it seems everyone in melbourne is talking about this gorgeous restaurant tucked into the ‘interior design mecca’ of melbourne aka richmond. photos of their flower-filled dishes are all over social media and they’ve been in the ‘top 10 in melbourne’ on urbanspoon much of the last year (currently spot number 2).  i even caught a group of people at work the other day discussing the prettiness (and tastiness) of the top paddock hotcake – not your usual conversation for a bunch of engineers.

and, at the risk of being cliche – i am also jumping on the bandwagon. when it comes to beautiful food, top paddock is in a league of its own. i have never seen such prettiness on a plate. case in point:

see what i mean? gorgeous! now you’d be forgiven for wondering if a restaurant that serves such good-looking dishes might be compromising on taste and quality … trust me, they’re not! this porridge was creamy and sweet with the perfect combination of fruit and flavour. i enjoyed every mouthful and could’ve asked for seconds (save for the fact that the serving size is huge!)

oat porridge with strawberry + rhubarb compote, violet sugar + pistachios

before i continue on the food, i should also mention that top paddock is inordinately organised with excellent service. i have found all the staff to be super-friendly, one even stopping in to let me know where my coffee order was in the list and apologising for the delay due to a busy morning. orders are taken quickly, water is refilled often, and the food arrives in exceptional time. the only downside… you might get your food delivered before your coffee arrives!

next up, the ‘famous’ hotcake. perfectly soft and spongy, this hotcake is the size of a dinner plate and tastes as amazing as it looks. its actually so good, there’s not much else i can say except “order this!!”

blueberry + ricotta hotcake with berries, organic maple, seeds + double cream

now, for something savoury. eggs were perfectly cooked with runny yellow yolks and grilled green tomatoes on the side. bacon was fresh, meaty (not fatty or crispy) and tasty. very good.

bacon + eggs with green tomato

you will usually need to put your name down on the wait list on weekend mornings, but to date we’ve never had more than a 15 minute wait even when it seems a thousand people are waiting outside… besides – the wait is more than worth it! put this one on your wish list pronto!

verdict: i’m a huge fan!
find: http://www.toppaddockcafe.com

p.s. there will definitely be a top paddock ii in the future!