Review: Syndicate Room, Sandringham

The Overview…

Syndicate Room is Sandringham’s brand new eatery, less than 5 mins drive from Southland. It’s location is a little inconspicuous – although the constant stream of take out coffee customers show it’s already building a strong reputation.

The Details…

The decor is crisp and modern, a perfect fit for the newer style space. Parking is a little limited but you can park on nearby streets if you need to. Service is friendly and it was lovely to see that despite its relative newness staff were building up a good rapport with regulars.

The food was wonderful, little works of art. We went for a taro themed meal but this is by no means their only choice, there’s a lot of great options – including more traditional brunch plates and a deli counter of sandwiches and the like if you prefer. Both our dishes were very different, the butter milk pancakes had a really subtle hint of taro. Topped with home made ice cream and matcha soil these were a real treat, with a generous serve and great range of fresh fruit. My panna cotta was a much stronger flavour and the taro really was designed to be the hero of the dish. I love those savoury sweet (think sweet potato) Asian flavours and it contrasts nicely with the fruit and fresh crunch granola. I was amazed how big this dish was – much bigger than it looks. It’s a really healthy, filling breakfast. The presentation of both dishes was spectacular and blew us both away. Such care had gone into them, we almost didn’t want to ruin them.

If you don’t fancy going for a taro themed breakfast I would highly recommend trying the taro freakshake before you leave. Not only is it an Instagram gem, it’s creamy, the flavour doesn’t overwhelm and it comes topped with sour straps – amongst other goodies! For a taro lover it’s a must, and for a taro newbie it’s a fun way to try this emerging flavour which looks to be a trend of 2018.

Syndicate Room certainly aren’t scared of creativity and other than the decor you don’t feel like you’re walking into a new cafe. They serve well-rounded, interesting dishes any Melbourne cafe would be proud of. If you’re not giving this place a try on your way to Southland you’re doing shopping wrong! Thanks for inviting us Syndicate Rooms.