To kick start my 2019 Melbourne brunch spot list I went to the lovely little cafe Short Straw for brunch. The cafe is in a great location, tucked away in a little side street with plenty of lovely stores and public transport just around the corner.
Short Straw was beautifully decorated with indoor plants, strings of lights and a simple mural on the wall. It had a very subtle and natural colour scheme which brightened the space and and complemented the exposed brickwork making it one of the most Instagrammable cafes out there. It was quite busy when I first arrived at around 11 so I recommend placing a booking if you can.
The food was delicious and the presentation was beautiful. From the photos on their Instagram and website I had assumed that the portion sizes were on the smaller side but they were massive! Definitely could have shared my meal and still been completely satisfied. The price for a dish was around $18 which was actually quite reasonable considering the portion sizes and atmosphere. There were also plenty of vegetarian/vegan options on the menu which was a huge plus.
I chose the 'Stacks on Waffles' purely because of the presentation but loved the taste just as much. The waffles were very light and fluffy and were topped with cream, freeze dried raspberries, chocolate macarons and lemon curd. There was also a little jug of raspberry coulis to pour over it all. I was terrified that it would be sickly sweet but the tart lemon curd balanced out the berry sauce and cream very nicely. This is a meal you could easily share as I didn't even finish and still couldn't eat until many, many hours later (totally worth it though).
Overall, Short Straw had a gorgeous atmosphere and great food. Would highly recommend this place and can't wait to come again to try out more of the menu.