The Commons – Dani Valent

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The Commons: Corner Montague and Bank Streets, South Melbourne, 0452 563 569

My score: 3/5

More than a cafe and not quite a village, The Commons is a community hub that turns near neighbours into new friends, enriches local life, and generally sends little shafts of sunlight into its vicinity. The multi-function operation is run by Friends of the Earth in old primary school buildings owned by the local Catholic parish. Visiting here doesn’t feel churchy or hippy though – it just feels nice.

The cafe is in an enormous chamber with high ceilings, tall arched windows and doors big enough to drive a carriage through. The upside is a calm feeling and heaps of natural light. The downside is a wicked draught. There’s a pretty courtyard fringed by garden plots and a play area with sandpit.

Original Foods, a catering company with a sustainability focus, runs the cafe with its simple, thoughtful menu. They pledge nothing genetically modified and lots of organic ingredients including the tea, coffee and milk, and whichever greens spring up on site. There’s an order-at-the-counter protocol so you can eyeball the prepared goods beckoning in the cabinet. Some salads, a messy-looking Caesar among them, would be better assembled to order but others are great: a quinoa salad with roast pumpkin and pomegranate is lively and striking. A cous cous and vegetable pastry is a handy meat-free take on the sausage roll. The sweet options are stellar. I loved the autumn fruitcake with whole chunks of apple and pear and dates that add a dense, rich, molasses sweetness. The pistachio slice is a chewy muesli bar bite that feels like a slow-release energy winner.

The zucchini and quinoa fritters are a really good all-day breakfast dish that makes a mighty fine lunch. Pressed, fried and stacked, the fritters are delicate and tasty, served with roasted mushrooms, tomatoes and creamy Persian feta. Other options include baked eggs, roo burgers, tofu curry and rigatoni with roasted peppers. There’s a small, healthy kids’ menu. When caterers start cafes the service rigor often lags behind the food; there’s a slight issue with that here but it’s a sunny and relaxed experience overall.

Other attractions are a grocery store and food co-op, occasional markets, yoga and pilates classes, an amazing events hall for hire (cafe catering available), a children’s gardening club, playgroups and eco-aware birthday parties. It’s a rich offering and a big boost for what it might mean to live in South Melbourne.

See their website.

More than just food:

Booktalk Cafe, 91 Swan Street, Richmond, 9428 1977
‘Lattes and literature’ are the twin pillars at this cosy cafe which deals in secondhand and new books as well as pancakes, eggs and sandwiches.

Kew Nursery and Cafe, corner High & Gladstone Streets, Kew, 9853 5669
Bring an appetite and a list of garden requisites then tick all the boxes at this bright nursery and cafe. Dogs and kids are very welcome.

Crafternoon, 531 Nicholson Street, Carlton North, 9077 6998
Food and craft both feature on the menu so order a coffee for you and time at the construction or collage table for your little pals. Every Tuesday evening there’s a ‘stitch-and-bitch’ craft session with brekkie and lunch menu available.

First published in The Age, May 27, 2012

2017-09-18T17:33:37+10:00

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