Great cafe, super friendly staff, fab food. If you fancy something a little different to the normal…read morecafe menu give these guys a go.

It's a 4.7 for me. This is an outstanding cafe restaurant. Le Clerc has risen fast on the list of…read moreMelbourne's must visit cafes and restaurants. Its ratings have been soaring for months and with good reason. Le Clerc offers an exceptional breakfast, brunch or lunch experience equal with the most admired places in the city. And, refreshingly, it does so without the overpricing and sometimes pompous attitude of some other highly rated places. We liked the space itself. Le Clec has an understated street appeal but is lovely inside especially out the back where there is a nice garden area (with heaters if needed). There's some cute touches in this area including clever landscaping, cute ornaments and hanging greenery. It is a really pleasing area in which to enjoy such excellent food and hospitality. We tried some of the new dishes on the menu yesterday. The dishes are outstanding. The crispy salmon with broccolini, Dutch carrot, king oyster mushroom, lemongrass chilli broth and tapioca crisp was utterly wonderful. It'd be hard for me to do this dish full justice but let me just say it is one of the best things I've had all year. The flavours and textures are excellent. The fish was cooked absolutely perfectly and the broth is superbly balanced. Deeply and satisfyingly flavoured, but not overpowered by the chilli, the broth is a beauty. With the gorgeously moist salmon, the crispy salmon skin and the quality and expertly cooked vegetables, you've got a real culinary winner here. This dish is a mere $22. I have to admit that as I was eagerly enjoying it my mind turned to some other similar or higher priced meals I'd had that delivered less than a quarter or a half of what this one provided. There are about a dozen restaurants and pubs I've been to in the last two years that offer nothing like the quality of this dish at Le Clerc and at significantly higher prices. Enough said. This dish is a serious cracker and fantastic value. The world's most beautiful woman chose the duck penne for her main course which consists of penne with shredded duck leg, porchini ragout, parmesan cheese, pinenut gremolata and edamame. This too is a lovely dish that we both tried and enjoyed very much enhanced by a good grind of pepper. It's $18 only too. The flavours are subtle and the gremolata is a clever addition which offsets the richness of the duck. All in all, a very nice dish. I had a Madfish Chardonnay with my meal which was a lovely accompaniment. The WMBW had a Cape Bank pinot noir which she reported as excellent too. It is worth pointing out that these wines are exceptional value when ordered with a meal. $6 only a glass. The dollar savings are considerable compared with other cafes and restaurants which routinely charge $12 or more a glass for the same standard of wine. I'm not a middle of the day dessert person usually and had to be talked into having one on this occasion. Giving in was a sound decision. We finished with the buttermilk hotcakes with yuzu curd, chocolate ganache, salted caramel popcorn and organic maple. It is not unusual for deserts to fail to move me but this one moved me immensely. We adored it. This is a stunningly attractive dish (see photos) and the range of textures and tastes it offers are thrilling. The ensemble works perfectly. I loved the hotcakes themselves, amazing given I'm usually not taken with pancake type offerings. This dish though is made at a very high level and is exceptionally composed, presented and flavoured. Again, for all of the skill and precision that's gone into it, it is a steal for $16. To complete a near perfect meal, our coffees were excellent. The WMBW had the Black Betty. I had a large long black. They were both beauties as well. Well up to the best coffee that Melbourne can offer. If you are in Hawthorn or nearby, you are lucky you have this sort of dining quality on your doorstep and at these modest prices. For others, this is a place well worth travelling across town as we did, noting that the location is a cinch by train with Glenferrie station close by. This was a very very good dining experience. Across all measures Le Clec is one of the best value establishments I've seen in Melbourne. The food quality is high but the prices restrained. I knew from previous eminent reviewers and the high rating for this cafe restaurant that it would likely be a terrific experience. But, I wasn't expecting it to be quite this good. There's clearly been lots of hard work put in to help make Le Clerc the success it is and deserves to be. The current lofty rating is an accurate reflection of where the cafe restaurant is today. This is a must visit place. Thank you to Nicole and Darren for the kind invitation to dine here. Darren's enthusiasm for the venture and knowledge of the cafe restaurant and what is has to offer is infectious. We love this cafe restaurant and will return soon!

