The Overview…
Two Fat Monks is now permanently closed. Perhaps try Pinkie in nearby Ivanhoe, or Cheeky by Nature in Northcote.
From the outside, Two Fat Monks could be any café, in any nameless suburb in Melbourne. It does have some cool street art to draw your attention to it, but I definitely don’t think a drive past this place prepares you for the inside.
The Details…
Featuring its own coffee roaster and central bar, along with a funky wood inspired interior you feel as though you’ve just stepped into a fun beach side bar instead of a suburban cafe.
We were lucky enough to be seated in one of the booths giving us plenty of privacy, however, the creative layout means wherever you’re seated allows for some seclusion and the bar breaks up what is a large space into cosy little cafes within a café, while still offering the space for large group bookings and functions.
The menu is diverse, offering brunch and lunch 7 days a week, with late night openings on Friday’s and Saturday’s. Possibly one of the coolest things (apart from the décor), is their range of breakfast cocktails which could definitely perk up the start of your day. As I was driving, I opted for my usually latte unfortunately, which was smooth and creamy.
We sampled the French toast, corn fritters and pulled pork burger (With a deactivated beetroot bun). The colours on the dishes just pop out from the moment you set eyes on them and everything just looked so beautiful and appetising. The grilled corn fritters were definitely my thing, a generous portion, but a light and fresh brunch. I loved how they came with avocado and beetroot hummus – two of my favourite things, along with a sneaky poached egg and some pickled veg. The whole dish was just full of well-balanced flavours.
The pulled pork burger, with that red bun looked fabulous. The pork melted in your mouth while offering a rich flavour. I wasn’t sure about the eggs benny on top, and I don’t think this would work as a actually burger, but we deconstructed it – taking half the bun each and eating it this way was a cool breakfast twist on a typically burger.
The French toast looked sickly sweet but the toast itself was very light and the sauce was a lot more refined that I expected, with a little tartness to keep that sugariness in check. I’m never a fan of frozen berries, and I think they could have been missed off, there was plenty of fresh fruit to keep the dish interesting. Again, it’s another generous portion, and we struggled to finish this alongside the two mains.
James and his team took excellent care of us throughout our brunch, and staff seemed to communicate well and support each other, which is crucial in such a large space. With the vast options on the menu, fully loaded bar and gorgeous atmosphere, Two Fat Monk’s is not only a great suburban brunch spot, it’s a venue to get all your friends and family together too! Thanks so much for having us.