Churchill Cafe & Larder - Surrey Hills - review

Name: Churchill Cafe & Larder

Address: 13 Hamilton St
Surrey Hills, 3127
(03) 9890 3444

Food: ModOz, Cafe,
Average price: $3.50 - $20

Complimentary:  Bread and hummus.

We ordered:
Main: Eye fillet, sautéed mushrooms, smoked bone marrow, pomme frittes and red wine jus - $36

Mr.M: Very tasty. I usually don't like mushrooms on my steak but they were nice. Nice charcoal flavour and the fries were good.


Mushroom risotto, peas, asparagus, goats cheese and truffle oil -$30

Nice mushroom flavour but the rice was watery and lacked the oozy cohesiveness I like in a risotto. I would have like some more cheese as well to add that sharp punch and interest to the rice. Overall it was OK

Dessert: Chocolate fondant, rum and raisin ice-cream   - $15

Mr.M: It was great. Nice ooze. Ice cream was strong in alcohol but still nice.

Vanilla Crème brulêe, with rhubarb compote - $15

The brulee had a fantastic 'crack' - the sugar top was great. Whilst the custard was extremely smooth it was also extremely bland. There was no flavour to it, and if eaten without the sugar topping there was no sweetness to it whatsoever, it was almost akin to whipped cream. The bulk of flavour came from the tart rhubarb, the custard of the brulee was basically acting as a plate for the fruit and the sugary crust.

Service: OK. We went on a Thursday night and were the only people in the entire restaurant, even upon leaving there were no other patrons so it is hard to judge the atmosphere or noise level. Despite being the only two people in the place it still took over 40mins to get our order...the waitress was great though and kept our water topped up.

Atmosphere: Shades of brown. The decor is modern punctuated by artwork and a communal mosaic table. Despite also being open for dinner the room maintains its cafe-vibe.

Parking: Good - there's a decent amount of street parking and a carpark for Mont Albert station that runs alongside the road.

Website: http://www.churchillrestaurant.com.au/

Hours: Dinner wed-sat 6.00pm- late, Breakfast sat 8.00am-11.30am, Breakfast/lunch sun 8.00am-3.00pm

Would I return: Yes. My dishes weren't stellar but hubby's were good enough to warrant a second try.

Churchill Cafe & Larder - Surrey Hills

Name: Churchill Cafe & Larder
Address:
13 Hamilton St
Surrey Hills, 3127

(03) 9890 3444


Food: ModOz, Cafe,
Average price: $3.50 - $20

Complimentary:  Nothing.

We ordered:

Feta, zucchini, corn fritters with avocado salsa, bloody Mary dressing, and a fried egg - $16.50

This has become the corn fritter that finally broke the camel's back - whilst not the worst of the bunch it still wasn't great. The fritters were partially undercooked and doughy. They did not have much flavour at all and I could not taste the feta whatsoever. The avocado was blended with raw onion which I found too overpowering, I could also taste some coriander leaves... The egg was done nicely but there was a distinct lack of seasoning and I wasn't given any salt and pepper with which to season myself. The splashes of tomato sauce and pesto oil got swallowed up by the fritters doughiness and despite being hungry, I left half on my plate.


Bircher muesli with grated apple, toasted almonds, yoghurt - $12.50

 K loved this - it also contained pear, berries, papaya, sunflower kernals, pumpkin seeds and hazelnuts.

Toast with fried eggs

K thought this was done well.

Hot chocolate -

The two K's thought this was a nice, not very sweet hot chocolate - came with a marshmallow.

Cobb Salad - $20

S was severely disappointed in both the size and flavour of this dish.

Cost: $unavailable (I left before the bill came and the ladies don't remember what they paid).

Service: OK. The food came out pretty quickly, but water is self serve.

Atmosphere: Cosy kitchen. There are small tables as well as a communal dining table with a mosaic table top and tartan booth seating. The ceilings are high and there's plenty of outdoor seating. The sound level was loud despite being half full.

Parking: Good - there's a decent amount of street parking and a carpark for Mont Albert station that runs alongside the road.

Website: None.

Hours: Mon-Sun from brekky to lunch.

Would I return: No.