Gabriel has taken over the corner-shop once occupied by De Clieu, and it offers a French and European influenced menu. Coffee is good, and the possession of a liquor licence means cocktails make an appearance. There’s a short selection of chocolate drinks too. The hazelnut flavour in the Hazel-Mörk shake isn’t too distinct, but there is a rich chocolate flavour thanks to the Mörk.

It’s an all-day breakfast and lunch affair at Gabriel. More lunchy items include the Jerk Chicken Roll, which is filled with well-seasoned chicken, pickled red cabbage, mayo, a thin spread cream cheese and baby cos. The hearty dish of Soft Corn Tortillas arrive DIY style, to be eaten together with a nice smokey black bean purée, oozy fried eggs, chorizo, avocado, cherry tomatoes, tomatillo salsa and salted ricotta. Our highlight is the Panko-Crumbed Eggplant with hummus, capsicum, tomato, olives, pine nuts, pomegranate and rocket. The panko coating has a great crunch to it, and the sharpness of the tomato and capsicum mixture is rounded off by the hummus.

Like De Clieu, Gabriel can get pretty busy during peak times. Gabriel provides a solid feed and its regular specials keep things fresh.

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

Gabriel Fitzroy
187 Gertrude St
Fitzroy, VIC, 3065
(03) 9417 6498
https://www.gabrielfitzroy.com.au