This is the kind of place I go to wishing I was fussy with food because there is literally nothing…read morethat I wouldn't order on this menu. It. Is. AMAZING. Main reasons being: 1. They have one of the most delicious big breakfasts/big vego breakys that I have seen plus then a whole lot of interesting, creative takes on classics and a whole range of things that I would never have thought of to start my day. Things such as cured salmon quinoa salad with roasted cauliflower and crunchy kale. They smash out home made baked beans with roti and fry some seriously delicious fritters with av. And the mushrooms with truffle oil...mmmm. 2. Their bloody Mary and Bloody Margarita is worth stopping a dry July for. Not that I would do such a month of torture. 3. They are on the side of Rose street markets. LOVE. 4. Natural light, beautiful decor and so many indoor plants = happiness. 5. Great staff and great coffee. If you need a sweet treat with your coffee they have some seriously good looking ones of those too. 6. Everything on the menu is so colourful with veg and/or fruit and healthy bits. Vego friendly and vegan friendly. Quinoa coconut milk porridge with mango mmmmmm. 7. THERE IS A COCKTAIL BAR ON TOP OF THE BUILDING.

Nice little cafe in Fitzroy. Putting it out there from the beginning, the coffee here is not as…read moregood as Industry (which is around the corner) and the food is not as good as Hammer & Tong. But this doesn't mean you shouldn't come here, it is still pretty good. The coffee is All Press beans, no single origin just a blend. It is made well for All Press, but nothing too special. I think what makes this cafe is the food. Nothing on the menu is stick standard. Everything is a little bit different. Of course this is said in a good way. The smashed Avo is really good if you are looking for something vego, or the porridge if you are hoping for something a little bit more sweet. The service here is good and friendly. The decor is slightly strange, my friend and I were debating if we like it. I didn't. He did. Do it is all on personal taste. Either way, if you are in the area and want to try something new stop by.

This is a nice cafe in the hipster Fitzroy neighborhood. It's a great lunch spot with tasty salads…read moreand smashed avocado sandwiches. They have great coffee and some tea/juice items too. Defiantly check this place out if your in the Fitzroy neighborhood!

Bread rolls. Sausage rolls. Hedgehog slice.Ok, so basically it's another bakery. Except it not…read morereally is it? For one it has a sandwich bar for those who don'y see flaky pies and pastries in their immediate lunch time future. But the main reason I drop by the Lower Plenty bakehouse in my last minute pre-Christmas panic is to experience Christmas flavoured delight in the form home made mince pies. They come in teams of six and will cause you to banish those generic brand 'mince' pies from your home. The mince has real fruit and peel and the sweet frosting is a nice alternative to yet more pastry. YUM. I can't wait for December to roll (bakery pun anyone?) around!

Just amazing service and great food. I stop in regularly to buy bread and donuts. Always pleasing…read moreservice and great products like the hot pies yum. Thank you all at Lower Plenty Bakehouse.

Wow! I like Polish food - when in Poland, but here, on the other side of the world, I found a gem…read morethat truly delivers very good polish food! Wether you want dozens of different Vodkas or a Borscht, you get it here! I just tried two dishes, the Borscht and a polish version of Cevapcici, both was excellent. Very nice service, moderate prices and all at Chapel street - a place you should visit anyways when in Melbourne - less tourists than in Saint Kilda and a much better international choice of restaurants!

Borsch, Vodka and Tears is somewhere I've been wanting to try for a while. I finally got my chance…read moreyesterday. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. It's not huge inside, so if you really want to go there for a particular meal/event, make sure you call ahead and make a booking. The decor is European style, I suppose, but the table they sat us at, was right next to an open style kitchen and I hate that. It's not fun looking at them cooking the food, and to me, it just ruined the aesthetics. We were there for brunch, and I ordered the Potato Blintzes, because I LOVE blintzes. But they were NOT blintzes. They were potato pancakes/latkes. I was so disappointed. The description in the menu itself described the dish perfectly, but given the heading, I must not have registered that the description and name of the dish were a conflict. I wouldn't have ordered that dish. Having said that, the food was flavourful, but the pancakes/latkes - NOT blintzes - were very oily and I couldn't finish them because I started feeling queasy. The service was good and the staff were friendly, but you know what? I've tried it, and not been swayed to go back again. If a restaurant can't get the food right, well ... there are other places to go to.

