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MELBOURNE | Workshop Brothers Glen Waverley (“WBGW”) has only been open for a few weeks, but the standard at which the floor and kitchen staff operate is that of a place that’s been open a lot longer. Following the success of their other venues, which include Workshop Brothers CBD and the more recent The Northcote STN, the owners have found lucrative results by focusing on three core fundamentals: food, coffee and service. Soon after opening to the public, we were invited along to sample the café’s menu.
Contributing to the venue’s unique identity is the stylish interior design and minimalist décor, complete with salmon-pink walls and gold-lined furnishings (including a suave gold-plated coffee machine). Aiming to step away from the current café trend of all-white interiors, WBGW sets itself apart, making you feel like you have walked into a high end London retail store about to purchase a designer Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately for shopaholics, only progressive fusion food and excellent coffee is served here.
Capturing a niche market in the café industry, WBGW opens all day, including for tapas-style bar snacks between 3-5pm, and dinner. This makes this Glen Waverley location a triple threat café, bar and restaurant, also thanks to their liquor licence allowing an extensive alcoholic beverage list. A standard selection of teas, smoothies and juices are also on offer, with Axil Coffee supplying the beans to produce a house blend, single origin espresso or filter coffee. If you are more inclined to a warming sweet drink, you can’t go past the Peanutella – a decadent blend of peanut butter and hot chocolate, served in an elegant martini glass, complete with torched marshmallows on top!
The food menu is no less impressive, with mostly traditional Chinese dishes revamped to fuse with contemporary flavours, all whilst using fresh and locally sourced ingredients. This east-meets-west fusion simultaneously appeals to the local demographic and offers a unique point of difference from the surrounding eateries.
Some of the dishes are unheard of in today’s burgeoning café culture, including the Keep It 100, where Chinese breakfast congee is given new life with the addition of caramelized pork belly and doughnut sticks; the Pork Me Goreng, where soy-infused egg noodles are tossed with pork belly, lime juice and vegetables; and the Kimchi Risotto, whose description lists a weirdly unique blend of kimchi, risotto, prawns and gruyere cheese. Where other café’s lose their cultural heritage in the desire to appeal to the Australian palate, WBGW breaks the mould and challenges us, but only to a certain extent.
The Orilental Salad is a health-conscious mixture of freekeh, roasted baby carrots, pomegranate, pearl barley, avocado, hummus and an Asian dukkah. The simplistic presentation reminds you of eating fried rice, but with more textural bite from the various grains and vegetables. For a sweeter and lighter option, you can’t go wrong with the Glorious Granola, where various fresh and dried fruits with granola sit atop a smooth coconut pannacotta.
Also for those with a sweet tooth is The Proof Is In The Pudding, which satisfies with a carrot cake chia pudding, ginger crumble and honey cream cheese. A slight criticism is that the chia pudding component is lacking in intensity. If you’re after some more lunch-appropriate dishes, the Shop Steak Sandwich and the CC Burger will steer you in the right direction, with the latter option pairing a crispy chicken fillet with sriracha mayo and Asian slaw, served with super crispy chips.
WBGW succeeds in identifying themselves as a unique venue, both in the area and in Melbourne. Pay a visit if you admire fashionably chic décor, and stay for a bite if you enjoy Instagram-worthy dishes that taste as good as they look. Oh, and their coffee is pretty renowned as well.
Workshop Brothers (Glen Waverley)
97 Kings Way
Glen Waverley
Victoria 3150
Australia
Telephone: (03) 9078 6533
E-mail: n/a
Website
Open
Mon – Sun: 7:00am to 11:00pm