted food, it was an uncomfortable experience as they worked on assumptions rather than listening to us. The menu was also quite overpriced for what we received, I usually dine at the cafe downstairs and the food is much better at more reasonable prices.

I won’t be returning any time soon, and I don’t think this is as kid/family friendly...