My friends and I were planning on going out the following day. We were easily able to get a table…read moreand the staff were very kind and helpful. The food was pretty plain but tasty. The menu has all of the 'tradtional'/expected items for an Italian restaurant/pizzeria. The food was quick and there were options for all people with dietary needs/restrictions. There is also a wide range of non-alcoholic, and alcoholic beverages, including their own A25 House White. The bathroom is definitely a prime photo-taking spot, with red LED lights and 'insta-worthy' signs. Food 7.5/10 Service 8/10 Atmosphere 8/10 Favourite Menu Items - Truffle Porcini & Parmesan Fries

Our 'go to' restaurant for my coeliac friend. She trusts this restaurant and I love their lasagne…read more However we don't appreciate the 1.5 hour booking allocation time, or the rude waitress who insisted we leave when there were other tables that had been there for longer than us. This was a few weeks ago. We also were not able to split the bill.

What a disappointment. This was my second time here in about 20 years, and now I remember why it's…read moretaken so long. Food was quite average, service was terrible (our waitress sadly didn't understand almost anything) and it will be a long time before I go back again ... if ever. Food all came out at the wrong time. Entrees with mains, and mains with entrees. After eating, only half the table was cleared. One dish, the chicken and mushroom casserole, was so bad that I left 95% of it, and was never asked if it was ok, or was something wrong. Eventually the waitress asked if we WANTED her to clear it off the table (after everything else was taken away a long time ago. All of that coupled with a flat Coke, left a bad impression on us all. The redeeming feature was the Russian chicken dumplings with mushroom sauce; they were outstanding. I really wanted to love/like it here, but sadly I didn't, and wouldn't rush back or recommend.

food was good and tasty, service was quick nice. i' d recommend this restaurant…read more there was plenty of meals, I' d like to golubtsi, and beef dumpling.

A bit of preamble before the review; I sometimes just see a place that looks pretty and then check…read moreout their menu (and reviews of course) and take a gamble. Sometimes, that pays off in dividends, as is the case with Piccolino's. So, to reiterate, the decor is lovely. Really eye-catching. They sat us upstairs and we could look down on the bar and the rest of the restaurant and it was busy. The menu is great. There's a good variety of options, and the food is reasonably priced. The waitresses were all quite friendly, and most entrees came to us quite quickly. Some of the entrees took a while to come, by which time, the first people to have received theirs, were already done with theirs (a big pet peeve). All the food was delicious. There was just one unhappy diner in our group, and rightly so. The fries were COATED in salt. Practically inedible. I don't know why restaurants insist on doing this. However, everything else was practically faultless. When dessert came out slower than the steak did, they realized they simply forgot somewhere along the line to get the order in and they then got onto it fairly quickly. With that said, the Chocolate Mousse is one of the nicest I've ever, ever had. Overall, I'd really recommend Piccolino's. It's good food in a beautiful setting. The one big tip I can give you, is to definitely book online. I called several times to make a booking, and it was just too painful. They're rude on the phone and one person left me hanging to the point I heard people ordering their meals. The online booking system is a Godsend, so definitely do it that way when you plan your visit there.

Not a bad crust…read more It's not a cheap place, but a medium pizza will only set you back about $16, which isn't too bad considering what $16 will buy you these days. It's a nice place to go when you want t go ut, but don't want to go far. They do take away, but the pizza does taste better when it's eaten piping hot. The staff are nice, and the place is well set out and comfy, Dress smart casual. It's not a place where you can waltz in wearing your tracky dacks and a singlet, but you don't have to deck yourself out in a ball gown either. Other than the pizza, the pasta is good, cooked al dente, with the right amount of sauce. They also offer mains (about $30), which I haven't tried, but I don't doubt they are nice.