MELBOURNE | Liminal is a CBD café, located in the atrium of 161 Collins Street. It’s a multi-function space, serving as a relaxing spot for a sit down breakfast or lunch, grab-and-go takeaway venue, and cheese and wine shop. I last visited before the pandemic, and was recently invited in for a revisit.
It’s by Mulberry Group, founders of trend-setting cafes Top Paddock, The Kettle Black, and Higher Ground, and current owners of places like Lilac Wine, Hazel, and Dessous. With a pedigree like that, it’s not surprising that Liminal excels at what it sets out to acheive.
The space is warm and welcoming. An open kitchen and grab-and-go counter extends down one side, opening up to the building’s lobby on the other. Warm lighting, natural tones, and a mixture of stools, seats and tables, and plush leather armchairs, help with the multi-function nature of the space.
The menu is about quality over quantity. There’s selection of around eight sandwiches on offer at any given time, available throughout the day. In the morning, there’s around 10 dishes to choose from, switching over to around 6 more lunch focused choices after 11:00am. Coffee, filter and espresso-based, is fantastic.
For breakfast, it’s things like house made crumpets with salmon, pickled egg, and herb crème fraîche; Spanish sardines on toast with anchovy garlic butter, burnt tomato vinegar, and fresh tomatoes; and an egg and bacon roll. Lunch options include items like the signature hot chicken roll – a soft bun filled with rotisserie chicken, gravy, fried chicken skins, and a side of extra gravy; and a roast beetroot and pumpkin salad with mint, couscous, pickled baby beets, feta, and balsamic candied walnuts.
On the sandwich front, it’s hard to go past one of the most popular items on the menu, the Liminal Reuben on rye. There’s also a garlic and thyme mushroom toastie; and a chicken and avocado bagel.
At the grab-and-go counter you’ll find the full range of sandwiches, along with things like youghurt, fruit, and salad bowls. A tempting selection of sweet and savoury baked treats rounds things off, along with the retail fridges at the end. Inside the fridges, you’ll find about 200 bottles of wine to take home, as well as a quality assortment of cheese.
Liminal
161 Collins Street
Melbourne
Victoria 3000
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9639 8264
E-mail: [email protected]
Website
Open
Mon – Fri: 8:00am to 2:00pm