Crabapple Kitchen

Great staff, service, coffee and food! The café had a cosy atmosphere thanks to the décor and design. The seating set up was variable from booths to bar-​like to standard. The staff were amicable and pleasantly catered to my friend’s intolerances. I ordered a dirty chai, which was not on the menu but accepted without hesitation. And it was delicious! I had the big breakfast, which was pretty standard but scrumptious nonetheless. The eggs were perfectly poached.
Great experience and will definitely return and recommend to others.

Happened upon this place and after walking along Glenferrie Rd. I am so glad we made our way inside. Being Sunday brunch time there was only a seating at the bar however this ended up not being a problem. The intent was just to get coffee and maybe a small snack, however upon reading the menu breakfast was a must. We started with cappuccinos which came out promptly. Then the Open toastie on Italian flatbread came, we ordered it to share, and they kindly cut it in half and served it up on separate plates for my partner and I without us asking. The staff were extremely helpful and friendly, and looked as though they actually wanted to be there, quite refreshing. The flavours of the toastie were amazing, ham off the bone, oozing with herbs, cheese and a delicious crunch to the flatbread. I didn’t want it to end. We then decided we couldn’t leave without trying the Corn, young leek and chilli fritters, and what a good decision this was. Perfectly crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Not dripping in oil like some fritters you see. Complemented with Haloumi, pumpkin purée and fresh herbs and salsa the taste sensation was perfection. All in all a great little find for the day, even better we can walk there as parking could be an issue at peak times.

We attended a recent ‘Friday Night Flights’ at Crabapple, where they put on a themed set menu on Friday evenings (believe they’re not usually open nights).
On our visit the theme was good trucks of Los Angeles, so there was lots of tacos with slow cooked goodness inside. We had a few allergies on the table and (with advanced notice) they were able to substitute no worries.
Most of us also got the drinks package, of three matching drinks — a cocktail, a white, and a red wine. All were great choices, though we had finished our meal before the red arrived (unless that was the intent?).
Staff were great, water glasses always remained full, everything was delicious, and it was fun being part of something that was a one-​off.
Price ends up being around $ 80pp for the set menu and drinks, but it’s a great night out with friends, and I’m keen to go back and try another destination soon.

They may not be the cheapest option but they’re great! It’s a good looking place with friendly people and great food and coffee. Take the Mrs, she’ll like it!
— This place is SUPER efficient! They use walkie-​talkies and everything! :-O

The ocean trout is simply brilliant! The mint melon juice works well with my dish. Coffee is good — ish. Overall a great breakfast. The pancake is nicely done. The avocado on rye bread is pretty good, with a little hint of chilli… Delicious.

Truly an amazing café had the pancakes with Canadian maple syrup some bacon Mmm delish! Topped off with great coffee and great water topped up constantly! Great ambience, good music and love the themed dinner nights!

Lovely food but the service is a bit hit and miss especially when it gets busy — no one likes asking for their own menu, then asking to order and to get another coffee. With some proactive wait staff it would be perfection!

I’d bookmarked Crabapple Kitchen and wanted to give it a whirl for a while.
Luckily, a tweet from a local friend moaning that the men in her life were working on Sunday gave me the perfect excuse to organise an informal coffee catch up one lazy afternoon.
Strangely, we both rocked up dressed eerily similar. This was no pre-​arranged but a coincidence. Either way, it was a literal TWINSIES moment and somewhat amusing.
But I digress.
They do soy chai latte very well. It comes in cute little pot and it’s not too sweet.
The staff are friendly and efficient and happily refill water glasses for you.
The décor is provincial French and a little bit fancy. Think doilies and rustic wood.
Either way, it gave me a taste for the place and I plan to go back for brunch soon.

