Beef

Replete Providore

9/08/2009 04:31:00 PM

Flat white - $3.50

Replete Providore
302 Barkers Rd
Hawthorn VIC 3122
(03) 9818-4448
Website

Replete Providore is that cafe and catering company that all the food guides rave about. It constantly wins best breakfast awards, and despite being in a residential street, it is constantly packed. I'm sure this has something to do with it being located right in the midst of Kew's private school zone - highest density of private schools per square km in the world, apparently - so loads of parents pop in after dropping off the kids.

It came on the very strong recommendation of my friend Timmy K, so I was just able to get over my loathing of the word "providore". (So wanky!) A group of 5 of us rocked up at 1pm on Sunday (it happened to be Father's Day!), but we were lucky to get a table without a wait.

Apart from lots of baked goods at the counter - brownies, cookies, lemon slice, pies etc., there is a big shelf stocking house-made products like chutneys, biscuits and more. Bizarrely, you can buy smarties in a plastic container with the "Replete" logo stuck on it, although I'm not sure why you'd want to.

Biscotto - pistachio, almond and chocolate chip - $1.50

Y'all know I'm a big cookie-lover, and I couldn't resist a biscotto with pistachios and almonds. It was a little bit hard, but not tooth-shatteringly so, and went well with my cappuccino.

It took me ages to choose from the menu, as it all looked very tempting. In the end, I chose something very simple - avocado with marinated feta and chillies on dark rye grainy bread. I adore dark rye bread!

Avocado with marinated feta and chillies on dark rye grain bread - $13.50

This was an absolutely winning combination, and I'm glad I ordered it. A whole avocado for one serving was too much for me - I had both slices of toast, but only half the avocado. I'm totally recreating this at home for breakfasts in the future!

Beef Lasagne (without salad) - $13.50

Sandra had the lasagne, without salad. This tasted lovely, but was very, very rich.


Omelette special - brie, ham & rocket - $15.00

My buddy Timmy K ordered the omelette special, and said it was good, but that other omelettes he's had here in the past have been better.

Steak Sandwich w chips and salad - $15.00

My bro ordered the steak sanga, a typical Daniel lunch, hehe. He was very unimpressed by this - too big, too rich, too dry - and only got about halfway through it. I had nearly ordered the roast beef sandwich, and after seeing the steak sandwich, was very glad I didn't.


Soup of the day - Vegetables, beans and silverbeet - $9.50

Su got the soup of the day, which she said was quite bland, and not as good as her own homemade soup. However, she said the multigrain toast was great!

I liked Replete, but don't think its food quite lives up to its reputation. Coffee was good, prices were the higher side of reasonable, and service was friendly and fast.

Replete Providore on Urbanspoon

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4 comments

  1. I haven't been to Replete in years. They were fantastic six or seven years ago. The prices were a lot lower, the quality was superb, and you never had to wait long for a table. But over the years, they became more popular, prices went up, the quality became more inconsistent, and the old owners have sold the business.

    It would be worthwhile taking a trip down Glenferrie Road and giving Liar Liar a try or heading further down Canterbury Road to Mailing Road and checking out the Mailing Room. Mind you, Liar Liar has since changed hands, and they're now starting to have the same issues with consistency as Replete did when they got new owners.

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  2. Aah that explains it. I didn't think it was nearly as good as everyone said it was.

    I've been to Maling Room (that's "Maling", not "Mailing", lol) once for take-away and quite liked the coffee. Haven't eaten there yet though. :D

    xox Sarah

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  3. Thanks for sharing this as although I doubt I will ever be going as I live a milliom miles away, I got a great idea for this saturday breakfast. Making the rye with fetta as it looks gorgeous!

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  4. I agree, Replete does not live up to its hype. The award-winning corn fritters were forgettable.

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