Hughesdale. No one ever really talks Hughesdale, even though it is just across the road from café central Oakleigh and behind massive mall Chadstone.
Go down one obscure back street, around a round about and a little further down and you might be surprised.
It is here that Temperance Society has made its home.
Modern Melbourne style café, meets relaxed local hangout, it seems this café has hit the balance just right.
If you are after strong coffee, this is the place to come. If you want to relax in the beachie vibed courtyard, you are welcome. If you want to check out some of the best brunch in Melbourne, get hungry to enjoy a smorgasbord of treats.
Owner, Houy Ban, invited us to try the new menu. I had seen photos of the desserts all over Instagram. I was eager to try the savoury vego options.
A table was prepared for us in the courtyard out the back. This is a lovely spot with a retractable shade cloth in summer and heaters in winter. The natural worn wood gives a summer beachside mood, as does the worn wood decking.
This is the place for kids, older ladies, young women, family…everyone it seems. There are high chairs, but there are also steps (parents with prams can easily sit out the front or enter through the side door.
Dish 1 - Vegan Burger Plus – Spicy black bean, quinoa and carrot home made patty with tomato chutney, apple slaw, avocado, polenta chips and dipping sauce.
The chef crumbed fingers of cooked polenta with a raw crust for fluffy chips with crisp edges. The accompanying sauce was tangy, creamy and also vegan.
The burger was housed in a light beetroot bun. Look at the fluffiness of that bread!
The actual burger was soft and almost hidden amongst the mound of creamed apple slaw. Mark loved the spice of the chutney. I loved the combination of flavours. This is very easy eating – uncomplicated but just tasty with all the flavours coming together perfectly.
Dish 2 – Chilli Tofu Scramble – Sourdough toast layered with beetroot humus, onion, cherry tomato, pickled apple and red cabbage, beetroot confetti and falafel.
What an eclectic mix. No where have I seen tofu mixed with beetroot, nor tofu mixed with falafel for that matter. But this dish definitely worked!
I loved the presentation of this dish. I ordered a rosti as an extra side. The rosti was crisp with long gratings of salted potato inside. There was plenty of beetroot humus. I could taste the earthiness of the beetroot, it was obviously made fresh.
The falafels were crispy outside but fried quite deep so that the crisp edges almost went to the centre. Still, the small un-crisped centre was moist and flavourful.
The spicy chutney flavoured the soft tofu.
This dish was also very easy to eat. It needed the beetroot humus for moisture, so it was balanced with lots of it.
The servings may look small but I was definitely full after this.
Drinks – Tropical Trip – Mango, ice-cream, white chocolate, chia seeds and coconut yoghurt.
We couldn’t not order smoothies, they all sounded so delicious. Mark opted for the Tropical Trip, and I for the Super Healthy, which were good choices as we preferred our own after tasting each others.
The Tropical Trip was full of sweet, refreshing goodness. The glass was dipped in honey then rimmed with coconut, giving a fancy touch.
Super Healthy – spirulina, banana, spinach, blueberries, mango and coconut milk.
This was not as sweet as the Tropical Trip but still full of flavour (especially banana) and very refreshing. The thickness proved it was full of goodness, and not watered down like many places do with smoothies and juices.
Coffee
My almond milk flat white was pretty as a picture.
The crema was strong and the almond milk rich and creamy. This was a rich coffee.
Mark had a standard flat white. How pretty is this?
He found his a bit too strong and bitter. For me the coffee was perfect.
Temperance Society is definitely up there with the top Melbourne cafes. The food is interesting and well done. The smoothies are packed full of fruit and veggies. The atmosphere is relaxed and the décor also relaxed, and modern.
The prices are a little on the high side at $11 for a smoothie, $21 for the vegan burger and $20 for the tofu scramble – but the dishes are filling and we both really enjoyed the meal. If you are going out for brunch anyway, I’m a true believer in spending a little more to get something delicious.
The out of the way location means there is parking a plenty, and no traffic noise.
Temperance Society has definitely put Hughesdale on the map.
