Zest Licensed Cafe — Restaurant in Victoria

Zest Café – A Sip of Stillness Between Town and Time Living in the country now makes early Saturday mornings a joy. There’s a hush in the mornings that you can not find in the suburbs or cities. And mornings in Ballan come with a kind of hush you learn to love: not silence, but a hush born of a pause — as if the streets themselves are waiting for the kettle to boil. There’s a gentleness to the way the town wakes, and in the middle of it all, tucked where it’s always been, is Zest Café.

It’s the kind of place where the coffee machine hums like an old friend, where the wood-panelled walls have heard a thousand gentle conversations and kept every one. Locals drift in, nod greetings to the staff and each other, and no one seems in a rush. Time slows down here — not stops, exactly, but… stretches. Kindly.

I ordered a spiced Chai Latte and a toasted croissant with a scramble, which arrived like a memory from a better year. The Chai was spiced perfectly, smooth, rich, and quietly confident, as if it were a lover's kiss, full of promises — the kind that doesn’t need to shout to be remembered. The croissant, toasted to perfection, lightly buttered and topped with a perfectly seasoned and cooked scramble, a veritable Rembrandt on a plate, almost too beautiful to eat, and too delicious not to.

And then — naturally — he was there.

Graven M. Ravenhurst, Esq. appeared at the corner table, where no one had been sitting a moment ago. He held a teacup filled with black coffee and regarded it as one might a troubled oracle.

He didn’t stir. He simply inhaled, slowly, as though reading the fortunes in the crema. Then he looked out the window — not at the street, but at something much farther away.

“Places like this,” he said, “exist between heartbeats. Step wrong and you might miss them forever.” “The same is true,” he added absently, “of stairwells that weren't there yesterday and cities that only exist when nobody’s looking.” He then looked at me and said, “The same can be said of scythes, they say.”

A breeze passed through the café, though no doors had opened.

When I turned back, he was gone.

His seat was still warm, and folded inside the sugar jar, I found his calling card:

Graven M. Ravenhurst, Esq. Connoisseur of Quiet Mornings & Cafés That Remember You. “A place like this brews more than coffee. It holds the memory of those who no longer stir their cups.”

TL;DR: Zest Café is exactly what you want in a small-town local — warm, inviting, and quietly exceptional. The beverages are perfectly balanced, the menu is amazing, and the atmosphere makes you want to stay just a little longer. One of Ballan’s finest places to...

Ordered takeaway today, including one gluten free burger. As food was being boxed, I noticed the person cooking tipped chips into container with burger. I inquired if the chips were gluten free..person advised that yes, their chips were gluten free. I asked what other food they cooked in their deep fryer, the person advised crumbed chicken. I advised that the chips were then not gluten free as they were cross contaminated with gluten. Another person then stated their chips were gluten free and asked if the person eating this burger was Coeliac. I advised, yes they were, hence the gluten free request. I was then told that I needed to advise staff when ordering that person was Coeliacs. After much back and forth, a refund was arranged due to burger being contaminated. I would suggest that staff need to ask the question when a customer is ordering gluten free..whether the customer is Cooeliac. If these chips had been eaten they would have caused a severe reaction. More food safety training is required here with regard to food allergies and cross contamination. The young blonde female at the front counter was quite surly, unhappy to give a refund and became argumentative with me, trying to blame me for...

Second time here after a great first experience two and half years ago today was very disappointing.

Our meals took over 25 minutes (eggs Benedict, a chicken salad and chips) with only 3 other tables to be served. The eggs Benedict was one slice of toast Three slices of primo/Don ham (same one I use at home) Two eggs Half a grape Tomatoe and random seeds on the plate??? (Assuming this was a garnish ??)

Also forgot to salt the chips when asked If we wanted regular or chicken salt. and provide the extra sauce we ordered.

Disappointed at the serving and quality for near $60.

The positive is the coffee and iced tea were great Now that about 12-15 customers have come after the parade they’ll likely be waiting a long while for if they struggled with 3.

Hope this is a bad day for the cafe and not the standard level which has dropped drastically since...