Moving from Newtown in Sydney, with its abundance of pretty much everything, to Elphinstone in country Victoria, where we have a single pub and post office, was a pretty big deal. I was basically having to exchange going out for cheap and awesome meals all of the time for actually doing some grocery shopping and cooking for myself.
And then this place opened!
You'll find Moto Bean Cafe in Malmsbury, about an hour and a half north of Melbourne straight up the Calder. The setting for this place is just awesome, right opposite the botanic gardens. The building is brand new but you're instantly drawn in to its cosy bosom. There's plenty of seating and if you get in early you might be lucky enough to nab one of the lounges by the open fire. There's seating on the deck outside too and ANOTHER open fireplace out there - the perfect setting for afternoon drinks (I'm not sure if they've sorted out their liquor license yet but it's on the cards).
Malmsbury's become a bit of a hipster/yuppie/rich old folk getaway suburb so the food and the prices cater to their kind. Remember, I lived in Newtown so I'm used to paying about $15 for a big breakfast. Here you're likely to pay around the $22 mark. But it's pretty darn good. I'm led to believe all their produce is local and they're trying to grow a lot of it themselves, which is nice. They make a great coffee and milkshakes are naturally served in a jar with a handle. And they've always got delious looking cakes on hand (I recommend the caramel crunch cake).
All in all, this place is pretty darn good and I try to get there once every couple of weeks. You're likely to fork out an arm and a leg for a couple of pies and coffees at the Malbury Bakery around the corner anyway so why not sit down and really take it all in. read more