18 Feb The Tradesman Cafe, Moorabin

I don’t often venture to the far south eastern suburbs (except perhaps to do some shopping at DFO), so am sadly unaware of cafe options in the area. Head chef and owner Raman is a local himself, and decided that the area needed more good local cafes serving simple and hearty food made with local produce. The Tradesman is the fruit of his vision. Given its position in the middle of industrial buildings and offices, he’s gone for a more industrial look to fit in with its surroundings.

Its hot drink selection is impressive and features Code Black coffee, Tea Drop tea and Mork Chocolate. The chai latte is presented on a beautiful tea set, also from Tea Drop, and the honey provided on the side allowed me to adjust its flavour to my liking.

Twice Cooked Pork Belly with Asian Coleslaw, Palm Sugar Dressing, Fresh Asian Herbs, Sesame Seeds, Chilli Mayo ($16)

Mum has a thing for pork belly, so I wasn’t surprised to see her eyeing it when as we perused the menu. Small chunks of twice-cooked pork belly were joined by an Asian coleslaw, largely composed of wombok, and flavoured with a palm sugar dressing, herbs, black sesame seeds and a chilli mayo. The saffron and paprika-spiked mayo was delicious and although the pork belly was a bit dry, the freshness of the vegetables and the overall flavour of the dish was most enjoyable.

Baked Eggs with Cannellini Beans, Cherry Tomatoes, Mushroooms, Chilli Spiked Green Sauce, Shanklish Cheese, Ciabatta ($15.50)

I’m not sure if they’re technically baked eggs, since the two runny eggs appeared to be more poached than baked, but no matter what the terminology technicalities are, it was incredibly mouth-watering. This substantial dish included cannellini beans, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, shanklish cheese and a chilli sauce. Lightly grilled chorizo was an option. The green chilli sauce and the addition of mushrooms and pomegranate arils made this quite a unique rendition of baked eggs, and I loved every bit of it. Definitely something I’d order again.

Red Velvet Pancakes with Mascarpone Cheese, Brownie Soil, Fresh Strawberries, Blueberries, Vanilla Ice Cream ($17)

Fluffy, moist and terribly good with that scoop of ice cream and mascarpone, the spectacular-looking red velvet pancakes were eagerly wolfed down. The contrasting tanginess of the fruits helped balance the sweetness and brought an extra level of freshness to the dessert.

With its decent food and good potential, locals should be well pleased to have an cafe alternative that doesn’t require a large hike to get to.

Disclaimer: I was invited to The Tradesman as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own and not influenced by them in any way

The Tradesman Cafe
1/260 Wickham Rd
Moorabbin, VIC, 3189
(03) 8525 0110
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