My favourite day of the week has arrived, and a new cafe was on the list to check out. Sticking with our current flavour of the week location, we headed down to South Melbourne to check out Chez Dre. We were lucky enough to only have to wait about 5 minutes before being seated outside in their beautiful courtyard area.
ATMOSPHERE & SERVICE
Location might be a bit tricky to find, but once found, this industrial style cafe is well worth the hunt. Tucked away off Coventry Street down a cute little alley, this is one of South Melbourne’s best patisserie and cafes. There are two separate entrances, which can make the initial walk in a bit confusing. One bringing you to the main inside dining area and the second located at the back of the cafe in the outside terrace area.
The inside warehouse style space is spacious with high ceilings, dark concrete floors and high back bench seating. Funky, modern decor fills the cafe with beautiful greenery hanging from the ceiling. Seating is comfortable with tables spread far enough apart you can enjoy the company you are with.
The outdoor terrace area offers a selection of both communal and intimate tables. It’s a bit of a lottery on whether you get a table alone, or if you are seating with a few other people. I love how they don’t try and squeeze in too many tables and really space out the seating to make it as comfortable as possible.
Service was flawless throughout the morning from the hostess who took down our details to wait for a table, to the waiter who took our orders to the lady who cashed us out at the end of our meal. Everyone was friendly, attentive and welcoming.
FOOD
Brunch always starts with coffee and today was no different. I must admit, this is probably one of the better coffees I’ve had in Melbourne. Creamy, smooth coffee was placed down in front of both of us, not overly hot which I like, a perfect start to the day.
The menu is beautiful with a range of classic breakfast dishes, with their own modern French twist to each. You can’t go past the amazing display of pastries that catches your eye at the front counter or the freshly baked breads on display, all available for purchase to take home.
It was a cardio kind of morning, which meant a decent breakfast was in order. Smashed avocado seemed like the best way to go and ‘The Avo Luxe’ was the winning dish. Smashed avocado, whipped goats cheese and spiced nuts served in a small mason jar with grilled sourdough bread hit the spot. The whipped goat’s cheese was a nice treat and complimented the dish beautifully. I loved the taste of the grilled bread which is always so much better than just normal heated up slices of bread.
MC decided to go outside his usual build your own breakfast of eggs and bacon and went with the ‘Brioche French Toast’ served with apples, pears & blackberries, salted caramel, vanilla mascarpone & white chocolate crumb. YUM! To top it off, he also ordered two poached eggs! Eggs were cooked to perfect, french toast delicious and vanilla mascarpone creamy and light. Overall a perfect 10!
I can see why there is a line all day to get into Chez Dre. The food is delicious, the staff are friendly and the take away pastries are oh so tasty! Chez Dre has made it’s way to the top of our list for brunch locations in Melbourne. The price is vary reasonable compared to other cafes in the area and the food is of the highest quality. This is a must try cafe in our books!
