In Short: Melbourne-quality cafe experience in a quaint seaside setting. Health focused food offerings, with an eye on quality ingredients.
Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is one of this country’s most varied and beautiful regions. Its handy proximity to the foodie hub of Melbourne has meant that gastronomic influence is well entrenched as Melburnians expect only the best in their café visits while on weekend Peninsula sojourns.
Store Fifteen cafe, nestled in the vibrant main street of the bustling beachside town of Mornington, brings all the best attributes of accomplished Melbourne cafes to the seaside, and does it with a focus on healthy, quality driven taste experiences.
We pull up a stool right in the heart of Store Fifteen’s warm and industrial inspired aesthetic and soak up the buzz of the kitchen. Store Fifteen café is clearly a favourite of the locals in the know, and those for a palate attuned to top flight coffee. The cappuccino, carefully crafted from one of Melbourne’s best roasters Dukes, is bursting with bold but smooth flavours of milk chocolate and cherry. To find a cup of the good stuff of such quality this far from a major city is a real accomplishment. The barista at Store Fifteen gets a tip of the hat!
Smashed Pea Toast on organic light rye might seem pretty straight forward, but these mountains of mouth-watering flavours and textures are a real surprise. The smooth mushed peas are accented by stunning roast beetroot hummus and expertly prepared pepita pesto zucchini noodles.
The Nourish Bowl is exactly that, a bowl of goodness that features a satisfying house made toasted superseed roll, vegan chilli kimchi, pepita pesto zoodles, and beetroot cashew cheese dip. A little dollop of that killer beetroot dip on a bite of the superseed roll and I was in heaven.
Time for another drinkies, so let’s see how the chai holds up against the perfect cup of coffee. The Chai Latte is sweetened with Australian bush honey and the brilliantly bold and spicy notes from the chai are a welcome change from the weakling substitutes one usually endures in most cafes. Kudos for conjuring up a real chai with genuine flavour and complexity.
Wrapping up our brunch bounty is the Breakfast Board. Store Fifteen café is skilled at the theatre of purposeful presentation and the Breakfast Board attests to that. Built from a selection of a mini acai bowl, a shot of green hydrator smoothie, and your choice of one of Store Fifteen’s toastie favourties, this decadent and healthy display is a joy to devour. The acai bowl is a special highlight in its fruity freshness that adds a sweet contrast to the savoury toast selection. The green hydrator only boosts the nourishing experience and we could easily drink it by the mugful.
Store Fifteen café in Mornington makes us realise how mature the Australian café culture has become. It’s genuine mission to deliver wholesome and deliciously sophisticated café offerings paired with outstanding coffee is a testament to why Australia is a benchmark, and all this available in the idyllic seaside setting of one of our most beautiful regional destinations.
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