The Kettle Black — Restaurant in Melbourne

Our group dined at the Kettle Black on the 13th of April in the late morning, and had a wonderfully pleasant brunch.

For an entree and drinks, we ordered the Burrata and Greens with Smoked Salmon to share, a barista flight for myself, an affogato for another, and a pot of English Breakfast for the others. I quite enjoyed the batch brew that came with the set, and one of my friend was particularly fond of the Burrata salad, stating it was refreshing, and had set great expectations of what was to come.

For mains, two companions had the Pastrami Benedict, one had a Breakfast Roll, and I had the prawn croissant; fries were also ordered on the side. The croissant was buttery, flaky and crispy in the right spots, and the portion of prawns allocated to it was definitely generous enough. The Pastrami Benedict had toppings superb with the pastrami, eggs, and hollandaise being up to the standard my friends yearned for. One of them did say the brioche could be toasted more, but this observation was so minor as not to impact the overall enjoyment of the dish. The other one had no toast with his, so his conjectures on baked goods in this matter do not exist. Lastly, regarding the mains, the Breakfast Roll was a filling, and comforting meal, with its simplicity standing out as its reasoning for its character.

Finally, for a dessert we got the Black Forest Waffle to share. The berry sauce on the side was quite sour and tart, which I thought was a balanced addition to the sweetness of the creams on the waffle, although my companions didn't reason the same, so it was welcome that the sauce was not forcibly presented on the dish. The meringue cookie was also a nice little textural variance that added to the experience

The atmosphere was interesting to say the least. Admittedly my feelings are a little mixed regarding the blend of architectural ideas, but it doesn't detract at all from the experience, although doesn't add much to it either. For the service however my feelings are quite fixed on it being of impeccable standard. It wasn't obsessive nor dismissive, and I would say that the right amount of attention was given to ensure the experience was smooth, but not interrupted.

In conclusion, I would say this cafe is a good recommendation to those looking for a lovely brunch, and that I would return if I were in the...

This place is often touted as one of the best cafes in Melbourne, which holds true if they specialize in coffee, which is impeccable. However, the food was the worst experience I've ever had in Melbourne.

We had made an online reservation for a table for four but ended up sharing a high table with other customers. This was especially concerning because we risked incurring a no-show fee of $15 per person. To avoid this fee, we invited another friend to join us since one of our friends wasn't feeling well.

We arrived at the cafe at 11:30 and placed our food order around 11:40. Unfortunately, our food didn't arrive until 12:25. In the meantime, everyone around us received their orders, even those who hadn't ordered when we did. We had to ask one of the "friendly" staff members to check on our order. He returned at 12:10, saying it would take another 6 minutes. However, this delay was not met either.

When our food finally arrived, we were excited by the beautiful presentation, but the taste was a huge disappointment. I ordered lamb ribs with papaya salad, but what I received resembled lamb belly with an excessive amount of fat (I've attached a photo). My friend ordered the beef burger, but the beef tasted like beef jerky. Another friend ordered fried chicken, which was equally disappointing. It consisted of three pieces of thinly crumbed and overly deep-fried chicken breast, dry and tasteless. The fourth dish was vegetarian, and the friend who ordered it found it to be just okay.

When it came time to pay the bill, I expected the staff to ask how everything was, allowing me to provide feedback in person. However, they simply took my money and walked away.

Overall, based on my experience, I appreciate their coffee, the lovely interior, and the beautiful outdoor space. However, the food didn't meet my expectations, and the background music was...

It was a horrible experience such a terrible place to be at. I don’t even want to give any rating. One star is not even worth. What a waste of time. I don’t know why people are queuing up for food here. Made a booking for 2 for brunch at 11am. arrived and waiting for service while had to flag down the waitress to get their attention for the booking. Then got sat down inside at the corner and place an ordered orange juice it took 20 mins to get the drink. Then waited again for a long time to get the waitress to take our food order. We order two maple bacon Benedicts. How hard is it to make poached eggs and bacon. Our food did not arrive at all while all the tables around us got food. And I timed it. First i waited 40 mins then ask the waitress what is the update on the food. I have been here for a while. She checked the kitchen and was told 10 mins more. By then I was starving. Okay so waited another 10 still no food. Ask again the waitress then was told another 2 mins. Waited another 10 mins still no food. So seriously for 1 1/2 hours waiting we had orange juice and a coffee. To be honest the service is terrible no apology and a very blaśe approach to explaining what caused the delays with our food it was just a simple eggs and bacon. I would not recommend this place at all. It is a waste of time, I still don’t understand why would anyone wait in line for a place to eat here. When there are so many other good options available else with a better service than here. It is also too loud inside not a comfortable place to have catch up...