Kew is an area we should all explore a bit more. Why? With a cafe like Ora in Kew, who knows what other gems lie in this suburb.
A Saturday in Melbourne, with the temperature dangling between 25 and 30, is a day in which you want to spend your time as comfortable as possible. Ora is that comfortable and worthwhile escape from the heat and from the busy traffic.
Cool white walls, terracotta tiled floors.
Lovely staff who are informative and friendly.
Good music and the faultless sound of conversation and cultery.
You can take a seat at the communal table, or the bench by the window and overlook the street. You could sit at the single tables at the back, or even sit outside and bask in the sun while devouring some of the finest kitchen delights.
Their seasonal food menu consists of delicious takes on typical breakfast classics. They have paired back a lot of the popular breakfast items and improved them tenfold. So while you may at first feel disappointed that don't have 20 options for eggs, 15 options for toast and 8 options for museli, slap yourself on the cheek and take a closer look at what they are offering you.
Espresso. Colombia. Andes Santarita.
This was delicious. A flavour mine in a cup. It was smokey and slightly salty, with a syrupy viscosity that had slight dashes of chocolate. This drop apparently goes down very well with milk-based coffee drinks too.
Hot Roast Lamb Roll with Coleslaw and Green Pepper sauce.
Satisfying and warming. Not many places have 'hot rolls' on their menus, to be honest, I haven't had one since I went to Mixed Business Cafe. The lamb was tender and lean, seasoned enough to convince anyone that lamb is the best meat. The coleslaw and green pepper sauce had the perfect textures and flavour combinations to bring out the heartiness of the lamb. Well done.
Pour Over. Panama. Hera Estate. Honey process.
This was not as floral or dynamic as the Panama Geisha which is also on the menu here. This had mellow honey flavours with a light 'coffee' taste. Very smooth, not too oily and not at all abrasive. As it cooled, it developed a few bitter flavour plumes, but nothing that ruined the overall flavour for me. Don't have this expecting something as floral and perfume-like as the Geisha - remember the one I had at
The Premises?
In Greek, the word 'ora' refers to 'time'. You can easily spend a lot of 'time' here, eating drinking and resting. So whether or not the meaningful naming of this fine establishment was intentional, after having such a great 'time' here, I can only think that the name was meant to be.
