The Midas touch. It's a thing and the team behind Top Paddock and Higher Ground most definitely have it — in the hospitality scene anyway. Every cafe the team opens is welcomed with awards, seriously buzz-killing weekend lines, and some incredible coffee and food. And one of the best in the family? The Kettle Black.
This South Melbourne gem on Albert Road is a seriously good cafe. The space alone will leave you in awe. Studio You Me was brought in on the design front, and, quite frankly, they nailed it. One half of the building sits in a new apartment building and the other sits snugly within the last terrace house on Albert Road. Nordic design can be seen throughout, with beautiful gold and green detailing. It's light and open, yet the separation of the two sections of the venue makes it feel very intimate.
The food is so good that people are whispering about the possibility of a chef hat in the future. (Scandal, but it just could be true.) The yuzu black ocean trout is served up with a black sesame crust, yuzu fennel slaw, wasabi ponzu and a deliciously creamy whipped miso tofu, while the chilli scrambled eggs with confit sobrasada and whipped cow's milk feta is a super impressive breakfast offering. For a virtuous start to the day, you can't go past the chia, flax and almond granola with whipped vanilla yoghurt, roasted peach and ruby red grapefruit. It's clean eating in a bowl.
In true Top Paddock style, the coffee at Kettle Black menu is superb. Single-origin and filter coffee rotates, brewed with all the time and love top-quality beans deserve.
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