Mon Dieu — Restaurant in Victoria

ORDERED: 🥦 Cauliflower Hash: house made cauliflower hash, smoked salmon, fried free range egg, truffled seasonal greens & pumpkin hollandaise ($25.00) 🧀 halloumi ($5.50 each) 🎃 Pumpkin Bonjour: house made pumpkin chutney, crumbled feta, marinated chickpeas, compressed tomatoes, side of Turkish focaccia ($25.00)

It was ~$27.25pp here between two people.

REVIEW: 🌟 Mon Dieu's brunch offerings bring my brunch dreams back to life. ☁️ The creativity, the colours, the quality. They use every real estate of the plate and it's visually filling.

✌️ Between the Cauliflower Hash and the Pumpkin Bonjour, I preferred the former. I liked that I could mix and match different elements on my plate to have a different taste with every bite. I enjoyed the variety, with smoked salmon and halloumi being particular weaknesses of mine! 🤤🐟 I couldn't remember the seasonal greens having a particularly strong truffle taste/the hollandaise taking a pumpkin flavour. It all complemented each other so well. My friend preferred the Pumpkin Bonjour for how flavourful it was! The side of toasted Turkish focaccia which was lightly buttered made it feel so decadent. Honestly, you'll be winning with either option. 🏆

There's no table service, but that's clearly articulated on the menu. Go up to the cashier to place and pay for your order. 🚶‍♀️ Since we were a large table, this method worked out better because we were able to to split payments easily! Service was notably friendly, and the farm vibe atmosphere works perfectly in the location. It brought an openness, casualness and warmth that's missing from brunch locations in inner city...

Strap in, you're in for a doozie...

There are a few pleasures in life that I'm blessed to experience. One of them is the opportunity to on rare occasions eat out. The economy after COVID makes it hard for regular Aussies to support their local more often.

Whilst on a short break from Melbourne to the Island, we decided to see what was around for brekky. We've been to Cowes many, many times but never here. The reviews certainly brought us to try it.

I can't recommend this place enough...

I was CERTAIN that the very reasonable prices meant small servings, but boy was I wrong... I expect to pay more on holiday and certainly somewhere that doesn't have the patronage or foot traffic of a major city, but not here. I commend the owners for supporting their community.

The food you ask? Fresh, creative, delicious and plenty... Coffee? Rivals anything in a Melbourne laneway... My Magic (yes I'm that guy), was spot on.

The immunity juice made me feel like I was Ian Thorpe (pre retirement) and full of energy! I jumped straight in the pool of our hotel afterwards and smashed out some laps.

One of the servers was kind enough to have a chat and give us some background to the venue. Another thing that I thought worthy of comment, is one pet hate of my is when establishments have younger employees at the front counter who are terrified to provide service. Here, the younger servers were polite, engaging and very helpful.

I can see why they've won so many awards. If the venue reads this, please high-five your kitchen and service staff.

We'll...

We arrived at 1:30pm, having driven all the way from Melbourne under the illusion that this café was worth the detour. The kitchen allegedly closes at 2pm, but judging by the reception we received, it may as well have shut sometime in 2017. The woman behind the counter — dark-haired, disinterested, and visibly inconvenienced by our presence — offered the sort of welcome one usually reserves for annoying sales people, not customers.

Apparently, taking an order half an hour before closing is a bridge too far. Most establishments manage this without falling to pieces, but here it seemed to trigger a mild existential crisis. It wasn’t even busy — it was a Wednesday, and the place had the atmosphere of a waiting room that’s given up hope.

Speaking of atmosphere: the music choice was as forgettable as the food — a steady stream of generic radio hits, played loud enough to ensure no thought could escape unscathed. As for the food, it wasn’t bad so much as it was entirely unmemorable. It had all the charm of a reprinted brochure: technically correct, but soulless. Certainly not worth the petrol, let alone the praise this place somehow garners.

And the water — dear God. If you’re going to serve tap, the bare minimum is that it shouldn’t taste like it’s been filtered through a garden hose. Invest in a water filter. Or a Brita jug. Or standards.

In short: if you enjoy indifference, tinny pop music, and culinary beige, this café is a triumph. Otherwise, please just save yourself the trip and the...