GRUNGE CAFE

GRUNGE CAFE

1696 Burwood Hwy. Belgrave.
Phone: 03 97541764

Weekdays    7.30-4.30
Weekends    8   -  5.00

A very pleasant little place, emphasis on little, with an alternative atmosphere in Belgrave's main street. Loved the relaxed retro decor. Loved the record player playing REAL discs.The menu is a quite limited but the food is excellent. The food is all very home made fresh, well priced and service is prompt and friendly.
The canneloni vegetarian and salad was really, really flavourful and the mixed salad, with pepitas added was crisp and tasty.
The orange flourless cake was a sensation. I have had this item other places and it can sometimes be a little dry but this one was moist and just oozing orangeness.I would have liked a little cream on the side but great anyway.

They do breakfast and brunch dishes here ( eggs, quiches ) and a great selection of coffees, teas, lindt hot chocolate and smoothies. My coffee was served a little cool but the efficient staff were only too happy to fix that promptly. They were taking a batch of home made cakes out of the oven when we were there and they smelled wonderful but we were too full. Next time !!
It is hard to compete with some of the fantastic local coffee served in the hills but theirs was pretty good. Give them a go!

You have to pay and order at the counter and they do not take cards which is a shame.

FOOD          5/5
SERVICE   3.5/5 
COFFEE      4/5
SCONES
VALUE        5/5

TOTAL      17.5/20

Revisit??   Of course!!
       

REEL

REEL CAFE
1628 Burwood Hwy
Belgrave
Phone 97541055

Sun-Thur 9am - 9pm
Fri/Sat 9am - 9.30pm

With the worst coffee in the Hills and what has to be the worst, slowest service this cafe is a terrible experience. We have given them 3 tries and each time got worse than the one before.
We told them that we were needing to eat efficiently because we were going to the movies but the service was still painfully slow and the surfaces had not been wiped on ours and the adjacent tables. When the dishes arrived they were wrong and the fries just did not turn up at all. The food choices are innovative and interesting and the food when you get it is pleasant but I will not bother again.

If what you want is coffee and cake you will likely be segregated from the table diners which is just as well because after you try the coffee you will want to make a quick exit! Cakes are not bad but since you can buy beautiful home baked cakes elsewhere I would not bother.

Beware that if you plan to take a cake for a birthday there is a surcharge which they may or may not tell you about.

FOOD          3.5/5
SERVICE       1/5
COFFEE         1/5
SCONES
VALUE           3/5

TOTAL         8.5/20

REVISIT?   Not a chance!

PUFFING BILLY CAFE

PUFFING BILLY CAFE

1674 Burwood Hwy
Belgrave.

Phone: 97546115

It’s not flash, it’s not modern and there are more up market places in the Dandenong Ranges but you will go a long, long way before you find better value for money and more wholesome, home cooked fare than Belgrave’s own Puffing Billy Cafe. This place is an institution.  

On Sunday mornings  you can hardly get a table because the breakfasts served here are amazing. The big Brekkie is immense with eggs, toast, beans, tomato, hash browns, sausage and so much bacon you almost feel guilty eating it except it tastes so good. And the vegetarian muffin! If you are expecting a breakfast muffin like the fast food restaurants down the mountain, think again! This one is two muffin halves piled high with mushrooms, eggs, spinach and more.......All cooked fresh while you read the paper or drink their excellent coffee and peruse the memorabilia from your quaint booth. It hasn’t changed much since the days when my Mother would take me in during the school holidays for a lime spider and neither it should. When you are on a good thing stick to it!

Breakfast, lunch and afternoon teas and snacks and they even do take away.

** on the downside spare a smile for the older waitress who always looks harassed and run off her feet.

FOOD          5/5

SERVICE   4.5/5

COFFEE    4.5/5

SCONES

VALUE      5/5

TOTAL    19/20

REVISIT?   Definitely!!

EARTHLY PLEASURES

Earthly Pleasures Cafe.

1627 Burwood Hwy., Belgrave.
Phone:97526744
9am - 5pm
(closed Mondays)

Heavenly, just heavenly and what a pleasure this place is. Located in the old Belgrave Manor of the 40’s the decor and ambiance are a delight. The open fire was lit the day we were there and the warm glow just added to the atmosphere. The menu is not enormous but it more than adequately caters for all tastes. We opted for the home made dips and they were absolutely delicious with home made hommus, piquant pumpkin and macadamia and a scoop of semidried tomato and chick pea. There was a little wait for the dips but when we realised that our flat bread was straight from the oven we were thrilled. It was marvellous and there was adequate bread for the dips. Finger licking good. The baked berry cheesecake was wonderful with real cream, organic of course. 

FOOD        4.5/5

SERVICE       4/5

COFFEE         4/5

SCONES     

VALUE           4/5

TOTAL      16.5/20

REVISIT?        Yes definitely

BENSON'S

Benson’s.

1710 Burwood Hwy.

Belgrave.

Phone: 03 97542726

8am – 9pm

This restaurant has had a few incarnations over the past years but this is the best yet and the owners have created an inviting atmosphere. The decor is pleasantly modern, understated yet chic browns and it was a pleasure to open the door and leave the blustery cold outside and enter its welcoming warmth. We were warmly greeted by pleasant staff who took our order and delivered the food with efficiency.  

The menu is quite extensive with breakfast until 1pm and lunch and tapas till 5pm. The chicken penne was perfectly cooked and the sauce flavoursome but not overpowering. A side salad with the most delicious balsamic accompanied the delightful wrap which was delicious. We were very pleasantly surprised with the excellent coffee. The menu says that you should tell them if the coffee does not reach a good standard but we did not have to.

The selection of cakes and biscuits here is extensive but the Devonshire tea was a big disappointment. The scone was so overheated in the microwave that we could hardly touch it which resulted in it being tough as was the berry muffin which ended up having an unpleasant burnt taste. It’s a pity because this marred what was otherwise a great experience. We would give them another go, perhaps even for dinner.

FOOD     4/5

SERVICE 4/5

COFFEE  4/5

SCONES  1/5

VALUE     4/5

REVISIT?  4/5

TOTAL     21/30