Crabapple Kitchen

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Crabapple Kitchen has been one of those places where we’ve walked or driven past numerous times while we were heading somewhere else but we’ve never actually thought to stop by and try out.  Well today was finally one of those days!  Upon arrival we already noticed that it was very busy however the waitress offered us seats at the bar which we were perfectly fine with it. Not very long after though a table opened up so we were able to move to it which probably worked out better in the end due to the amount of food we ordered!  My first impression of the surroundings was that it was a very cute cafe. The decor was lovely with the brick walls, pictures of cows and chalk boards. I was also surprised at how deep the restaurant was when we moved to a table.

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Breakfast is served all day and they also offer a lunch menu. I started off with my regular latte but also ordered their citrus sunrise juice which had ruby grapefruit, watermelon and orange. The coffee was okay, it could have been a little stronger but the juice was delish!  For starters we ordered the crabapple sliders for two which had spanner crab, granny smith apples, radish, mustard cress and Kewpie mayonaise in a brioche bun – it was very nice and refreshing and the brioche bun was toasted warm and crispy.  We also ordered the spanner cerviche which was accompanied with salted cucumber, sheep’s milk yoghurt, seaweed caviar, fried shallots and kale salsa verde. The presentation of this dish was exceptional and all the ingredients combined together quite nicely making it a very lovely dish.

For mains we ordered the Istanbul Turkey breakfast experience which consisted of a large chargrilled flatbread, spiced ground lamb, dukkah poached egg, garlic yoghurt, salad of freekah, red onion, tomato and harissa – each bite I took was a burst of flavours. We also ordered from the lunch menu the Ripal’s roasted pork neck stuffed with pine nuts, raisins and sage, sweet corn puree, braised winter greens and chorizo crumbs.  The pork neck was reasonably soft and the sweet corn puree was very tasty and went well with the dish.

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Crabapple sliders for two – spanner crab, granny smith apples, radish, mustard cress and Kewpie mayonaise in a brioche bun & Spanner cerviche with salted cucumber, sheep’s milk yoghurt, seaweed caviar, fried shallots and kale salsa verde
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Ripal’s roasted pork neck stuffed with pine nuts, raisins and sage, sweet corn puree, braised winter greens and chorizo crumbs

Service overall was quite good, the staff were attentive, friendly and switched on. One thing I do regret is not trying out their wines as they won the award for 2015 Australia’s Wine List of the Year and it felt like everyone around me was drinking wine. However what a great excuse to come back to not only try out their wines but perhaps check out their Friday Night Flights. They apparently offer a five course dinner for AU $45 a person so if we do try it I’ll definitely let you know!

Crabapple Kitchen
Approx $45 AUD per person
659 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122
Phone: +61 3 9078 5492
Website: www.crabapplekitchen.com.au

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