King Of The Castle - Geelong West

Just over an hour drive from Melbourne, in Geelong, you will find a fresh, new foodie scene developing on Victoria's Surf Coast. Geelong, previously know for being more of a labour trade town, has found new feet as an emerging cultural melting pot of food, beverages and entertainment. One such new found member of the foodie club is King of the Castle. Featuring a newly installed commercial kitchen, the Castle has moved from sandwiches, wraps and good coffee to a classy, fresh menu featuring suppliers from all over the region. You might miss it from the road so look out for the little crown logo, perched above the entrance to what looks like a shed. There's even a barber in a shipping container out the front so you can always stop by for your cut and a coffee! Upon entering you're greeted with an open, simple space featuring plenty of large tables, booths, greenery filled planters and natural light. It's a clever design. The sky light above means there's natural light galore. When it comes to the food, the menu is so full of delicious and healthy options that's its incredibly hard to choose. My choice of the salmon plate featuring crunchy quinoa and potato fritters, fresh salmon, peas and herbs was divine. I chose to add grilled halloumi due to a deep love of halloumi...I won't miss that opportunity! It was so light and the crunchy quinoa fritters are certainly crunchy.  Other options were delicious eggs Benedict on a bed of crumbed ham hock as seen above. The idea of having the crumbed ham hock instead of bread is genius and a modern spin on the usual eggs Benedict. They're generous with their avo as well. Us millennials like our fair share of avo on toast and at King you'll find a whole half of an avocado with roti (something different but very welcome), chilli jam and goats cheese. It's divine and a great portion size. I had to go in for the caramel slice in the cabinet and that was one of the best I've ever had. Rich, creamy caramel, a thick biscuit base and plenty of dark chocolate on top. It's worth noting the Pana chocolate selection is quite vast if you're looking for a more healthy treat although quite pricey at $9 for a small slice.  There are more Vegan and GF options in the menu as well with the Vegan Big Brekky featuring scrambled tofu, facon, grilled tomato, mushrooms, potato quinoa hash ( optional sourdough). There's Korean inspiration with a friend chicken burger with kimchi, Matcha waffles, Korma spiced beans, Thai eggs. It's quite a melting pot of cultures in one menu. If you're like me, you'll sit there for a while pondering what to have right until the last possible second! King is an excellent place to come for a meal or just a coffee with friends and sit and chat for a while and enjoy the bustling hive of activity all around you. For Geelong, this is exactly what it needs to take them into a new era of foodie culture. I can see it happening already and it's very exciting. Stay tuned.... australianeats.com

I am glad that we came here early, when it was packed quite quickly. We were very impressed with this place. The food was pretty unique, also had some nice flavors ... we ordered the Thai eggs and bacon and the Korean breakfast. Tried a Frutti Tutti Tea Latte, but not really a fan of it. Grief Grief Not really a fan of community seating arrangements in which a stranger eats me from the other side, lol.

One of the best places where I have breakfast. Good service, nice place with a court. Delicious menu with amazing taste combinations. There are also some bagels and sweets at the counter, which is worthwhile to be spotted.

Great little hidden jewel in Geelong. I came here for a very early breakfast, when I heard so much about this place. Grief Grief The coffee was good, but the food was outstanding. I had the Korean breakfast with the waitress of the waitress and the boy, as I am pleased that I had it. Flavors delicious - it was delicious. Grief Grief Will be back to try some of the others on the menu.

Friendly staff, great environment! Food is great. Had the "warm red-bitet + goat cheese salad" (very pretty and delicious, enough for 1 peep). ????