I've driven passed True South heaps and heaps of times, and always wanted to try it, yet never did…read more... until tonight. I am kicking myself that I never came sooner. It was really, really good. The restaurant has a great vibe about it. For some people, they'd love to come in summer when out the front there are tables on the footpath and on the inner outside there are bar stools to sit and drink while watching the world go by. Inside, the restaurant has a clean, industrial feel to it. It was busy, but not overly loud. We were seated right away and your placemat is the menu, so you dive right into looking for things that grab your taste buds. Many - if not all - dishes are great for sharing, so we started out with Chipas (mini cheese rolls, mandioca flour, cheddar and parmesan) and the Croquetas of the day, which were chicken and corn. Before those came, we were served up a mini bread roll each with an olive and ricotta dip. Very delicious. The entrees came out and they were heavenly. The Chipas were amazing and I could have just had several serves of those as my meal. The were like mini warm cheese scones. The croquetas were good; had a beautiful crumbing on the outside, but the inside was nice, though nothing to rave about. For the main, I ordered my own Caviche de Salmon. It came with mango, cherry tomatoes, onion and plantain crisps. I didn't much care for the plantain crisps, and I hated the fact that there was coriander in the dish without it being listed on the menu. I would have asked for it without it, as I can't stand coriander. Yuck. Of course, there was something that really stood out to me on the dessert menu, so I had to order it. It was a chocolate fondant, with banana and caramel ice cream. That sounded incredibly appealing and tasted really, really good. My only minor complaint about it, was that it was truly ICE cream. That almost ruined it, but the flavours were everything. There was just a few things I didn't like about True South. One was the tables felt sticky. Two was that you could smell cigarette smoke from outside, even though it's illegal to smoke right outside an eatery. And three, because of the open shutters, it allowed for flies to fly in. Small things I guess in relation to how good the food and service was. Yes, the mains came out slowly, but they were really busy and food was continually leaving the kitchen. Would I go back again?? YES, YES, YES. I really enjoyed the meal and it was something different to usual here in Melbourne. How authentic it is, I don't know. But if you want a great spot with good atmosphere, great food and reasonably priced meals, then this is the place for you. It's worth the drive.

Nice birthday meal with family. Good food, the porterhouse steak was the winner. Cooked to…read moreperfection. The broccolini was the best I've ever had. The jalapeno margarita was underwhelming. Good coffee, friendly service. Would definitely come back for the steak and oysters alone.

Attennnnntion! At 13 hundred hours we marched into this rest stop after a weary and arduous trek…read moreacross the hot sands. After checking for signs of the enemy, (in the form of their two wheeled vehi-a-cles which patrol Beach Road) we set down our packs and set up camp near the window. Looking at the list of rations on offer we felt at first bewildered and then delighted. Foreign spices littered the supplies, with concoctions not familiar in our homeland...calamari and pears, beetroot soaked salmon. The troops ate heartily and were full and content, praising the healthy rations on offer. So why not 5 stars I hear you cry!? One private said the beef was a bit fatty and the milkshake too small. He is being court marshalled as we speak.

Lovely cafe by the beach, fantastic friendly staff. Good coffee and a nice selection of teas. The…read morebreakfast menu is amazing and interesting, I also love the cake selection too

Delicious food and coffee with a very nice and calming indoor ambiance. Definitely recommend.read more

Uncle Bart must be a great guy! His cafe is superb! My soy chai was delicious and the corn fritters…read morewere even better. The staff is very friendly and the cafe decor is cheerful. Locals are all greeting each other as they order and find a table. If I lived in this area, I'd be a regular!

I admit. I'm a regular. I have good cafe's closer but this is the one I head too…read more I experiance it in different ways, quite often grab a take away and wander over to the playground if my little girl is with me, or if by myself head down to the walk way along the beach. Some great seats there to sit and watch the water. While having in it's a busy little place. The large print of the owners uncle (I think) serving coffee on a greek island give a great homely feel. The food is well priced, and really scrumptious. The Brekky Burrito is a hit for me. There is a strong greek twist in alot of the food and beware of the treats... BEWARE, they are made my a genuine greek lady and taste like they do in Greece. YOU have been warned... Chris the owner is so lovely and as cafes do the staff has changed over the couple of years i've been there but they stay around for quite a while and every new one fits in perfectly with the vibe. That's a credit to Chris's staff choices. He picks them well. It is a bit small, so sometimes you can wait for a table but again, some nice seats on the beach across the road too so takeaway is a great option. My daughter loves it and there is a good size toilet with change table if you or your little one gets too excited by the treats

OMG okok! I just finished eating Mama's Burger and I want another!!! It was the perfect burger!…read moreDecent size on a nicely toasted brioche bun. It wasn't a loose brioche and contained the juices really well!! The patty was medium rare bit more to medium but that was alright. Without taking it apart ... my first bite was like "oh wow"!!! What have I just tasted? Why the f&rk is it soooo good??? The sauce? The cheese? I looked at it and going top down.. brioch, sauce, melted cheese, onion,tomatoe, patty, lettuce (more like flatten salad if some kind) then bottom of brioche. The sauce along with the patty and cheese really made it for me. It was savoury combined with sweetness of the sauce (mix of mayo like BBQ sauce?)?? Proprietor wouldn't say. It was daaaaamn GOOD! What also did the trick was the selection of the brioche.. It was heavy enough to hold it all together. Some other saucy burgers I have had in the past just fell apart. Not Mama's!! I was able to enjoy biting through each of the layers per mouthful till the end! Now that's how a burger should be!! Am definitely a fan! PS: I'm still sitting here contemplating whether to grab another!! *mental note... "walk away walk away.. be strong.. you can resist this"

