Vintage Kitchen

Overview

It's already been decided. You must go to Vintage Kitchen and you must order the salad. Yes, you heard us. Salad. That healthy leafy green stuff your mother used to bribe you into eating. Now if only our mamas were as savvy as Mrs Kitchen, then we'd all be lettuce munching addicts.

Sitting unsuspiciously in the middle of the menu, the haloumi salad ($13), just as the name states, is a generous stack of squeaky haloumi atop a bed of rocket, roast pumpkin and beetroot, accompanied by a garlic yoghurt and drizzled in a Moroccan dressing. No guarantees, but this may the best salad you ever eat - truly.

As for the ambience, Vintage Kitchen is a retro delight for the eyes. With bold wallpaper print curtains, a mish-mash of laminate tables and chairs, and eclectic wares, Vintage Kitchen doubles as Vintage Closet, and as you venture further in past the tables you'll be greeted with racks of very reasonably priced vintage clothing, crockery, toys and knick knacks. There is no musty scent of days past here, just quality retro goods, fresh coffee, tasty meals and trivial pursuit on each table.

If salad is more foe than friend, the retro kitsch cafe also offers a classic BLAT sandwich, falafel sliders and bruschetta as well as an extensive and almost 'all-day' breakfast menu with smoked salmon, savoury mince and organic banana bread topping our list, and a favourite, eggs benedict with real hollandaise, just a mere $13. Front of house displays rotating specials and cakes in a glass counter case, including a number of tasty gluten-free sweets, and besides coffee an extensive range of smoothies such as the banana smoothie with dark chocolate ganache ($6-8) will tempt your taste buds.

Vintage Kitchen and Closet is proving yet again that the 'burbs have what it takes to rival the inner-city chic of cafes and, of course, that you can indeed make friends with salad. Lettuce turn up the beet (on vinyl)!