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Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, 9021 2111
My score: 3.5/5
I was definitely living the dream. We’d shared Vietnamese finger food at outdoor tables sheltered from the evening breeze. The fish skewers were lemongrassy and sweet, the chicken bites were fried in an oaty crust, we wrapped crisp pork spring rolls in fresh lettuce, and smothered silken tofu in pickled chilli. Now, I sipped wine while my kids gambolled on the lawn over yonder. They were shoeless, cartwheeling, possibly mauling one another while I enjoyed a perfect post-prandial, pre-mosquito interlude. I toasted my great parenting: the kids were fed and exercised, and with my last sip, I swallowed the thought that upside-down play directly after dinner may be inadvisable.
Jardin Tan is the Botanic Gardens’ Observatory Cafe, refashioned by Team Shannon Bennett (Vue de Monde) into a smart Vietnamese cafe, kiosk, kitchen garden, afternoon tea venue, bar and bakeshop. If you slot into its parameters it can be win upon win (congee with pulled pork for breakfast, duck curry for lunch, afternoon tea with bubbles, chilli mojito after work) but the many hats Jardin Tan wears can feel unwieldy. Sometimes there’s table service, sometimes you take a number, sometimes inside is open, often it’s outdoors only, and if you want breakfast before 9am you’re restricted to takeaway coffee and a croissant in a bag. The Vietnamese concept seems courageous in this high-traffic zone and the spice factor means it’s not great for little kids. I also think the DJ vibe in the evenings is misplaced; this is never going to be Halong Bay.
There’s plenty of upside though: excellent ingredients are ethically sourced (that’s why it’s more expensive than Victoria Street) and bread and treats from Bennett’s bakery at Burnham Beeches are on sale. For me, I’m still glowing from that 10 minutes of peace I shared with a King Valley rose and the sunset.
See their website.
More garden dining:
Heronswood, 105 Latrobe Parade, Dromana, 5984 7318
Wander the gardens, then settle in to eat their produce. The ever-changing tasting plate features seasonal roasted vegetables, picked greens and minty hummus. Garden entry ($10) is necessary to dine.
Farm Cafe, 18 St Heliers Street, Abbotford, 9415 6581
Melbourne’s massive but it’s amazing how amenable and quiet it is when you’re ensconced at the cafe by Collingwood Children’s Farm. Don’t tell the clucking chooks about the roast chicken baguette with lemon mayonnaise.
Wombat Hill House, Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, via Central Spring Road, Daylesford, 4373 0099
The team from Lake House also runs a gorgeous cafe in the local botanic gardens. Come for pancakes and coffee, or pasties and pinot, and a perambulation of the gardens. There’s live music Saturdays in summer.
First published in The Age, January 11, 2014.
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