Ripe Cafe, Sassafras

When I visit Ripe Cafe in Sassafras, I always say ‘Hi Pop’ because when he used to come over from England to stay he would want to dine at Ripe all the time. Now that he has passed away, I definitely feel that this is one of the places he would be ‘dropping by’ to relive happy memories. He would always order the ham and cheddar baguette and maybe a slice of lemon tart as he was known for his spectacular lemon curd recipe. Ripe is located just down from Miss Marple’s. Sitting in front of the open fireplace in the winter is the place to be but in the summer a table on the rear deck is fantastic. They take bookings which I strongly suggest doing, especially on the weekends! On the way out, you can buy some excellent products that are made in the Yarra Valley to take home.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

·        Semolina and Vanilla Bean Porridge served with poached apple, stone fruit and berries sprinkled with toasted flaked almonds ($12.50)

·        Tuscan Terrine Baguette – layers of basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto and cream cheese ($10.00)

·        Olive tapenade, marinated artichoke and goat’s cheese baguette ($10.00)

·        Linguini Marinara with fresh mussels and pippies, prawns, scallops and calamari tossed with extra virgin olive oil, garlic and fresh herbs ($22.00)

WHAT WE ATE...

The lunch menu changes daily with most items priced at $22.00. They also have an amazing ‘Baguette Menu’ too. I picked my favourite baguette, the ‘Smoked Salmon, homemade mayonnaise and capers baguette ($10.50)’. The baguettes are big so if you have a small appetite, then I suggest sharing with a friend. Quality ingredients make their baguettes a delight to eat. They add lots of capers too which I love with smoked salmon.

Smoked Salmon Baguette

My dining companion chose the ‘Cranberry, chilli and plum relish, free range chicken breast and brie baguette ($10.50)’. This was also delectable with the addition of the cranberry, chilli and plum relish enhancing the other ingredients.

Chicken and Brie Baguette

We decided to share a cake afterwards. For dinner parties, I often make a cheesecake for dessert as you can make it ahead of time. If you have been to one of my dinner parties, you have probably finished the night with my reliable Black Forest Cheesecake... Anyway, if I get a craving for a slice of cheesecake I know that Ripe have some scrumptious, freshly made cheesecakes to choose from. On this occasion we went with the ‘Sour cherry Cheesecake ($7.50)’. The cake arrived with real cream which is an absolute must! Again, this was a brilliant cheesecake.

Sour Cherry Cheesecake

WHAT WE DRANK...

I love their ‘White Chocolate Lindt Hot Chocolate ($5.00)’. There is also milk and dark chocolate too if that is more your thing... A great coffee is few and far between in the Dandenongs. However, my latte ($3.80) at Ripe has been consistently wonderful.   

Lattes

SERVICE...

The service has improved so much over the last year or so. It used to take ages for someone to take your order but now it is running like a well-oiled machine. 

Address: 376-378 Mount Dandenong Tourist Rd, Sassafras, VIC

Phone: 03 9755 2100

Website

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Trading Hours:

Mon – Sun: 8.00am – 5.00pm

P.S. Other eateries nearby are Miss Marple’s Tea Rooms, Cafe de Beaumarchais, The BlackKettle, and Fortnums...