Grounds of Eden cafe, Coburg

Grounds of Eden looks unassuming from the street but step into and admire the classiness of the white furniture against green walls with lots of plants and the occasional playful giraffe (sadly not a live one).  It used to be the Two Monks cafe, which was a nice cafe but this is a lot more fancy.

I first went there about 18 months ago with a friend on her birthday.  We both had the vegan Avo garden with smashed avocado, tomato, pomegranate, kale, dressing and candied nuts on charcoal toast with a slick of beetroot hummus.  I think it usually comes with an egg but not for either of us.  It was such a nice version of avo on toast.  I also had a great dark hot chocolate as it was a cold winter's day.

Then last year I went there with Sylvia.  She had perused the menu and decided on the Iced dirty rose latte.  It came with a Rose & lavender brew, espresso milk and ice with a little jug of rose syrup.  Sylvia loved it though she was glad the syrup came on the side as a little went a long way.  And did I mention how pretty it looked?  Purple flowers on top and a layer of red brew under the espresso and milk.  Down the page you will see how it looked when stirred.

I chose the Garden of Eden mocktail with red apple juice and a rhubarb and elderflower syrup.  The staff kindly let me know before they served that there was no ice.  There was a problem and the last of the ice had gone into Sylvia's drink.  But I really wanted to try it and agreed to have it cold.  It really made a difference not to have ice.  Despite that the flavours were really good, I enjoyed a bit of fizz and loved the presentation with a skewer of apple slices and raspberry, some yellow and purple pansies and syrup on the side.

I ordered the Whipped feta and wild garlic mushrooms.  It was a very satisfying dish with sautéed kale, garlic mushroom, roasted red pepper, chili olives and fried chickpeas on a bed of creamy whipped feta hummus, plus some sourdough toast.  The garlic mushrooms and crispy chickpeas were amazing (and I am not so big on mushrooms) but I found a few of the chilli olives were enough for me.  Sylvia had a bowl of chips and loved sharing some of my meal.  There was plenty for both of us. 

Despite some savoury food, Sylvia's main aim was dessert.  The Rose pink waffle was calling to her.  It was a cone of homemade strawberry waffle with vanilla ice cream and a beautifully arranged spill of mixed berries and other fresh fruits, strawberry mousse, cute little marbled meringues, and a side serving of chocolate fudge syrup in a tiny jar.  Sylvia loved the mousse, did not feel that the ice cream was necessary and liked the dessert so much that she had it again (without the ice cream) when she returned there with my dad and E soon after.

The menu has changed since we visited.  It is sad to see that the whipped feta and mushrooms is no longer there but there are now two avocado on toast offerings, and still lots of interesting sounding desserts.  As well as the Rose Pink Waffle, you can also order Biscoff French Toast or Matcha Strawberry Pancakes.

Here is a photo of the whimsical giraffe.  Maybe we will sit closer to it next time so I can admire it.  We have many places we would like to try but also ones like this cafe where we would love to return.

Grounds of Eden
350 Sydney Road, Coburg
Open 8am - 3pm daily
www.facebook.com/groundsofeden/