Well Worth A Visit - Cafe au Lait

From the mall looking up

 

Yesterday we went into Bendigo to do some christmas shopping and very quickly realised what we would prefer to do, was to have a nice lunch. We chose Cafe Au Lait, because it was close to where we were standing when we had this revelation, and also because it was really hot in Bendigo yesterday and we wanted to sit outside on their upstairs balcony, something we hadn't done before.

So we headed up the unassuming staircase, which would be more in keeping with some old warehouse than a cafe, and after some discussion do we turn left or do we turn right (there was no helpful sign) we turned right and walked into what felt like a rich Aunty's lounge room. I guess these are function rooms? They were very nice and would be a great place to have a small party, if that is indeed what they are intended for.

great for a little private dinner party

re-arrange the room to suit the event

On the other side of those rooms we find ourselves on the awaited balcony. It's kind of grand, kind of rundown out on the balcony, but we liked that quality!

We ordered soy lattes, which were a bit below their usual standard, but hey it happens. I ordered the Club Sandwich, which the waitress warned me was pretty big, and Husband ordered the Caesar Salad.

It's like a poor man's 'Raffles' out there

While I waited for my food I took a zillion shots of the surrounds, (which I've put on my facebook page)  and then when the meals came I just started eating, no photos! I'm blaming the heat. So there is no photo of the Caesar, but hubby said it was really good and it looked it. Very crisp and fresh with a generous serve of anchovies. He said the egg was perfectly poached, the bacon was crisp and not fatty and the croutons were of a likewise standard. The Caesar is his go-to selection and he said in terms of taste, quality and value it was the best he's had in a long while. Which coming from him is very high praise as he is a fussy fuss pot.

My Club and a disappearing Caesar in the background

So mine was the Club, and as the waitress had cautioned it was huge. I thought it was nice, I might order it again but I wouldn't rave about it. On the plus side the ingredients did seem nice and fresh but I found the bacon was a bit fatty and the bread they use is kind of boring. The sandwich overall seemed to be missing a flavour. Something sharp maybe? I'm not sure, but it was okay, I'd give it a six and a half out of ten, whereas hubby rated his salad as an eight. He said the only thing that let it down was the dressing, it wasn't very 'punchy' which actually was the problem with the Club, no punch.

But it was great sitting out on that characterful balcony and I won't hesitate to recommend it or to go back ourselves.

This photo doesn't do the display justice but they have a great selection of very enticing looking cakes and slices. They also have a number of gluten-free options and they say they can adapt most of their menu items to become gluten-free.

Is it a Great Eat? Yes

Cafe Au Lait

20 Mitchell Street, Bendigo · 

Phone: (03) 5443 5126

their website 

their facebook page