The General Food Store

Thinking of spending the day exploring Emerald Lake Park? Then why not revive yourself at The General Food Store in Emerald. This teensy but busy café was awarded three stars in the 2014 The Age Good Food Under $30 Guide.

 

The General Food Store has a small menu that changes monthly to make the most of seasonal ingredients. Amusing names for dishes such as ‘Grab a Granny’ and ‘Fire in the Hole’, add a fun element to this hip café in the hills. Items on the February menu include the ‘Arabesque - poached eggs, grilled halloumi, beetroot relish, hazelnut dukkah, baby spinach, toasted sourdough ($16.50)’ and ‘The Mighty Quinn – salad of quinoa, toasted pumpkin seed and almond, Persian fetta, currants, salted zucchini, coriander, parsley, caper and lemon dressing ($15.00)’. Also if you are a coeliac, they have house made gluten free bread available at no extra charge.
 

I chose the ‘Persian Princess – fresh waffles, pistachio ice cream, strawberry and pomegranate sauce, fresh strawberries, rose syrup ($16.00)’. What a brilliant dish! Everything went well together and I loved the rose syrup on the strawberries. The bitterness of the pomegranate balanced the sweetness of the other elements, making it feel slightly less gluttonous...

Persian Princess

My dining companion went with the ‘Go Downtown - corned beef sandwich, summer pickles, mustard aioli, Annie Baxter cheese, rocket, black pepper, fresh sourdough ($14.00)’. The sandwich was lovely and fresh with melt in the mouth corned beef. It was really delectable.

 

Go Downtown

I’ve been here a number of times for a latte ($3.50) and their Coffee Supreme coffee is usually wonderful but today my latte wasn’t quite as good. Maybe there was a different barista working today... The service can be a little slow. Considering that it is such a small space, they should be a lot more efficient.

 

They also have a range of house-made sweet offerings like Lumberjack cake ($4.00) and vegan carrot cake ($4.50). You can also check out their muffin ($3.50) flavour of the day on Twitter and Facebook.

Address: 377 Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Emerald, VIC

Phone: 03 5968 3580

Facebook

Twitter

Website

Trading Hours: Mon – Sat: 7.30am – 4.00pm

              Sun: 8.00am – 4.00pm