Santucci's
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My friend insisted
that I try Santucci’s in Toorak Road, Camberwell as she absolutely loves having
brunch there. We arrived on a Saturday and clearly my friend is not the only
fan of Santucci’s as it was full of people. We managed to obtain a spot on the
communal table which was perfect as we had all the daily papers laid out in
front of us. Immediately I was excited to see that Santucci’s interior was full
of character. I’m so bored with industrial chic at cafés... Moody painted walls
with clusters of pictures adorn the walls. Vintage chairs and tables fill the
space and even an old Singer sewing machine was used as a table.
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WHAT’S ON THE MENU?
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Poached
Pear Pancakes with vanilla bean custard and ginger crumble ($15.00)
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Baked
Polenta and Wild Mushroom with kale, bocconcini, romesco sauce and a poached
egg ($17.00)
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Pulled
Lamb Salad and Kale with heirloom carrots, beetroot hummus, almonds and red
wine reduction ($17.00) *GF
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Pork
Belly Sandwich with purple cabbage, coriander and apple slaw ($11.00)
WHAT WE ATE...
The menu
was really interesting making it a difficult choice. I made a vow to try the ‘Hand
cut chips with truffle oil and parmesan ($8.50)’ on my next visit... I was
going out for a degustation dinner that night so was looking for something on
the smaller side. I picked the ‘Smoked salmon sandwich with smashed egg, caper
and dill aioli with baby spinach ($9.50)’. I elected to have my sandwich on a
focaccia for an extra $1.50. Smashed free-range egg was a positive deviation from
plain cream cheese. I perhaps would have preferred a touch more capers and dill
in the aioli as I really love the strong aniseed flavour of dill... Overall
though, it was a really great sandwich. I’m looking forward to trying more from
their menu...
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| Smoked Salmon Sandwich |
My dining
companion chose an item from the specials. The ‘Zucchini and Pea Frittata
served with smoked trout, radicchio, tomato relish, lemon reduction and poached
eggs ($17.00)’ was a visually appealing dish with the dazzling smear of yellow.
Frittata can be a little bland at times but the bitterness of the radicchio,
the tartness of the lemon reduction, and the richness of the trout created a
delicious experience in the mouth.
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| Zucchini and Pea Frittata |
WHAT WE DRANK...
For drinks
you can treat yourself to an ‘8 Hour Cold Drip served over ice ($4.00)’, a ‘Green
Smoothie – spinach, celery, apple, banana and lemon ($6.50)’, or even a ‘Strawberry
Spider ($6.00)’. My latte ($3.70) using Veneziano Coffee’s Autumn Blend was
pleasurable.
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| Latte |
SERVICE...
The service
was efficient and eager to meet our needs.
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Address: 1392 Toorak Road, Camberwell, VIC
Phone: 03 9889 6335
Trading Hours:
Mon – Sun: 7.00am – 5.00pm
P.S. Other
eateries nearby are Zouz Cafe,
Bella Sistas Espresso and The Hidden Cafe...
I've walked by many times at night, though almost no one is open at night on that road! Shall add it to the list, for when I'm a morning person :P The interior to me looks familiar, perhaps similar to another cafe in the city?
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