Touchstone Cafe — Restaurant in Melbourne

I came here with a group of my friends on a cold, chilly Sunday morning and we all had a great time enjoying our brunches along with some of the most delicious Vietnamese coffee! It was in a very convenient location close to the public transportation and across from a nice park with plenty of street parking nearby. The cafe was understandably busy on a weekend but the food came out reasonably fast compared to the cafe’s size and the numbers of customers there. The staff were very friendly and gave us great recommendations on what the best sellers of the cafe were. We each tried a different dish on their menu and every one of them were mind-blowing delicious:

Drinks: We tried the hot Vietnamese black coffee and the hot Vietnamese latte. They were very delicious with a decent sweet flavor from the condense milk and strong coffee aroma. The coffees were a big hit with our group who are known to be big coffee critics!

Food: Pulled pork bagel: pulled pork was literally melting in the mouth with really tasty sauce! They even came with potato chips!

Shashuka baked eggs: the tomato flavor really stands out and combines wonderfully with the sourdough that comes with it. It’s packed with powerful flavor in a seemingly light dish!

Angus beef burger: good beef patty and really crunchy and well-seasoned fries.

Pulled pork benny: the pulled pork was the same in the bagel but I really liked how the eggs were cooked perfectly.

Vietnamese stew beef (off menu): We had the chance to meet and talk to the owners who told us that they were thinking of putting this Vietnamese stew beef dish on the menu and asked us to be one of its first taste testers! And oh my, it was so good that I couldn’t stop eating it and all of us were all fighting over the last bite! The beef was well-marinated and slow-cooked for a long time that it literally just melted in my mouth. The broth was very well paired with the lightly toasted bread along with the sliced chilis. Overall, it’s a really delicious dish and it’s so much better than all the stew dishes I’ve tried in the past!

The portions here were humongous for how much we paid - we had so much leftover even though we were all big eaters. Overall, I highly recommend this cafe! From the decor to the staff and its owners, we had a great time eating and enjoying our Sunday brunch here and we can’t wait to be back the next time are in town! Thank you Touchstone Cafe for helping us create wonderful memories with delicious food and...

I have been a regular here for quite a while, especially coffee during lockdowns, but this was my first meal here. How disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee and food is quite good. But unfortunately, the service was very average.

Perhaps it was just bad timing, but when you sit down I’m used to someone coming and giving me a menu and water. Then a coffee order. I had to go in and ask for them and was met with a very cool response. Then I returned to my seat and waited some more but no one came. The people behind me and I’m front were served but apparently, we are invisible.

So I went in again and they finally came out to take the order. But still no water, or coffee order. I mentioned the delay and the young girl gave me a nasty look. She seemed angry that I was mentioning that we hadn’t been served. So instead of an apology, we got attitude.

We ordered and then they were out of bacon 🥓. A cafe out of bacon…

It gets better, or worse. Two meals arrived, slapped down, no coffee for my friends. I get a coffee only, no food. 10min later my meal. 5 min later their coffee. Is it really that hard to coordinate?

When we went to pay they were just standing around talking. I wanted a second coffee but no one bothered to ask.

Such a shame as I like this place. But service is important in hospitality, especially since Hunter Lane cafe is awesome and just around the corner.

Hopefully, this feedback will assist the owner with their process and especially their attitudes. I’m a customer after all and a local.

Let's hope they take this as constructive feedback and not thing that we just like to complain.

Note: they don't have bathrooms there, but there is a public toilet across...

Let's start with the good things. Service was friendly, easily seated outside, and I like the umbrellas for the tables. A bit difficult to get in and out of because the seats are bolted to the table part.

Food. Him Indoors ordered the Vietnamese Pho, as we are both keen on this dish. Unfortunately, it wasn't that great. Very fatty meat, the broth was not piping hot. It was served with two sauces, lemon and could have done with a lot more bean sprouts. 3/5 I ordered the chicken schnitzel focaccia. It came with a small serve of sliced chips (and unfortunately they were a bit stale). I thought I would be getting something nice and fresh with a bit of salad, but each slice of focaccia was 2.5cm thick - meaning 5cm wide of bread per sandwich. Its just too much. Schnitzel was thin, it was okay but very greasy. I ended up ditching the focaccia part and eating the middle because I just couldn't finish that within the time we had for lunch.

Coffee - fine, nothing outstanding. Could do with a change of bean. No sugar offered on table, one of our spoons had chocolate dust on it. Both of us have left feeling a bit ick, not a refreshing lunch for either person.

Its a good spot but I would rework the menu. Do the schnitzel as a schnitzel plus fresh salad instead of focaccia with a smaller serve. Work on the pho soup, update the meats to something less fatty, bung in some more...