Mammoth, Armadale

Massive is a considerably overused word at the moment. My friends and I use it all the time to describe everything for a bit of a laugh. A drinking game can be made from watching reality television for each time they use the ‘M’ word. How about a new ‘M’ word to describe something huge? Perhaps, Mammoth could be the next Massive... Also, could Mammoth be the next ‘must-visit’ cafe in Melbourne? Mammoth opened this week in Armadale and is the newest creation from the people behind Pillar of Salt, Touchwood and Barry. The triangular shaped building could be difficult to utilise but Technē Architecture + Interior Design have produced a bright space that is both practical and stylish.  

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

·        Char spanner crab egg crepe, bean shoot salad, water chestnut, lemon sorbet ($24.00) *Gluten Free

·        Lobster donut burger, green mango and papaya slaw, cucumber jam, sriracha kimpi mayo, salt and pepper ($24.50)

·        Egg brulee, bread and butter pickled zucchini, artichoke, toast ($16.00)

·        Black Russian Salad - red egg, tomato, candied olive, bulls blood lettuce, black rice wafer, liquorice and vanilla dressing ($18.00) *Gluten Free

·        Lavender bagel, fresh honeycomb, whipped buffalo ricotta ($12.00)

WHAT WE ATE...

The menu definitely ventures away from your usual café fare and makes an exciting change from eggs on toast. I decided to have the ‘Grilled lychee and passionfruit chia pudding, macadamia, hemp seed crumble, blood orange ($14.00)’ which coincidentally is a gluten free and vegan option from the menu. I thought this may be a bit small for my mammoth appetite but the dish turned out to be a lot bigger than I expected. I loved how this dish was not overly sweet, it was indeed quite bitter in parts. It looked gorgeous and all the elements complemented each other. The passionfruit jelly was a delightful addition.

Chia Pudding 

My dining companion picked the ‘Rainbow Salad - fermented vegetables, puffed rice, almonds, buffalo curd, walnut and apple dressing ($17.50)’. This dish needs quite a bit of improvement. It was a visually stunning dish but in terms of edibility was rather disappointing. I’m not sure who would enjoy some rock-hard rice scattered over their salad... The vegetables were beautifully prepared but the almonds were scarce.

Rainbow Salad

WHAT WE DRANK...

At home, I tend to drink a lot of Rooibos but don’t often see it on café menus. I was pleased to see it included on Mammoth’s drinks list ($4.00). My latte ($4.00) made with Five Senses Coffee was okay. It was creamy and had a robust flavour but was very cold. Probably just a few teething problems that will be sorted out once the café gets going.  

Latte

  

SERVICE...

The service was fantastic. The team worked as though Mammoth had been open for years. This was probably due to the fact that they have used experienced professionals that have worked for them before. 

Address: 736 Malvern Road, Armadale, VIC

Phone: 03 9824 5239

Website

Instagram

Trading Hours:

Mon – Fri: 7.00am – 3.30pm

Sat – Sun: 7.30am – 4.00pm

P.S. Other eateries nearby are The Pour Kids and Adriano Zumbo Patisserie...