Relax Lounge

Food is totally worth the price. The portions are a good size. They prepare you meal just a few feet away and it’s fun to watch how they put everything together. The seat is awesome. They have couches and regular tables for you to eat on. The service is super friendly and the food is just great. Wasn’t too busy on a Saturday morning which I liked.

I’ve been here a couple of times now — it’s a convenient place to meet my husband, since he works at the Uni. The coffee is pretty darn good, and there’s always somewhere to sit outside. We like to watch the tiny, slightly overweight birds hopping about while we chat and get our caffeine fix. However, their food is seriously overpriced. Today, I got a vegetable parcel because I was starving. It was $ 8.50 (when I think about how much sushi I could have gotten for $ 8.50, I weep), and it was fairly small. It came with a splash of sweet chilli sauce on the side and a sprinkling of some kind of green leaves on top. It was so, so bland, I had to go in and ask for salt and pepper to made it edible. I don’t know how they made it so tasteless.
Overpriced food aside, for coffee, quick service and nice seating, they get three stars. But I’ll be buying my lunch elsewhere from now on!

Something about Relax reminds me of getting a coffee from Borders bookstore (Rest in Peace.) I don’t know what it is — the decorating or the coffee, but everytime I go in I find myself pining for the ability to go grab a book of a shelf and have a read while having a coffee.
Relax serves as a good meeting place — it’s easy to describe if you can’t remember the name, being right across the road from Albert Park. Coffees and food come out quickly and precisely, and the service is just the right side of non-​commital. I can’t say I’ve ever actually eaten here — there are so many other options around Uni and town, but it all looks serviceable enough. Mostly, Relax is a place that people use as a meeting spot, and the operators seem to realise this.

This was my go-​to place to meet people on campus. I’m not sure why; probably because I met someone here early on in my university career and it imprinted on me. Other people obviously have the same idea — this is primarily a place to socialise, and the food and drink is secondary.
The food is café styled and café priced, and I have to say I didn’t (and probably wouldn’t) bother. There’s cheaper and more interesting elsewhere on campus, or in town. The coffee is fine; not amazing but totally adequate. The seating is pretty good — there are couches and tables inside but also plenty of tables outside, and even in winter so long as it’s not raining this is my preferred choice. Not only do you get to sit and have a leisurely chat with whoever you came with, you also get to people-​watch and judge all the students who go past on their way to and from Albert Park. Worth it just for that.

Whenever I’d meet friends at University, if Slurp was too busy, the first café that springs to mind is Relax. It’s perfectly named for the stressed out university student, and has some nice couches you can sink into during a break. Generally these guys are onto it, and no matter how busy they are, I’ve found them to be prompt at delivering meals and coffee.
Being in the Quad, they are easy to find, but not nearly as popular as the food court. This means you can really take a breather, instead of fight through yet another crowd during a manic lunch hour.

Relax Lounge is an aptly named café sitting in the University quad across the road from Albert Park. For a spot with so much pedestrian traffic, Relax is relatively quiet most of the time and that’s an endearing trait. There are lovely couches and big chairs inside which are perfect for curling up with a coffee and a book between lectures, while the outdoor tables have a nice view across to Albert Park and are just a great spot for people watching in the sun. I’ll say the coffee here is the best on campus — they make my mochas just the way I like them — and their breakfast menu is good value too. And I love the staff — it’s Asian-​run so I often have to repeat my order several times, but man they’re friendly and always greet you with a hearty good morning! Gotta love that.