• Sasa’s Café (Hawthorn)

Sasa’s is very much a café for the locals. It has its regulars and is usually busy. Sasa is Thai, but the menu is quite eclectic. The main dishes are mostly Italian and French, but a curry of the day is always available. I keep coming back for lunch because the food is consistently good and the large serves are very reasonably priced. Add in the friendliness of the staff, BYO and relaxed atmosphere and Sasa’s ticks all the boxes for a very good local café.

At my last visit I had the Roasted Mushroom & Gruyere cheese Risotto ($16.90). This dish consisted of oven roasted button mushrooms, gruyere cheese, and freshly chopped parsley. The texture of this was a highlight: the rice was perfectly cooked (cooked slightly longer than al dente so it was firm but not crunchy), the diced and braised onions still had some lovely firmness and sweetness, the mushrooms were roasted and firm, and the gruyere cheese gave the dish a wonderful creamy sweetness. Usually I would be wary of ordering a risotto at a non Italian restaurant, but this one rated as one of the best I’ve eaten.


On previous visits I’ve been with a couple of mates for a long lunch with some good BYO wines. On those occasions we get a bit carried away and have one of the cakes/desserts on offer. The desserts have always been good and have the feel of being homemade. On long lunches when we order dessert the servings are often huge as there is a reluctance to recycle desserts for the next day.

Sasa’s serves Genovese coffee. I usually have a piccolo which has a rich taste without a hint of bitterness. The locals often purchase their Genovese coffee beans from Sasa’s so they can repeat the experience of a rich creamy coffee at home.

About the Author
Michael is a food and wine connoisseur.  He also makes a delicious chocolate cake.

Sasa’s Café 
173 Riversdale Rd
Hawthorn 3122
03 9815 3885
sasacafe.com.au

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