Melbourne is known the world over for its coffee, but why should the inner city get all the best beans? That's what Hadi Chami thought, when he moved from his specialty café on Collins Street in the CBD and decided to open Notorious Espresso in the western suburbs.
Notorious Espresso is now one of the best cafés in the thriving restaurant, café and bar scene in Werribee. It has become a must-visit for discerning locals who need that morning coffee hit from Veneziano Coffee Roasters.
It's not just the coffee that will remind you of inner Melbourne, though. The fitout is urban chic, featuring street art and an industrial style that you might find at any of Melbourne's most popular CBD venues.
Although the coffee is worth a visit on its own, Notorious also has an all-day menu with breakast favourites like pear-and-coconut bircher muesli with figs, housemade granola, raspberry-coconut yoghurt, freeze-dried raspberries, mint and basil oil. Of course, no self-respecting Melbourne café would be without smashed avo, and Notorious's comes on multigrain bread with pomegranate, feta, toasted nuts and seeds, mint and dukka. And of course you can add poached eggs.
After something a bit more indulgent? How do golden Kit Kat hotcakes sound? They're buttermilk hotcakes with buckwheat clusters, Kit Kat Gold, seasonal berries, Oreo crumble and caramel sauce. Oh, and ice cream. Of course there's ice cream.
There are also savoury items like lamb and cauliflower hash (slow-roasted lamb shoulder with kipfler potato hash, charred corn and peas, kale, pomegranate, dukka, tahini yoghurt and fried egg on toasted sourdough); a wellness bowl full of brain power-boosting goodies like avocado and smoked salmon (you can swap that out for falafel if you're feeling plant powered), edamame and chickpeas; and shakshuka baked eggs with lots of veggies.
The café is open until 4pm, and the menu is served all day, so feel free to get amongst traditional breakfast foods after noon. In the mood for something more substantial? Try the Jamaican jerk chicken salad, with kale, crispy chickpeas, ancient grains and good-for-you produce like kale, pomegranate and purple cabbage. Too healthy? There's also a fried chicken burger with harissa aioli and melted cheese, and yes, it comes with fries.
There's also a kids' menu available, so it's a great lunch or breakfast spot for the whole family.