Brunching with the Hendriks

Location:
105/107 White St
Mordialloc

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri: 7am – 4pm
Sat – Sun: 7am – 4pm
*note Hendriks is closed weekend of the 26-28th Feb ’16
**kitchen closes at 3pm

Coffee: Coffee Bird

Miss SL:
“The first thing you need to know about my visit to Hendriks Cafe is all about me … I spent my youngest childhood years moving from suburb to suburb, school to school, until my mother could afford to buy her very own place in an up-and-coming suburb called Mordialloc. My Mum’s small house, placed a street back from Beach Road, still looks much as it ever did but is now literally worth six times as much as it was when we moved in. I have watched as the demographic shifted from those in their fifties to yuppie couples in their twenties and thirties. As the suburb evolved, run down milk bars have become new apartments and hip eateries. Despite this, even as the brunch craze became bigger and bigger across Melbourne, the options in Mordialloc remained fairly stagnant. Station Street Cafe attempted to fill the gap and did an okay job (and have a very cool bar attached to it), but the coffee void still remained, until now.

Hendriks Cafe operates on White Street and attracts quite a crowd. I noticed it in the later months of last year, when I was on my way to my brother’s house. On a street where there is not much other than some factories and a golf course; it’s hard not to notice the buzz of activity around a black and cafe perched on the side of the road, bringing me to today’s review.

G and I arrived on a semi-sunny Saturday at peak brunch hour – 11am – and managed to get a seat straight away at a high top bench. The staff were ultra friendly, taking our orders and even offering us a table as it became available.

The space here is quite beautiful and hip without feeling contrived. The space feels young and energetic.

The ceiling is exposed, painted black, and is furnished with gorgeous hanging brass lights, medium grain timber with black linings and polished concrete floors to boot. There is a small outdoor seating space for those with pups or prams and, most interestingly, a good chunk of the main ‘wall’ near the barista station is indeed not a wall – but an open area that, for today’s visit, was sealed with plastic covering. Imagine this open on a beautiful hot day though!

The cafe comes with quite a list of references from owners Lee Eman and Chloe Dam. Eman was head barista at The Merchant’s Guild (coffee, check!), chef Adam Owens showcases his experience from Miss Jackson and Axil Coffee Roasters and Tom Croswell, who recently did a stint out at MONA. Wow!

My double espresso was heavenly on first sips- it was sweet and had hints of toffee and orange flowing through it. I’ve never heard of Coffee Bird but damn, they do a good job!

I also got greedy and ordered G and I a Blackforest Milkshake [freakshake ~$5-8] to share – and it was so worth it. A thin slice of Blackforest cake sat atop the mug, topped with cream and a cherry. What I really enjoyed about this milkshake was the high quality chocolate used to make it.

The food here was served ultra quick – I’m talking less than 10 minutes!

My Bircher – apple and cranberry Bircher with stone fruits and green smoothie [$13] was really unique with the experience of combining the bircher with the green smoothie. The smoothie itself was sweet with hints of coconut water, cucumber and some banana, while the Bircher was creamy, smooth and not overly sugary-sweet. The combination of the two however, leads to a sweet explosion that was followed through with a creaminess that somehow works.

G’s Whiskey hotcakes- whiskey infused maple syrup, bacon and pecan praline [$18] was so tasty. The hotcakes were huge – a small lady’s thumb in height – and sugary; but the bacon, pecans and syrup somehow work in a combination that wasn’t over the top. The bacon was perfectly balanced – it was crispy while not being bitter. G described it as “candied”, which I thought was bang on.

Overall we thought Hendriks was a total find. It is a brunch oasis in the deeper south eastern suburbs and definitely worth travelling to visit. Everything about this venue was on point, without alienating a single person. The menu is accessible yet exciting, the coffee was fantastic and the freakshakes delivered some serious freak!”

Final thought: “A must visit cafe that will exceed your expectations”