Putting the word ‘wife’ in any eatery is pretty brave, but naming a cafe ‘Second Wife’ is downright crazy! What were owners Semir Elmazi and Reiji Honour thinking when they came up with this name!?! Turns out this attention grabbing name derived from the fact that this was the second cafe they opened together, their first one being ‘Dosage’ located in Burwood.
Second Wife is located away from the hustle and bustle of all the other restaurants you may think of. It’s situated at a peculiar spot on Wellington Road in Box Hill. Helen and I visit Box Hill a bit but were both stumped as to where Wellington Road was! Out came ‘trusty’ Google maps, and if any of you detected sarcasm, Google maps screwed us over once again. I’ve been having a personal vendetta with Google maps lately, I don’t know what’s been going on with it. Lately it seems to have this amazing ability to take the longest way whilst inserting the most small streets in between. Helen has been trying to defend Google maps, but I think this latest incident may have swayed her to my side!
Leaving this feud aside, we soon found ourselves parting with $2.70 for an hour of street parking just outside Second Wife. Paying for parking has always been one of my pet hates, but their cafe is located within an apartment complex so totally understandable. I must admit that I was in a pretty bad mood, because I’ve been sick for the past week and my tolerance levels were at an all time low. Anything short of great service and I would have been TRIGGERED! I can happily say that the serving staff here were warm and friendly. Apart from running out of rice noodles, our orders were in and food was served without any hiccups.
Most things on the menu had either a Middle Eastern or Japanese influence. Helen got the Real Wife’s breakfast and I got the Japanese Bowl. Both dishes had a comprehensive list of ingredients and would cost a fortune to make at home! My Japanese bowl was very visually appealing. It was not just a pretty face, as it was also really tasty! All the ingredients worked well together but I always make the mistake of forgetting to eat the pickled ginger. The seared salmon tataki was cooked perfectly, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Helen didn’t want to share too much of her dish with me, but from what little I acquired, it was a pretty special dish. The combination of the really lightly fried eggplant, perfectly cooked eggs and the garlic labne made it a delicious dish. These dishes are certainly not ones you can readily find at any cafe, and it’s what sets these guys apart from the competition.
Mad props to Second Wife for coming up with a killer name and serving some killer food! They are without a doubt one of the better cafes I’ve been to at Box Hill, and I appreciate their healthy and tasty menu. Would we come back? Most certainly. We cannot wait to come back and try their other dishes!
Second Wife
Approx $25 AUD per person
Address: 8 Wellington Rd, Box Hill VIC 3128
Phone: +61 3 9973 9481