It’s a good sign when a cafe is not just busy but also popular with the locals, and No. 19 has plenty of them either popping in for weekend brunch, or stopping by for a takeaway coffee.

The Five Senses coffee is good, and the cappuccino thickshake is a delicious cold alternative for those who still need their caffeine fix. The menu is a mixture of healthy and indulgent, classic and innovative. The Prawn and Chorizo Scramble is topped with a trio of garlic prawns and dill lemon yoghurt. Charred lemon comes on the side, though I personally found that it had the right amount of acidity already.

One of the healthier menu options is the Salmon and Avocado Bowl with torched salmon, avocado, ginger, spiced kewpie mayo, sauteed spinach, sesame oil and brown rice. Make sure you mix it all up to distribute the dressing! As a side, it’s hard to go past sweet potato chips. No. 19’s Sweet Potato Chips are more like wedges, which is even better, and they stay crispy for quite a long time.

The decadent-sounding Chocolate Brioche French Toast comes with vanilla curd, dulce de leche, blueberries, poached pear and Ferrero Rocher ice cream. The slice of brioche is filled with chocolate that becomes molten during cooking. The dish is so well balanced, and surprisingly, not overly sweet. These two diners (who don’t have a sweet tooth) polished off the plate.

Disclaimer: I was invited to No. 19 as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own, and are based on my experience at the time.

No. 19
214 Union Rd
Ascot Vale, VIC, 3032
(03) 9372 8777
http://no19.com.au/