Amalia is a café located in the Beatty Avenue shopping strip in Armadale, next to Toorak Train Station. 5-10 years ago, the shopping strip was almost bare, but now has a number of weekend brunch destinations. This is a local area for me.
Amalia is well known to me, as there have been periods in the past where I have commuted by train into the city and have stopped off there for a morning coffee. Since those days (within the 12 months) the café has changed hands, and I had been hoping to sit down an try it for some time.
I got my chance on a recent weekend when there was no food on hand and I needed to run some errands nearby. I dropped in for a late lunch and coffee. There was still a steady stream of regulars popping in and out for take-away coffees, as well as parking themselves out the front of the café for some sunshine and people watching (although, it is a quiet suburban street, so not much to see!).
Inside the café is well appointed and has a number of cosy tables in various ‘nooks’ of the shopfront, as well as a row of tables for parties of 2-4.
The café serves an a la carte menu, as well as a selection of sandwiches that have been pre-made that day.
I was quite hungry and opted for their breakfast special, as well as a slider that I saw in the display case. A couple of the menu items (chicken burger, steak sandwich) were sold out for the day, which is a good sign that they are serving fresh food!
The special was zucchini fritters, poached eggs topped with a chipotle sauce and avocado puree. The meal was well presented and tasted great. The eggs were perfectly poached, and went well with the crispy batter and filling of the fritters. The chipotle sauce was a winner – I haven’t tried anything like that before – it gave the dish a bit of kick, and it also mixed well with the avocado puree which was hiding underneath the eggs. Overall, a great dish!
The slider also gets an honourable mention! It was filled with prosciutto and rocket, and while it didn’t ‘blow my socks off’ it was certainly tasty and fresh.
I also ordered a coffee (latte), which was well made and tasted great!
The new owner and staff were very nice and had a good connection with a lot of regulars! This type of honest service is not present at a number of prominent cafes. I was personally served well and received this same warm hospitality!
My overall experience at Amalia was great! The food was really good, I was greeted by friendly faces and was able to relax and unwind on a Saturday afternoon (mission accomplished!). Can’t wait to get back to try some of their other menu items.
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