20 Mar Cafe de la Ville, South Yarra

Café de la Ville portrays a certain elegance through its marble-patterned tables, decorative blue and white wallpaper and a contrasting dark and light theme with accents of gold, and a position near the intersection between Chapel St and Toorak Road seems like the perfect place for a French café.

Mini sausage rolls, spinach and ricotta rolls, mini baguettes with poached chicken, slow roasted tomatoes, shredded carrot, fresh herbs, citrus mayo

Here you can indulge yourself with brunch, desserts and pastries, or maybe some bready things like baguettes and wraps. To start there’s a selection of mini baguettes filled with either poached chicken or peppered pastrami, mini sausage rolls and mini spinach and ricotta rolls and smoked salmon wraps.

Galette of twice-baked pumpkin, braised cabbage, goat’s curd, fresh herbs, citrus vinaigrette

Hot smoked ocean trout salad with pickled fennel, roasted cauliflower, cauliflower puree, pink grapefruit segments, puffed quinoa, tangy vinaigrette

Brunch options include pumpkin galette, and smashed avocado with citrus and peas on multigrain bread with feta, cherry tomatoes, toasted nuts and seeds. The hot smoked ocean trout salad is my favourite. Coming in a very generous serving, the salad contains pickled fennel, roasted cauliflower, cauliflower puree, pink grapefruit, puffed quinoa, mixed leaves and a tangy vinaigrette.

Creamy polenta, truffled mushroom ragout, sous vide egg, parmesan soldiers

Cured Kingfish, quail eggs, almond and fennel vinaigrette, crisp croutons, microherbs

CDLV benedict with braised and roasted pork belly, poached eggs, toasted brioche, apple cider hollandaise, watercress salad

The creamy polenta with truffled mushroom ragout and sous vide egg with parmesan soldiers smells divine. There’s a twist on the benedict, with their version coming with braised and roasted pork belly and toasted brioche instead. Cured kingfish is a lighter, fresher option. The cured fish is paired with quail eggs, an almond and fennel vinaigrette and crisp croutons. The fennel vinaigrette is surprisingly tasty, and there was a lemony acidity which complemented the kingfish well.

Twice baked brioche, zesty creme fraiche, maple infused strawberries and blueberries, pistachio praline and lemon balm

Chocolate and macadamia brownies with cream Chantilly and fresh raspberries

Ending on a sweet note, we finish with a duo of desserts. Twice baked brioche with zesty creme fraiche, maple infused strawberries and blueberries, pistachio praline and lemon balm was moist inside, but sadly the crust is soggy on this occasion. The chocolate and macadamia brownies with maple cream Chantilly and fresh raspberries are very rich and dense. It’s almost like eating chocolate fudge.

As with many cafes, certain dishes stand out more than others. Café de la Ville is a place to keep in mind if after a chic ambience in a convenient location.

Disclaimer: I was invited to Cafe de la Ville as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own and are based on my experience at the time

Cafe de la Ville
220 Toorak Rd
South Yarra VIC 3141
(03) 9827 1940
http://www.cafedelaville.com.au/