We went on Saturday for lunch and the menu is pretty comprehensive and the portions were generous…read moreand the quality was pretty good but the food was really bland. I had the chicken schnitzel burger and it was like they were trying really hard to make it with a big thick juicy breast, which is good in theory but the crumb lacked seasoning and because the breast was so thick, it took longer to cook, and the crumb was slightly burnt and a little bitter. I ask for without onions and sure enough, it came full of onion. It could have benefited from a slice of cheese also. It also came with aoli, but I tasted it and it just tasted like mayo. My husband had the pork ribs and he said they were nice enough but they were really scant on meat-even for ribs! He also said his chips were not seasoned and had to salt them himself. Our friend had the burger and said that he enjoyed it, but again he didn't touch his chips because they were just bland and unseasoned. Staff were friendly and service was good but the food was just really disappointing. I would have only given them 2 stars on food alone but I felt like the food is not disappointing because they are not making an effort or trying to be cheap-they are just missing the mark with their flavours and need someone to help them out there. I doubt I will go back.

Have been here twice now... the first time I had a double double w/ black ink bun ... on the second…read moreI had the same with beetroot bun... on both I would rate them as 3.3/5. Why? They need to ease up on the salt for the patty! The flame grilled gritty bits were excellent but as it is a big burger after 3 bites I was in need of more water and I think it would be more enjoyable if the base weren't as hard or thick! There are a lot of great burger joints around. Highly competitive. It's good and yeah I would come back again but only if I was in the area. It just lacked that kicker to stand out. No signature burger to rank with others! I wouldn't say drive 1hr to eat it again like I would for 3 that I can name spanning up north to west.

Best burger place i've ever eaten at. 'Get shorty' is the spiciest burger you'll ever eat!read more

Went for a morning coffee at Ebeneezer, instead of the usual Uncle Bart which was very busy (for…read moregood reason). Paid for what I thought was supposed to be two coffees and a small cup of cold milk with marshmallows for my daughter - this is what we typically pay didn't think twice. Received one coffee and one milk minus the marshmallows. Waited for around 5 minutes and enquired about the second coffee and marshmallows - turns out they charge $4 for a small cup of milk. Service also rude and poor service overall. Happy to pay for milk, but not $4 which would get me at least 2 litres in the supermarket. Ebeneezer Scrooge keeps coming to mind. Oh, the coffee was ok, but the service left a bad taste and next time I'll be back waiting at uncle bart.

I've really tried to find something good to say about this place but I always get really average…read moreservice. Today was no different - Just a tip..let people know you have happy hour!

Breakfast, we are told, is the most important meal of the day, but unfortunately very few…read morerestaurants get it right. The Diplomat Cafe in Highett I'm pleased to announce is one of the few. This cafe is centrally located on the main strip across the road from the Highett train station. The cafe itself is really well designed with a small show kitchen pumping out meals to a rather large minimalistic dining room. It really has a great vibe. The first thing that I was impressed with was the staff. Upon arrival I was greeted warmly, and escorted to my table, offered water and a coffee to start with. This in itself seems to be a lost art in today's restaurant scene. I ordered a jasmine pearl tea to start, which, when arrived was presented on a wooden board, with a cup, an iron teapot and a box with three sandglass minute timers. The first one set at one minute, the second at three mins and the third at five minutes. Each timer representing the strength of the tea. A pretty cool concept. The menu looked awesome, but all I really wanted was poached eggs, bacon and mushrooms. So that's what I ordered. Now it's generally at this stage when I ask the waiter if I could have my bacon crispy, but in all honestly I forgot, so I was a bit concerned. My breakfast arrived in a reasonable timeframe, and my first impression was, that it looked pretty good. It wasn't good, not at all, it was awesome. Let's start with the eggs. Perfectly poached, soft and gooey yolks, and perfectly poached whites. As much as the eggs impressed me it was the bacon that wowed me. Crispy but still juicy and full of flavour, just the way I like it. I have to say this was one of the best bacon and eggs I've ever had. The food that was coming out of that kitchen was amazing. So if you find yourself down Highett way check out The Diplomat, it truly was amazing.

WOW what a place! And what a find. The staff are extremely friendly, helpful and nothing was too…read moremuch trouble. Both the breakfast and lunch menu options were varied. I had the smashed avocado and poached eggs and it was absolutely scrumptious. Couldn't recommend this establishment enough. The atmosphere was buzzing and filled with laughter and cheer. A must try if you ask me.

This place has changed hands, but it was always a fail safe for a great breakfast. The food is good…read moreand not pretentious. The poached eggs were always on point and I never had a crappy piece of toast. You know the one..... the one they give you the end of the loaf, the butt, the piece no one wants. Haven't ever had that happen here. The location is great, just a hop and a skip to the beach. The coffee is delicious too. They make a mean soy cap and not a lot of places do these days.

A good food choice for those cycling and running along Beach Road as you pass from suburb to…read moresuburb. After a 15km run, my group of 4-5 had trouble finding a spot to eat, with the whole village frequenting this spot on Saturday and Sunday. Twenty to thirty minutes later we seated and had a tasty brunch with poached eggs on toast, topped with watercress and bacon. While it tasted fine, the portion size was quite small for $18. Especially after a long run, I felt like I could eat at least two of them. Coffee/tea were priced around $4-5, so quite average. According to my friends, this is the best place to eat brunch in Black Rock, but I think it's worth a commute inland for a more rewarding lunch.