The Overview…
This cute as a button cafe is the antithesis of nearby hipster Brunswick Street. Mary Miller is all about great flavour combinations and pretty plating.
Meal: Brunch
Food: Pulled Pork Benedict, Strawberry French Toast, Red Velvet Pancakes
Ratings:
Food: 4.5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5
Service:4.5/5
Value: 4.5/5
The details…
This adorable cafe with its light, simple interior, outdoor seating area and varied menu is a winner for kids and pets alike, as well as keeping those hard core brunching fanatics happy with some excellent food. I think the time we spent taking photos reflects how great the food looks here. There’s a lot of care taken with the presentation but there’s also substance there to back it up.
Mary Miller’s vibe is elegant simplicity. Everything looks good but there’s no sense of them feeling the need to go overboard and there’s a real practicality behind their dishes: they make you go wow, but not “how the hell do I eat this?”. The menu has a great range options for people with dietary requirements and I was really impressed the staff actually offered to make alterations to dishes instead of waiting to be asked. This cafe doesn’t just want photos to make you go “ooh” on instagram, they want to create dishes you actually want to eat too!
We shared the pulled pork as a savoury dish. For me this was the highlight of the meal, with beautiful colours on the plate and perfect flavours: soft,sweet pork, tart apple and crispy homemade rosti. I really couldn’t fault this dish at all and I think it’s maybe taken the top spot for my favourite benedict ever. The sweet dishes just sounded so wonderful that we opted for one each: the red velvet pancakes and the strawberry french toast. I liked how the toast was quite plain, as when combined with the rich creamy ice cream, fresh berries and meringue it works really well. Any dish like this is always treading a tightrope over the dangerous waters of sickly sweetness, and Mary Miller have done well to keep this dish perfectly balanced.
The red velvet pancakes are adorable, and must be cemented together with some industrial grade jam as that stack held up so well while we moved it around to photograph. They were another refined dish, not overloaded and allowed the lovely red velvet flavour to shine through. The portions are a little small, but then so are the prices, particularly the sweet dishes which are only $17 or $18 dollars. Again, it’s about giving you food you can eat. Could they put an extra slice of french toast on there and charge you an extra $5? Sure! Would you enjoy it as much? Probably not! Overall, a great little hidden find away from the hustle and bustle!
Everything else…
Website: http://www.marymiller.com.au/
Visual Menu: https://www.mryum.com/marymiller
Address: 171 Miller Street, Fitzroy North,
Opening Times:
Mon 7am to 4pm
Tue 7am to 4pm
Wed 7am to 4pm
Thu 7am to 4pm
Fri 7am to 4pm
Sat 8am to 4pm
Sun 8am to 4pm
Parking: Although it’s in Fitzroy it’s on a suburban street, so there is plenty of street parking nearby.
Getting here on PT: From the City take an 11 Tram towards West Preston, alighting at Miller Street/St Georges Road. The cafe is about a 2 minute walk up Miller Street
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Mary Miller. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a restaurant won’t change (including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting)