328 Swanston St, Melbourne CBD 3000 ph : (03) 8660 5700
The eponymous Mr Tulk (first name Augustus) of this cute little cafe was the first librarian of the State Library of Victoria. I'm glad that like the Library itself, Mr Tulk offers fine fare for both adults and children alike, with good coffee and great service!
The decor is casual, many people sat alone having a coffee while they read. I loved the wall art, the tall windows, and the "wall of books" decoration!
The Age Good Cafe Guide gives Mr Tulk a one hat, and the coffee and mocha we had on the day showed that this was well deserved.
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| Hubby's Cappuccino |
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| My smooth mocha |
I ordered an Ice chocolate for Little One and Macaron Monster to share. The waitress offered to serve this up in 2 separate glasses, which was fantastic. These disappeared before our food even arrived!
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| The cute half-serve ice chocolate, no fighting yay! |
I went for a breakfast item as usual, and ordered the Corned Beef Hash and Poached Eggs, with a mustard sauce. This was delicious, although a touch on the small side in serving.
Hubby's Honey Glazed Duck with Agro Dolce Red Cabbage ($18) is the dish that will bring us back. The duck meat was succulent, the glaze was sweetly reduced, and the cabbage offset the heaviness of the game perfectly.
The kids had a serve of Lasagna with Bread ($16.5) to share. Again the waitress offered to serve this up on separate plates which was great and saved us from having to dish it out ourselves (and much less messy!) Very home-cooked tasting pasta, well-liked by the kidlets.
A cabinet displays a delicious array of baguettes, Turkish breads and Sweet things. We did not indulge this time as we had something else sweet planned for later!
There is spacious indoor seating with lots of room for prams (but there's a few steps up once inside), and al fresco dining out front with easy access should you want to enjoy the Melbourne weather on a nice (and less windy) day.
I really do have to sing the praises of the service we received on our visit. It was a busy (enough) weekday lunch session, Hubby and I rocked up with our 3 in tow, including the pram. We were promptly seated and offered drinks as we checked out the menu. I love dining out with my kids, but am also a firm believer that it is my responsibility to keep them under control as not to spoil anyone else's experience while we're there. I was extremely apologetic when in excitement, Macaron Monster knocked over the sugar, creating a mess on the table. However the waitress efficiently cleaned it all up with a smile, which is a relief when I had expected the usual annoyed disaffection. (She might have been cursing me under her breath but she certainly hid it very well!) And the fact that they offered to split the servings for the children made me feel welcomed, and that I'm not the first to have brought kids to this place! I am looking forward to coming back to sample that duck again!
Eat.Play.Shop. Says - A great centrally located cafe with good coffee and food, and excellent access and tolerance for kids. My only gripe being that serves are a touch on the small side, but otherwise a top pick for a city cafe dining spot.
Toilets - Yes
Highchair - No
That hash looks awesome but I agree, small serving. Would be perfecto with the kids bread though lol
ReplyDelete@Nic - you know what, they asked if I wanted to order some bread on the side when I put in my order for the corned beef hash, and I said no as I always find brekkie dishes pretty filling and leave bread behind. Guess I should've listened for once!
ReplyDelete