The Penny Drop — Restaurant in Melbourne

Having been an avid Melbournian brunch seeker for almost two decades, I’ve hardly got to come across a brunch spot with staff as inexperienced and unfriendly as this one here. And their staff are definitely not kid-friendly as per my family and my experience.

I arrived with my child in his stroller and waited to be taken to our seat. This place is quite spacious and there are ample seats, Given its location (Box Hill), there generally isn’t a brunch queue and there wasn’t one when I arrived (Saturday 11am). I was told to wait as the staff that served me wasn’t sure if I (a single ordering diner) should be given my own table or not. She approached what seemed to me was her superior and, he came over and asked if I had a reservation. I answered “No” and he ushered me over to a communal window seat instead of giving me my own seat, although there were many available seats as pictured. I stayed nonchalant and went on to order my food.

My other family members decided to join me so I asked for a table, and the same man from before said he could only offer me a four-seater table (we were a total of six), pointing toward a corner table with a Reserved sign on it. I did not question and agreed to move. They removed the reserved sign and sat us. At this point I can safely conclude that most of the Reserved sign on their tables were bogus as I was there for more than an hour and the restaurant remained as empty as I initially entered, if not quieter.

Our experience there was already unsatisfactory by then and we regretted ever stepping into this inhospitable restaurant. The food wasn’t all that bad but we couldn’t bear to ruin the start of our weekend further so I quickly laid my child down into the sofa bench and swapped his (Not Dirty. Affirmative.) diaper for a new one without much second thought. As I was finishing up, the same man came over to our table and told me off, saying that they have a diaper change in their toilet. I looked, did a double take, and there was no diaper room signage within sight. Perhaps I should not have presumed that they didn’t have a diaper change room and changed my child’s nappy there, at a discrete corner booth concealed by tables and chairs, but I believe that given how empty the restaurant was then, and how cold and windy it was outside, there ought to be some level of kindness and humanity, but there wasn’t.

We bolted out, certain that we will never...

I was told that I had to try this place. And when my friend raves about a place. I have to try it. How good is The Penny Drop? I have rushed home to write a review straight away. Yes. It’s that good.

Located conveniently across from the Box Hill station, this quaint restaurant has a great welcoming feeling. To be honest, I actually struggled to describe this. In terms of feelings, imagine the lushness of being in a high-end restaurant yet being enveloped in a cozy diner. Go in and you will know what I mean.

To start off the night, I sampled their coffee. My Lawd, their barista did an amazing job. It was an Ethiopian single origin bean which had undergone the Monsoon Malabar process. The rich creamy texture is perfect. The crema – amazing. I didn’t care I was having it before dinner. This was good coffee!

For entree, I chose the chicken wings. I was unsure about the combination – mandarin sauce and sesame? Se-sa-yes please. This was a stand out dish for me as the sesame seeds stuck well to the wings. To top it off, the chicken skin was coated nicely in the mandarin sauce and was cooked crispy on the outside whilst still maintaining the soft and tender goodness on the inside. To be honest, I was sad to see this dish end.

Dinner, on the other hand, consisted of a burger. I know, 2 burgers in one day? (I might need to kick my exercise routine up a notch from here on in….)

But not just any burger. The Penny Drop’s Southern Buttermilk Chicken. That’s right. Buttermilk. The sound you hear is your stomach rumbling….

Chipotle Mayo, jalapeno, red cabbage and dill slaw – the satisfying crunch that awaited you alone is worth it. This combination took it to the next level.

This was one pleasant dining experience that I wholeheartedly recommend. Escaping the cold into the lovely,warm and alluring atmosphere, being attended to by awesome staff and the hilarious joke from Tim the manager (My dining companions were still laughing because it definitely sounded like food envy from our perspective) made it one...

Modern and very cozy decore with a great looking menu. Sadly that is where it ends, with poor service by the floor staff. We were seated at a table which we ordered coffee and then was asked to move elsewhere. No communication within the team and when the coffees were ready, they were delivered to the previous table that we were seated and everyone was confused. We waited for over 30 mins for a bottle of water and our coffee's and when the coffee arrived, the cappuccino was weak and tasted like milk. Poor roast? Floor staff is not attentive and lack the attention to detail of a efficient cafe. We ordered Hotcakes and Sweet and Sour Pork Knuckle. Hotcakes are nothing special, 2x Hotcakes paired with a seedy berry compote and a coconut 'foam' which didn't really do anything. The pork knuckle was good, 1x tiny piece of toast smaller than the fried egg that was on top (bread must be expensive these days), knuckle was tender and soft but sauce was limited. Also needed some sort of acidity to balance out the flavours on the pallete. Overall pretty sub par experience for a hyped up and trending place whilst paying a premium. Would I...