I love my life. I really do. I meet new people every single day. I love hearing about their stories. I love hearing about their favourite foods. I love hearing about what makes them happy.
Both at work and outside of work, the hot topic somehow always gets back to food.
Which restaurants have you been to lately? What did you cook last night? Where shall we go for dinner this Friday night?
So it wasn’t surprising when I put out the question on the Twittersphere one day asking for suggestions for new and interesting cafes in Melbourne CBD for breakfast that I was reciprocated with many suggestions.
Some of which I’ve already paid attention to, some I just couldn’t be bothered with (hate queues) and some I just didn’t feel incline to visit.
I wanted somewhere hip, funk, new and Melbourne.
@idreaminchocolate suggested Grasshopper’s Feast at The Causeway in Melbourne.
Since I hadn’t heard about them before or knew much about them other than that they were located at a Melbourne laneway, I was tempted.
So I dragged @thebreg, the Boy and Winston along one wet, windy autumn morning for a visit to this little cafe.
It was to be our first face-to-face meeting outside of Twitter, but when we eventually met up, I felt as if I’ve known these two all my life 🙂 I LOVE NEW FRIENDSHIPS (and also love Capslock).
It shall forever be cemented that we forged great friendships, stories (revolving around Counter-Strike and Adele) and our love of food (not necessarily in that order) at Grasshopper’s Feast.
Finding Grasshopper’s Feast was easy, as I constantly walk pass this little laneway as my shortcut to Bourke Street Mall when I am in a shopping mood (lately, that’s nearly every day! Shhhh.. don’t tell the Boy!).
However for the uninitiated, it’s the laneway that sits between the Walk Arcade (which houses Witchery and Portmans) and the Royal Arcade (which houses KoKo Black). At the beginning of the laneway (from Bourke Street Mall) the entrance is marked by Forever New. At the back of the entrance (from Little Collins Street) it is marked by Laurent. Easy!
It was a freezing sort of morning when we met up. Greg and Winston were both wrapped up in their jackets and scarves. The Boy and I were stuck in traffic for over an hour due to the rain. All of this meant that we were sorely in need of a good cup of hot coffee. As a group, we ordered a few Lattes ($3.50) to go round. The first two had arrived earlier and were patiently waiting for us (SORRY!) before placing their food orders.
Newly opened with around 2 months under its belt, Grasshopper’s Feast caters to the city folks with a fun and unpretentious menu.
Greg was the first to notice it, but the headings of the menu made up a poem and it went something like this:
Break your fast (breakfast options)
Midday Repast (lunch options)
Float Your Boat (desserts)
Wet Your Throat (drinks options)
Isn’t that just too cute?
Having quickly scanned through the menu, I just knew I had to order the French Toast ($11.00) with Caramelised Bananas, Maple Syrup & Bacon.
Having had the best experiences at Le Flaneur and The Reading Room cafes with their version of sweet and savoury French toast, I couldn’t wait to try the version here.
When it arrived all pretty on my plate, I was slightly taken aback with the portion (it was huge!), but happily tucked into it anyway. Whilst the French toast was good, it just didn’t have the slight crispiness on the edge that I was used to.
Both Winston and the Boy ordered the Potato Rosti ($13.00) with Smoked Salmon (The Boy opted for Bacon instead), Cucumber Ribbons, Rocket, Sour Cream & Chives, which I think they quite enjoyed.
Grasshopper’s version is a mash potato-type rosti rather than the crispy hash brown-type rosti which is different from most cafes.
I especially loved the atmosphere of the cafe. It didn’t feel too claustrophobic (as you might at other cafes located at nearby laneways). The large communal table had ample room and allowed us to move around freely without causing too much disruption to others sharing the space.
I loved, loved, loved the concept of the indoor tomato garden lining their back wall. It was cool, funky and most definitely Melbourne.
Service was smooth, with staff very delightful, informative and friendly. I also couldn’t help but approve at the slightly more affordable pricing options of their offerings as opposed to many other cafes.
I can’t wait to go back for a revisit soon!
Hop over here for another summary 🙂
I Dream In Chocolate
*Disclaimer: All food ratings & review are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality at the time of visit
Food/ Cuisine: Breakfast, Modern European
Dining Style: Cafe
Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 7/10
Restaurant ambiance: 7.5/10
Service/ Attitude: 7.25/10
Value for money: 8/10
Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday, 8:00am – 5:00pm
Address:
Shop 13
The Causeway
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9663 8404
Website: http://www.grasshoppersfeast.com.au/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/GrassHoppersFeast
Twitter: @hoppersfeast
How to get there:
Oh I love the tomato plants! What a great idea.
