Last week I had my little niece up in Melbourne for a sleepover. I drove her home and picked up my mum on the way to drop her off so we could have lunch on the way. We stopped at Uforic Cafe on the highway to Torquay. My mum had told me that the cafe had difficulty when there were roadworks on the highway last year so we wanted to support them.
Sylvia and her cousin had already had a swim in Melbourne and some food afterwards as I was worried that they would be grumpy if we waited too long for lunch. They were a bit restless so I took them outside for a walk.
We didn't stay out too long as it was a chilly winter day with a cold wind whipping around us. It didn't seem the best time of year to view the garden because the rose bushes had been pruned back into twiggy stumps. I would love to see the garden in bloom during the warmer months.
The girls ordered milkshakes and scones. I was pleased to be offered a choice of children's size milkshakes. Sylvia found her caramel one too sweet but the two girls managed to finish the chocolate milkshake between them.
The scones were soft and fresh. The girls ate them quickly. My mum tried some of the raspberry jam on a piece of her bread and pronounced it to be excellent. (She is rather fussy about jam.) The only thing I found a little strange was that the cream was pouring consistency rather than whipped but Sylvia seemed to like it.
As the scone were part of a devonshire tea that came with a cup of tea. So my mum had the tea with her cassoulet. She was very satisfied. I noticed that they had a selection of loose leaf teas, as well as jams and chutneys to purchase in the provodore section.
I ordered the Avo Smash. It was far more impressive than most avo smashes I have had. The avocado, tomato, spinach and goats cheese were served on a house made pumpkin polenta and poppy seed loaf and drizzled with caramelised balsamic vinegar. I really liked the bread, which was gluten free and was lighter than regular toast.
We really enjoyed our lunch. The food was delicious and the cafe had a welcoming ambiance with friendly staff, a pile of interesting reading and bright modern decor. The cafe is next door to a garden centre. My mum and I decided we need to make more time on the next visit so we can have some time to browse. Finally, I was interested to
read about Uforic and how it grew out of a food blog.
Uforic Food Cafe
Shop 3, 1135 Surf Coast Highway, Mt Duneed
[The highway between Geelong and Torquay]
(03) 5264 1717
http://uforicfood.com/
pumpkin polenta loaf sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cate - it is a lovely bread
Deletelove love love avo smashes!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa - I love avo smashes but really love ones that are a bit different and then was really good with the bread and extra vegies
DeleteIt grew out of a food blog? That is so interesting! And Sylvia has really grown! I haven't seen a full pic of her recently. how old is she now? She looks like my niece from the back.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lorraine - Sylvia is now 6 and it often amazes me at how grown up she is becoming
DeleteI'm glad you were able to stop and support them, and even better to have found great food and a reason to return. I'm rather fussy about jam too (I rarely have it, so it has to be worth it when I do!) so always appreciate good versions.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kari - I was pleasantly surprised as my expectations of food outside the cities is considerably lower.
DeleteThank you for the beautiful review on our little cafe! We're so glad you enjoyed it, Joanna. Hopefully you will get a chance to return when the garden is in full bloom. We have some exciting plans for a kitchen garden within the space too - we can't wait to get started. We appreciate your support so much after what was a very tough start - but it's feedback like this which pushes us to keep on going. Apologies about the cream it most certainly should have been whipped! An embarrassing oversight, but I'm glad your little girl enjoyed it anyway.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes and I look forward to promote your blog on our website and Facebook page - a bit of love from one food blooger to another xoxox
Lisa Mary Cummins
Director/Head Cook
Uforic Food Cafe
Thanks Lisa - I hope I will have the chance to return - was sorry to hear you had a tough start but I hope that things will improve for you and I look forward to trying more of the menu
Deletethat's great that it grew out of a food blog, take THAT Martha Stewart (who once criticised food bloggers putting up recipes, whining about testing recipes etc... though I think she backpedalled somewhat). Glad you enjoyed your avo smash, I'm often too hesitant in case I get one with over or underripe avo and soggy toast!
ReplyDeleteThanks Faye - I love seeing the directions food blogs take people's lives. I find the the avo smashes are usually nicely ripe but I am fussy about the toast the goes with it.
DeleteI love the look of the scones; they look really good. How wonderful you found such a good cafe xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Charlie - the scones were very nice - not that I got much of a nibble because they girls were enjoying them
DeleteOoo your avo smash does sound good! Love that they used homemade bread - that makes all the difference!
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne - the home made bread made it quite different to most avo smashes
DeleteWhat a cute café! I love the idea of child-sized milkshakes, it's the size I would prefer to order for myself ;p
ReplyDelete