The Main Cafe, Bar and Restaurant

The Main Cafe, Bar and Restaurant

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Posted 2014-03-27 by Jeni Wilsonfollow

It was girl's night out so we picked Eltham's newest cafe called The Main . It was the old Alta Vita. It's recently been renovated by new owners has a new menu. The decor is modern, Scandinavian influenced and the menu is fresh and extensive.

I had planned to pig out. If it weren't for my daughter's restraint I would have ordered two deserts, one for main and the other for desert. It might seem a bit odd unless you have seen the range of cakes and tarts that are flaunted out the front of the cafe.


Because of my drive to consume as many deserts as possible we only ordered starters. Between us we selected wedges with sour cream and chili sauce, and eggplant chips (a new taste sensation). They were served very hot… just the way I like my food. The servings were ridiculously large and delicious.


The eggplants chips with chipotle mayonnaise particularly impressed me. I enquired as to what was in the mayonnaise and was told that this had a touch of chilli, cumin and coriander. The waitress checked in the kitchen and also found out that I could buy some at the nearest Coles supermarket.


My food selection was difficult because of the extensive menu. Apart from the wood fired pizzas from $15.99, they also serve salads from $15-$23, pasta, risotto, chicken, fish and paella. I thought that some of the items were a tad expensive, for example, a black Angus scotch fillet was $37.90. This may be about right but I am not a meat eater so I'm not sure.

You can also get breakfasts, sandwiches, focaccias, burgers, soups and more. I thought that this would be a nice place breakfast with the floor to ceiling glass windows and especially when the new outdoor extension is finished. I noticed that there were 12 different egg dishes for breakfast ranging from $9-$19.


Particularly noticeable was the excellent service. The waitress checked on the temperature of the air conditioning twice, filled up my glass of water without requesting it and was attentive to all my questions about the menu. Another waiter asked if I would like a cushion.

Unfortunately my plan to sample multiple deserts was thwarted by the size of our starters. After we were full it looked like we had hardly touched our meals. We got enough take away for at least two more servings.


There was no way I was leaving without some of those desserts, which were thankfully provided as takeaway as well. The waitress said the favourite was the rich chocolate cake. She was very patient because I changed my choice four times. As usual I was naturally inclined towards the cheesecake, but with so many other choices I thought I should try the lemon meringue that was at least 8cm high. I was also drawn to the chocolate and caramel tart but at the last minute I made an unusual decision and picked the passion fruit tart and brownie. I'm not usually indecisive or regretful however tonight with such a selection I encountered both emotions.


I know I made a mistake however that gives me an imperative to return to try more of the delicious tarts and cakes. I won't be fooled next time though. It's straight to the sweets.

I stopped on the way home to get my teenager some KFC takeaway. I paid more for his meal than I did for one of ours. No decision or regret there. I know where I'd prefer to eat.

#bars
#cafes
#cocktail_bars
#coffee
#eltham
#north
#restaurants
%wnmelbourne
192332 - 2023-06-16 03:43:02

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