It’s been more than a month since I’ve written on this space. Trust me, I’ve so much to share with you guys but just really havent had the chance to. Here’s my attempt to write this post and publish it by the end of this week, the date today is 26th April ah. Let’s see.
Some of you might have read my itinerary for my Melbourne trip, so here’s a full review of the not quite cafe, not quite restaurant place that got me more excited than I’ve ever been in my entire life.
I’ve heard so much about the iconic Melbourne cafes like The Kettle Black and Top Paddock; when I found out that Higher Ground was owned by the same guys behind these cafes, and it was just less than a 10minutes stroll from my hotel, I was literally hyperventilating.
Then I googled and found this gorgeous picture of the space:
It immediately became a place to go on my bucket list, not just a place on my to visit list on my itinerary.
The Place
Located directly across the the Southern Cross train station of Melbourne, Higher Ground occupies the space of what used to be a 19th century power station.
What’s so charming about the cafes in Melbourne would be the sheer size of the space they occupy and yet, usually only have a relatively tiny or inconspicuous front. It’s almost like everyone in Melbourne just knows where to go for a good brunch fix. You look at this, HOW I KNOW IS HIGHER GROUND SIA. If it weren’t for google maps and long snaking queues, I would not have the courage to walk in because it just looks like a government property of sorts.
Ok la, it’s stated there, a teeny weeny strip against the vast brick wall backdrop. You’d very likely be greeted by a snaking queue from the entrance of the cafe, please don’t gong gong follow the queue.
Head into the cafe to approach the wait staff so that you could give your name and no. of pax and wait in peace as they will call out your name once the seats are available.
Whilst waiting, enjoy their coffee at their al fresco space.
The menu as follows:
When you enter the cafe, you’ll be greeted by the most magnificent architecture. The entire space occupy 2 levels, with a lounging area which overlooks the entire hustle and bustle of the cafe, a private group seating, and just people who want natural lighting for their photographs. I’m surprised I’m not the latter.
Now, take it all in.
That is just for the first level. Going up the stairs.. I was surprised they actually gave me a choice to choose where I wanted to sit because IT WAS SO PACKED. Maybe they can feel explodingbelly’s aura?
Here’s the top level.
And! The amazing view from the top.
Seriously one of the most aesthetically pleasing places I’ve been in my entire life. All I could think of is how can I do justice to this amazing looking place in pictures.
The menu for food within the cafe, that were either too healthy or too over priced.
The Food
We’ve got their Scrambled eggs dish (A$20, S$20.15), which was sounded super uniquely assembled and curated.
Spiced cauliflower, scrambled eggs, curry leaf and homemade flat bread, which turned out to be like this:
I squealed in delight at how pretty the entire dish looked like! Those purple cauliflower!! The taste of the dish also blew us away with the layers and layers of flavors and textures. Their flat bread was just like our rendition of Prata! Those scrambled eggs were butter and fluffy, and even had sour cream added in the mixture to give the entire dish a kick of acidity together with the light spice.
A very Asian inspired kinda dish and I was just amazed at how all these simple components are being put together to create something with such depth and complexity.
And of course, we also ordered The Dish that propelled the team being Top Paddock and The Kettle Black to fame on social media – the very pretty Ricotta Hot Cake (A$23, S$23.19). On a side note though, I realized that the exchange rates are alot better than the previous time I was there, now it makes the entire experience not too shabby at all.
The ricotta hotcakes were well.. okay, pretty. But it didn’t taste spectacular at all. The buckwheat pancake and grains overwhelmed the entire dish. It didn’t taste buttery like how we’re used to and the entire dish just tasted flat.
Well I thought that the stuffed berries within the hotcakes was pretty clever because it gave a burst of refreshing berry goodness in each bite but that lasted for only just a quarter of the hotcake. I’d probably think that they should add a scoop of ice cream for that hot-cold combination to add depths to the dish.
Otherwise this was just incredibly underwhelming and we struggled to finish just a third of the hotcake.
What about coffee?
Getting my first cuppa Joe in Melbourne was exhilarating, because I’ve heard so, so much about how good the coffee is at Melbourne and how this was the mother of third wave coffee.
It was… Disappointing. My iced mocha tasted just like a cup of watered down chocolate milk, and the latte was flat and way too milky. It doesn’t even compare to the average cup of coffee we have here in singapore.
Fortunately, this was the only place I had really bad coffee in Melbourne.
I still can’t see what’s the hype about the food here at Higher Ground. Would i come back again? No. Should you visit them on your trip to Melbourne? Yes. Ironic but I still cant get over beautiful this entire place is, hands down the prettiest place I’ve dined in my life. To give them credit, the ingredients used here are of great quality, with most being made from scratch. Great experience but just one visit would be enough for me!
How to get there?
Opening hours
Monday to Wednesday 7am to 4pm
Thursday and Friday 7am to 11pm
Saturday 8am to 11pm
Sunday 8am to 4pm
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