if someone were to drop you in the middle of kensington + take off your blindfold, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were in a country-victorian town. with leafy tree lined streets, brown-brick buildings + a 2-street town-centre with small businesses only, this is a cute and quaint suburb. no more so than on a spring sunday a couple of weeks ago, where some establishments still observe a non-trading day. not so for ‘the premises’, a cafe i have wanting to try out for some time now. we were in (or going through) the area, so i insisted that we stop off to check this place out. did i mention that kensington is only 2 train stops from the melbourne cbd, with the premises being right across the road from the train station?! seriously!

the premises serves seven seeds coffee, a coffee within my top 3 locally-roasted bean. the baristas are certainly connoisseurs, taking great pride in their pour-over techniques + cold-drip pours. my soy latte was no exception – excellent flavour + consistency.

the cafe has a lovely homey feel, laid back with tables of various shapes + sizes throughout. it has a 2-sided street front, both with window bars (which i love) + some outdoor dining underneath the trees. it really does feel family-oriented + welcoming. we had a short wait for a bar seat + service from both staff was friendly, even engaging in some brief conversation (how rare is that these days!?)

the menu is exciting with a good mix between lighter sweeter breakfast options all the way through to hearty lunch varieties, and the owners pride themselves on locally sourced products wherever possible.

i decided to go with the
slow-roasted pulled pork with nana kath’s pineapple chutney, red cabbage slaw + a dill pickle.
having recently returned from the usa, i am still “slightly” addicted to burgers + barbeque / pulled anything … thankfully, melbourne’s food trends are appeasing these cravings at the moment! this pulled pork was mouth-wateringly delicious! as was the slaw, which had an absolutely sumptuous dressing. and whoever nana kath is… i want that chutney recipe from her!… a perfect condiment to put with all of these components. my only criticism is that i would’ve loved a couple of thinner pieces of bread to smack all of these amazing ingredients in-between, rather than one big chunky piece which meant i found i mostly ate this with a fork… but make no mistake this dish was still delish!

my husband opted for the
bircher muesli with a berry compote coconut yoghurt, honey + almonds.
firstly, at only $10 i was amazed. i’m not sure if it’s just me, but breakfast prices are definitely on the rise in melbourne at the moment + it is rare to find a decent portion size of bircher for sub-$15 these days. the bircher was softly soaked, packed with apples + sultanas. the berry compote was a good mix of tart + sweet, and the coconut yoghurt was creamy + fresh. i would’ve loved to have seen some extra crunch (candied / roasted nuts), but this was still a pretty good bircher.

verdict: a lovely spot for a relaxed long-lunch
find: twitter.com/ThePremises