Neon Tiger is the sister cafe to both Mr Brightside and Hendrick’s Burgers in Caulfield. Designed by the award-winning Sibling Architecture, the space has a pink, blue and black colour scheme, polished concrete floors and corrugated ‘clouds’ hovering above.

Scones and muffins are made in house, today it’s a moist chocolate and mixed berry muffin, and there are a few other sweet treats to order. The Supreme Coffee latte is well-rounded and smooth, and the Matcha Maiden Latte comes with cinnamon and honey you can add to taste.

The menu has a slight Asian spin, and there are plenty of things to suit different tastes and moods. The Buddha Bowl is a huge serving of sesame and spring onion-seasoned brown rice, avocado, carrot, pickled cabbage, slivers of pickled ginger, lentils, cumin chickpeas, charred corn, and spinach. The chilli and honey soy dressing comes on the side, so the ingredients can be seasoned as needed. Even without the addition of the smoked salmon, lentils and chickpeas provide a decent amount of protein, making this one a filling meal.

Neon Tiger’s Shakshouka had us reaching for tissues. The tasty and heart-warming dish of poached eggs, spicy tomato sauce, spinach, capsicum, fresh chilli, basil, feta and extra chorizo is something we’d gladly order on those chilly days ahead.

Our favourite dish is the Crispy Barramundi with beanshoots, snowpeas, rice noodles, carrot, spring onions, and Asian herbs. The barramundi is lightly crumbed, and the occasional chilli seed found in the batter adds a bit of a spicy kick on top of the general spiciness of the dish. It’s a tasty and refreshing number, particularly with the basil, mint and bean shoots.

We loved the Asian inspired menu at Neon Tiger, and the interior that creates a modern environment that’s different from on-trend Scandinavian design. Parking is plentiful, but be careful of the vigilant Stonnington parking officers.

Neon Tiger
1252 Malvern Road
Malvern, VIC, 3144
(03) 9824 5518
neontiger.com.au