The great minds behind Touchwood are none other than the talented clan responsible for Armadale’s Coin Laundry, Prahran’s Tall Timber, Richmond’s Pillar of Salt and Street Trading Co in Port Melbourne. In short, you know you’re in good hands even before you get a chance to sip on your Five Senses coffee or attack the menu.
The design is minimal: wooden tables and chairs, dark concrete floors, white walls and hanging greenery.
Voyeurs, watch the shoppers of Bridge Road from the window benches. We've got the back courtyard mentally logged for summer when we'll be back for the smoothies and juices packed with fresh kale and celery.
Banana and blueberry wholemeal waffles are an instant standout: four fat waffle wedges topped with banana and whole blueberries, all doused in organic maple syrup and finished with creamy banana ricotta sprinkled with strawberry dust. What a mouthful, but an absolutely delicious one. Avocado lovers: form a circle, hold hands and rejoice. There are two smashed varieties on this menu – one with salmon, the other fancified with beetroot relish and burnt lime. General consensus: number one trumps number two, but if you’re a salmon lover, go forth, we won’t stand in your way.
Dr. Marty's crumpets with fresh honeycomb and maple butter are a must-have for anyone with a sweet tooth. Take note, there are only two crumpets, so bypass if you’re feeling particularly hungry.
The morning grain salad is plentiful enough for brekkie or lunch. A generous medley of quinoa, freekeh, wild rice and rocket is mixed with toasted almonds, chai-soaked raisins and cumin yoghurt and finished with a poached egg. Or cut straight to meaty chase and go for the veal and pork meatball sub. The juicy golfballs are ensconced in a crusty bread roll and lathered with melted fontina cheese, basil and homemade tomato sugo.
Don’t ignore the drinks menu either. This is where you’ll find the huge selection of Five Senses coffee and the special hot chocolate by Mork with the option to add peanut butter. Why wouldn’t you?
Expect a bunch of post-exercise junkies on a Saturday morning, sipping their coffees feverishly to avoid the morning chill. The well-dressed couples, groups of friends and Tinder dates will drift in between 10 and 11, and maybe again mid-afternoon to take advantage of the tempting cakes and slices in the display cabinet. Only if it’s super busy will you have to wait for a table, but trust us, it’s definitely worth the wait.