Temperance Society
127 Kangaroo Road
Hughesdale 3166
Website
03 9568 2500
Opening hours:
Weekdays 7:00am to 4:00pm
Weekends 7:30am to 4:00pm
Go down one obscure back street, around a round about and a little further down and you might be surprised.
It is here that Temperance Society has made its home.
Modern Melbourne style café, meets relaxed local hangout, it seems this café has hit the balance just right.
If you are after strong coffee, this is the place to come. If you want to relax in the beachie vibed courtyard, you are welcome. If you want to check out some of the best brunch in Melbourne, get hungry to enjoy a smorgasbord of treats.
Owner, Houy Ban, invited us to try the new menu. I had seen photos of the desserts all over Instagram. I was eager to try the savoury vego options.
A table was prepared for us in the courtyard out the back. This is a lovely spot with a retractable shade cloth in summer and heaters in winter. The natural worn wood gives a summer beachside mood, as does the worn wood decking.
This is the place for kids, older ladies, young women, family…everyone it seems. There are high chairs, but there are also steps (parents with prams can easily sit out the front or enter through the side door.
Dish 1 - Vegan Burger Plus – Spicy black bean, quinoa and carrot home made patty with tomato chutney, apple slaw, avocado, polenta chips and dipping sauce.
The chef crumbed fingers of cooked polenta with a raw crust for fluffy chips with crisp edges. The accompanying sauce was tangy, creamy and also vegan.
The burger was housed in a light beetroot bun. Look at the fluffiness of that bread!
The actual burger was soft and almost hidden amongst the mound of creamed apple slaw. Mark loved the spice of the chutney. I loved the combination of flavours. This is very easy eating – uncomplicated but just tasty with all the flavours coming together perfectly.
Dish 2 – Chilli Tofu Scramble – Sourdough toast layered with beetroot humus, onion, cherry tomato, pickled apple and red cabbage, beetroot confetti and falafel.
What an eclectic mix. No where have I seen tofu mixed with beetroot, nor tofu mixed with falafel for that matter. But this dish definitely worked!
I loved the presentation of this dish. I ordered a rosti as an extra side. The rosti was crisp with long gratings of salted potato inside. There was plenty of beetroot humus. I could taste the earthiness of the beetroot, it was obviously made fresh.
The falafels were crispy outside but fried quite deep so that the crisp edges almost went to the centre. Still, the small un-crisped centre was moist and flavourful.
The spicy chutney flavoured the soft tofu.
This dish was also very easy to eat. It needed the beetroot humus for moisture, so it was balanced with lots of it.
The servings may look small but I was definitely full after this.
Drinks – Tropical Trip – Mango, ice-cream, white chocolate, chia seeds and coconut yoghurt.
We couldn’t not order smoothies, they all sounded so delicious. Mark opted for the Tropical Trip, and I for the Super Healthy, which were good choices as we preferred our own after tasting each others.
The Tropical Trip was full of sweet, refreshing goodness. The glass was dipped in honey then rimmed with coconut, giving a fancy touch.
Super Healthy – spirulina, banana, spinach, blueberries, mango and coconut milk.
This was not as sweet as the Tropical Trip but still full of flavour (especially banana) and very refreshing. The thickness proved it was full of goodness, and not watered down like many places do with smoothies and juices.
Coffee
My almond milk flat white was pretty as a picture.
The crema was strong and the almond milk rich and creamy. This was a rich coffee.
Mark had a standard flat white. How pretty is this?
He found his a bit too strong and bitter. For me the coffee was perfect.
Temperance Society is definitely up there with the top Melbourne cafes. The food is interesting and well done. The smoothies are packed full of fruit and veggies. The atmosphere is relaxed and the décor also relaxed, and modern.
The prices are a little on the high side at $11 for a smoothie, $21 for the vegan burger and $20 for the tofu scramble – but the dishes are filling and we both really enjoyed the meal. If you are going out for brunch anyway, I’m a true believer in spending a little more to get something delicious.
The out of the way location means there is parking a plenty, and no traffic noise.
Temperance Society has definitely put Hughesdale on the map.
Temperance Society
127 Kangaroo Road
Hughesdale 3166
Website
03 9568 2500
Opening hours:
Weekdays 7:00am to 4:00pm
Weekends 7:30am to 4:00pm