Giraffe Cafe

Having a catch up with two of my good friends today and we decided to drop by Giraffe Cafe for lunch.

Giraffe Cafe Sign Above The Entrance

Hidden on Little Lonsdale St is one of those cafe that you would walk pass it without even realising it was there. The exterior view of the cafe is quite shabby and gloomy and definitely not at all promising. I guess you can say this cafe is a hidden gem of Melbourne, that is, if the food is to your taste.

The Entrance to Giraffe Cafe

As soon as you walk in the atmosphere starts to change. The further into the cafe you walked the better the shop looked. Immediately after you walked in you'll feel that the cafe is quite small with only 2 tables and will start to wonder 'where am I suppose to sit?'. The cafe is actually separated into two section. The kitchen and service counter at the front and tables at the back.

The First Half of the Cafe

View of first half of the Cafe from the entrance to the back

A table next to the window in the front half of the Cafe

My immediate reaction to the second half of the cafe was WOW! this is not what I expected. It was beautifully decorated in a friendly, vintage and homy feel. The second half was decorated with white painted wooden walls with a range of wall decorations. Too long a list for me to mention here. Right in the centre of the room they have a tree. Yes people, a TREE. I didn't take a close look to see if the tree is real or fake but in my opinion it doesn't matter. The tree really compliments the room. It changes the entire atmosphere and it makes you feel relax and at home. I find their selection of tables and chairs quite interesting. I have visited countless restaurants and cafes in the pass and Giraffe Cafe definitely have the widest selections of furnitures. In this case having different tables and chairs definitely work with the interior design of the cafe. It adds a bit of fun to the room.

View of the second half of the cafe from the entrance

A 'Room' separate from the rest by shelves

Check out those tables and chairs
(View from the back of the room)

View from the back of the room

That's the 'room' I was talking about

Does it feel vintage to you?

Love the wall decorations

The tree

The little detail really brighten up the whole place

This place is call 'Giraffe Cafe' for a reason

I find menu really cheap looking. It's basically printed word document with a list of the menu and pictures in a plastic pocket. Had they laminate their menu instead of placing it in plastic pockets it would have look much better and appropriate. They have two separate menus, one for savoury and one for desserts. I find the dessert menu much more appearing than the savoury because nothing on the savoury menu catches my attention.

Savoury Menu

Savoury Menu

Dessert Menu

Drinks Menu

The cafe is self service. You have to order and pay for your food at the counter. As for water, clean glasses and bottled water is available on the shelf if you choose to have any. I ordered Chicken Risotto while my friend Tina ordered Homemade Shepherd's Pie and Stephy ordered Pumpkin, Chicken and Spinach Baked Rice. The cafe have different price for lunch and dinner. 

If I have to describe the risotto in 1 word it would be creamy. I've never had risotto before but I do know what it is. What I got was definitely what I pictured but the taste was definitely not what I expected. For me, it was too creamy and taste a little plain. The parmesan on top was too overwhelming for me. I'm not really a cheese person and I avoid cheese when I can. I only eat cheese if it's hot and melted like cheese on pizzas or in burgers. In this case I don't like the parmesan and the flavour was too strong for me. With the chicken the risotto was nice but without it was bland. The risotto in general was nice while it was hot but as it cooled the less I could eat. The portion was quite decent, enough to fulfil your hunger and have just enough room for dessert. If you like creamy food and lots of cheese then definitely give risotto a try but if you're like me who's not too fond of creamy and cheese then you better order something else.

Chicken Risotto

Very Generous with Parmesan Cheese

Tina's Shepherd's Pie was decent but not extravagant. When preparing the Shepherd's Pie, Giraffe Cafe missed one crucial element of a pie that makes it pie. That would be the pastry. The pie was baked in an oven safe dish without the pastry. As a result the dish taste like lasagne without the sheets and mash potato on top. The salad was average and definitely over dressed. If you like bolognese then Tina would definitely recommend this dish. 

Homemade Shepherd's Pie

Stephy ordered Pmpkin, Chicken and Spinach Baked Rice and after a few bites Stephy found a strand of eyelash in her food and immediately had her dish changed. Stephy wasn't too fond of this dish since the first bite and the discovery of an eyelash in her dish meant an opportunity for change. 

Pumpkin, Chicken and Spinach Baked Rice

The Eyelash

Stephy's second dish was Beef Lasagne with Salad. Unfortunately I don't know how Stehp felt on this one therefore I can't give you a complete review. I do know that Stephy wasn't too fond of this one either.

Beef Lasagne with Salad

To me the desserts at Giraffe Cafe was much more appealing than any of the savoury and I simply have to try one of their dessert before walking out the door. There were a few I wanted to try but in the end ordered Tiramisu. I was surprised that the Tiramisu comes with a shot of espresso. The espresso was a great compliment as it balance with the tiramisu beautifully. The espresso wasn't as strong as I hoped it would be. It taste weak and burnt. Sugar was added to the shot without my consent and I only realised this after drinking half of the espresso. Had I added another pack of sugar then it would be way too sweet to drink. I've love finger sponge since I little, but the finger sponge included in this was a disappointment. It was hard. The packet of finger sponge must have been open for quite sometime in order for it to go hard. For me coffee taste on the tiramisu was a little weak. Had it been a little stronger it would have been perfect. Then again the espresso was given for a reason. The portion was decent but I'm not a hundred percent sure if it's worth the money.

Tiramisu

It was a nice cafe overall. Would I go back? Probably. But next time I will stick to the dessert and drinks menu. The atmosphere was wonderful and the interior design was great. I feel like we had our own little space there because the shop owner did not come and bother us or attempt to chase us out after we finished our food. What's more, they're really nice people.

Giraffe Cafe 

302 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

03 9640 0889

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