For a change, we ventured down Glenferrie Road to try our luck for breakfast.
Thankfully, being summer holidays still for a lot of people we managed to score a table out the back.
Very cute little area they have going on out there. The kind of back verandah with fake grass (upstairs — you’ll see) and coffee machine I’d totally have in my grown up house.
They were pretty speedy with the menus and taking a coffee order, but had to ask for water.
Meals wise, I had the corn fritters, which themselves I’ve got to be honest, I wasn’t a massive fan of, but the avocado salsa and haloumi cheese on my plate made up for it. My co bruncher’s big breakfast was just that, huge — but his verdict was not enough scrambled eggs.
Coffee was fine and the ability to pay out the back and sneak out the back entrance was certainly a bonus. Nice place to visit.

We ordered the olive toast with avocado, fetta and chilli and poached egg. The toast was perfectly toasted, the fetta soft and eggs perfectly poached. The chillis were of a high standard and added bite and color to an already delicious dish. Overall we were very happy with the food. As we had coffee somewhere beforehand we only ordered food. The dish normally comes with one egg but we ordered an extra egg each (2 of us). I guess this helped bring the cost up to $ 45 for our 2 plates of food which we thought was a little steep for what was basically 2 plates of eggs on toast. If you are happy to pay the price we would definitely recommend this place. Otherwise there are better value places around.

Good polite service. Coffee was good. Ordered the pancakes and bacon but was disappointed. It was too sweet and the bacon was not crispy enough. The dish was not balanced. It’s a shame because everything else was great.

It is refreshing to walk into a venue and have a smile and hello greet you instead of so many places these days that make you feel like you are a burden.
The services is finer than you would get at any breakfast/​lunch venue. They also have dinners on Fridays & Saturdays and you can book out Greg the chef for private dinners or even cooking school.
The coffee is fantastic.
One thing you must try is the vanilla yogurt with poached rhubarb mmm you can also spoil yourself with a cheeky glass of Champagne
If you want something for lunch then the beetroot, and pickled mushroom salad is the way to go.
These guys also help raise money for Street Smart so every time you dine you help people. So really its a win win.

The Glenferrie Road strip in Hawthorn has always thrived with bakeries, fast food, and quick and easy eateries. However, apart from Tao Tao House serving some fantastic dim sum, I’ve found it lacking in offering a more polished experience. That is a thing of the past with the fairly recent arrival of Crabapple Kitchen, which has created an oasis of relaxation amidst the hustle of weekend families and weekday university students. It is led by New Zealand chef Greg Feck, who has an impressive history working with the likes of Jamie Oliver, Ben O’Donoghue, and Stephanie Alexander at Richmond Hill Café & Larder, but who more recently opened Sapore in St Kilda and the FoodandTravelCo cooking school with partner Kim Coronica.
The white picket fence on the pavement outside speaks volumes of the nostalgic comfort that Crabapple Kitchen embodies. You can order Campos coffee and takeaway treats through the front window, then the café opens onto a rustic-​style kitchen and bar area, while the seated area flows through the long room to the working kitchen at the rear. The design is warm and inviting and recalls the charms of a country kitchen, with warm colours, wooden furniture and, on this visit, baby pumpkins dotted on tables (our pumpkin was called Ricardo).
So far I’ve only had chance to explore the breakfast menu but having read the lunch menu (begins at 11:30am), which features spiced duck meatballs, 12-​hour Merino and slow-​cooked pork, it won’t be long until I do. Of note is that they’re beginning to experiment with opening for dinner, starting Friday November 2.
Despite having no booking and going the busy Sunday morning after a rave review in the Herald Sun, we were seated at the bar area for a coffee and to peruse the menu while we had a short wait for a table. The service is casual and friendly, exactly what you want from your local eatery, but without lacking an attention to detail. Campos coffee is served, a brand that I don’t see often in Melbourne, but which I have frequently in Sydney when visiting my head office; as well as T2 tea and a range of fresh juices and smoothies.
The menu takes two approaches, one part is Greg’s interpretations of classic breakfast menu items, with the second featuring more unique global choices from their travels around the world. Each dish highlights great produce and local producers with Myrtleford butter/​milk, Meredith Dairy feta and various high-​quality meats appearing across the menu.
The Myrtleford buttermilk pancakes is set to be one of their signature dishes. The crunch of salted peanut praline offers a counterpart to the soft milky pancakes, littered with chunks of banana, and the creamy tang of whipped mascarpone balances with the sweet maple syrup.
Their take on ‘baked beans’ is a generous serve of cannellini beans, slow-​cooked in tomato, garlic and herbs; so rich and warm that it’s hard not to smile when eating it. The melted taleggio and an, optional, poached egg ooze through the beans and makes the accompanying crunchy herb bruschetta perfect for dipping.
On the more adventurous global side, the Northern Indian-​style eggs, inspired by Jalandhar City, is similarly comforting with a warming lentil and carrot curry that never overpowers with its subtle and aromatic use of spices. Two poached eggs beg to be burst open and let their golden yolks mingle into the curry, with a spiced yoghurt offering a, not entirely necessary, dash of acidity. The grilled wholemeal flatbread has a lovely charred flavour that adds to the dish when mopping the bowl of every drop. This was easily my favourite dish.
I’m not one for having seafood at breakfast time, but with someone else at the table ordering it, I was able to try the Swedish inspired smoked ocean trout. The trout was gorgeously tender, served on grilled bread (gluten-​free sourdough on this occasion) with delicately arranged shallots, cornichons, caperberries, horseradish crème fraîche and seaweed caviar on top. While not my personal choice, this dish showed the artistic hand behind the food, with beautiful plating that you don’t often find at breakfast.
Crabapple Kitchen has deservedly become my new favourite local restaurant/​café, and that’s without trying the well-​received lunch menu. Even if you don’t have the good fortune of living around the corner, this is definitely worth travelling for, and being able to book online (see their website) is an additional blessing.

