The Premises - Melbourne

I had lunch here today and was impressed with this cafe. The smashed avocado was beautifully presented with three colours of quinoa and a sprinkling of pomegranate...see the photo. The chai latte was made properly (wet not powdered) and it was extra hot, just as I had requested. This cafe is well worth visiting.

Quite friendly staff, and some great breakfast options. Tea was well made, and the atmosphere was great. Oh and the breakfast was pretty yummy as well.

I was looking forward to scrambled eggs, mushrooms and spinach for breakfast. This sort of excess is occasional so when I have a craving I want the food to be perfect. This was not the case at The Premises: the eggs resembled a Greek Fisherman 's Hat and alarm was written all over my face. The waiter explained this was because they were aerated . However, upon cutting into this eggy structure, I found more egg than I could handle. I have to say here that The Red Apple in Birr Co Offaly Ireland does the best scrambled eggs, mushrooms and spinach I have ever tasted and set the standard. Back to The Premises in Kensington Melbourne: apart from the mountain of aerated eggs, the mushrooms were tasteless and the spinach unmemorable. The worst aspect of this meal was the excessive oiliness of the food: I could manage to eat half food (another thing that irritates) as my liver was beginning to act up. I hate waste: small elegant portions perfectly balanced with seasoning and quality ingredients is all that is necessary for a memorable meal. Another irritating aspect of my experience was asking the waiter if there was any fresh black pepper and she replied with a smirk: it 's on the table in front of you. At these prices, I expect polite service not an uppity response. And there it was, in the middle of a huge table positioned behind the obligatory vase. It would have been preferable (as is always) if the waiter simply smiles and oblige rather than comment. The eating public pays their wages after all. This is a popular eating venue however it 's not for me as small is beautiful and polite essential for a memorable breakfast.

Staying just down the road I went in search of coffee. 2 shops close to each other. One was flat out so I decided to go to the quieter one. Fruits of passion. Ended up being the best choice as the next day I went to the other one. Fruits of passion tasted way better and was cheaper. Great coffee.

Went for lunch with my early 20's son daughter. Greeted by a polite young man. We unfortunately chose the worst table in the place, right next to the implement station so waiters constantly grabbing stuff behind our table (our fault I guess, but there probably shouldn't be a table there at all). At the end of our meal (approx 45 mins), we were quite rudely approached by an older Asian lady, whose expression demeanor was very unwelcoming retrospectively rude (I guess they wanted the table). The bill was $100 wish I'd checked the receipt, because (again retrospectively) we had three meals (not more than $25 each) so the iced coffee, long mac marcha ... cost over $25!! I'd recommend or go back, despite the food being ok. I would have addressed the rudeness directly, if I hadn't been with my kids. A disappointing experience.