Isn’t that cute?
This is definitely a nice place and it looks very new to me.. I have never seen such things before.. Thanks!
You are welcome into a world of wonders then
It looks like all the food in here is really nice..I think they quite enjoyed.
Yup I think “They” did.
Dear I-Hua
My trip to Melbourne this week confirmed my suspicion that Melbourne has some of the best cafes and restaurants in Australia. I enjoyed Movida and can now understand what all the fuss is about.
http://chopinandmysaucepan.com/movida-aqui-melbourne
I am about to do a post on the original Movida 🙂
Ohhhh hahahaha I can’t believe you included Adele + Counter Strike in your post… Just glad you didn’t put KUWTK as well. SHHHHH that remains between us for on that day ok! But fun day finally catching up with you and The Boy. Thanks for all the laughs (and judgement lol).
Yes, I agree. The ambience of the whole place is really cool. Just the right balance of relaxed and modern twist. Funkehhh… Makan again next time!
Ahahaha Love you guys man.. you’re all crazy!
Woohoo glad you liked it. Shame about the french toast. I love the crispy bits. Thanks for linking my post 😀
It was crisp, but wasn’t as crispy as I’ve had before!
I’ve been meaning to try out this place too 🙂 since IDreaminchocolate recommended it and now you’ve done a post! I’ve really gotta go check it out 😀 I love making new friends too and that the beauty of blogging and twitter ~
I say go for it! It’s chirpy and delicious!
This place looks gorgeous! Love the menu titles too, can’t resist a place that puts effort into their menus. 😀 How cute that you guys got to meet up!
Hee hee hee.. it was very fun to have met up!
I used to think that The Causeway was a culinary wasteland (except for Sushi Monger – love them!) but this place looks cute and worth trying! The French toast looks especially good, even if it’s not the best you’ve had. Sniff.
I know I know.. I’m a french toast snob *pfftt*
Bananas and Bacon! Sounds absolutely wonderful! Must pay this place a visit when I’m next in Melbourne (2 months time). Best thing is this place opens on Sundays – a lot of CBD cafes do not. Plus, Forever new is my favourite store, so, fate.
I love forever new too.. between them and Zara, I have no savings 😛
Ah ha! Another place to add to my list. Been looking for new brekkie places in the city, this is just spot on.
Excellent! GO GIRL!
2012 HAS BEEN THE YEAR OF CAPSLOCK FOR ME TOO. And hey, with you and me, conversations always start with food and end with Disney. Our friendship be unique, Naked Unicorn Ange Babe TAKO MIND POWER!
WHO IS ANGE? ARE YOU ON THE JOLIE WAGON? ARE YOU BFF’S? WAAAAAA
It looks like all the food in here is really nice. Thanks for sharing it.
You’re welcome!
We should meet up with a bunch of other floggers during mid June for lunch! I need to know more about the foodie scene cos I think I’ve been cooking too much for my own good.
Hahahah MICHELLE!!! Thank Goodness I know youo meant “floggers” as food bloggers… LOL… just don’t go calling other food bloggers that.. they’ll smack you!
All photos look great and bright. Love all the menus. Thanks for sharing…
You are welcome~
I’m sold because of the pictures! I’m very far from Melbourne but if I get the chance to travel there, it’ll be the first place I’ll give my tastebuds a dip.
Oh yay! Tastebuds should always have a dip!
Yet another place i’m yet to try! Love the sound of the french toast – have never had that combo but often see it on the menu…must try one time!
Heidi xo
It was the first I’ve had with bananas.. it almost always is strawberries!
Oooo another breakfast joint to add on the wishlist :D. And yay for real-life-internet-friend meetups! Haven’t seen Greg since our psychology days but I hear he is doing pretty well in the HR/PR department so I’m sure you guys had lots in common :). Looks great and can’t wait to try it one of these days :).
Yeah it was a fun catch up. FYI PR and HR are completely different.. I know they sound similar in acronym.. but PR is Public Relations in Marketing-esque areas.. HR is Human Resources in well, Human Resources..dealing with people issues… completely different 🙂
Oh oops, sorry for my lack of knowledge in the area! I’m sure you must get annoyed when people clump them together >.<
Lol… that’s okay… happy to clarify the differences!
Everything seems a little less crispy than it should be 🙁
Sigh… sad crispyless fate 🙁