Crabapple Kitchen is a welcome addition to Hawthorn with its great food and coffee, excellent atmosphere and impeccable service.

This new well placed café in Hawthorn has a great atmosphere with an incredible aesthetically pleasing interior and alfresco dining area. The appeal is there without a doubt and offers little to grumble about. The coffee is delicious and the menu has a number of delicious options with the smashed avo, buttermilk pancakes and ‘Jum & Bender Sarnie’ popular favourites. However the size of the portions for hungry males is the only let down in this up and coming café.

It is with a touch of sadness that I review this pretty as a picture café, I had such high hopes and unfortunately the food was not even close to the experience I had prepared myself for.
Firstly let’s describe what an aesthetic treat this high street venue is. White picket fence surrounding alfresco dining, a long bar on which diners can perch and watch the busy front of house and exposed brick dining room at the back. Crackling fire (gas), and a set up like a modern English tea party, or a French ‘cote a cote’ — sitting next to each other rather than opposite.
The upbeat old skool tunes Michael Jackson, Wham slightly disturb the European feel and the kid friendly menu certainly attracts a fair share of spoon banging bambinos — my advice would be to avoid after a big night out.
So far, pretty good. Coffee is tasty and the menu offers plenty of hearty options. Buttermilk pancakes with poached pear, walnut crumble, mascarpone and maple syrup a clear stand out for my sweet tooth and boy partner ordered the baked beans after a brain tug of war with the big breaky.
Pancakes — Looked exceptional, very large serving. Unfortunately, my guess would be they had been shallow fried in salty butter and with the addition of mascarpone my mouth had a constant slick of oil circling around. The pear was sparing and wasn’t enough to cut through the fatty taste. My gulping of water was enough to confirm the salty butter taste.
Baked beans — served with poached egg, boy partner was lucky they gave him a spoon to eat, we could see a layer of liquid on top and he was quick to inform me of the watery consistently and lack of flavour. Terribly disappointing.
I love the set up, the vibe is welcome in the right context and I look forward to going back for an afternoon tapas with a wine — their list is extensive and the cured meats, cheese and terrines look very tempting.
But for brunch, it’s a miss for me.