Hidden in a row of pretty terraces, lies the best kept-secret of South Yarra. It got us wonder "are we at the right place??" when we first arrived. I even reconfirmed the address of The Lawson Grove Shop when i was directed to a tiny cul de sac just off Caroline St by my (sister's) reliable Garmin.
Lawson Grove Shop is a local shop turned cafe designed by an renowned architect named Howard Ratcliff Lawson. The humble unnoticeable little shop smartly tucked in the midst of the residential area surprised us with the amount of late breakfast seekers that jam-packed the low-ceilinged basement alike shop with much happy chirppy morning afternoon excitement and gossips.
A small shop crammed with long wooden tables and some small round tables outdoor. Nothing fancy about the exterior design but it managed to capture the neighbourhood shop atmosphere.
Being the clumsy and klutzy me, i conveniently brought out my camera with an empty battery.. So i could only "borrow" these interior photos from breakfastout.com.au . These pictures can be really deceiving.. The place really isn't as big as it looks. The other pictures are taken with my Blackberry so please forgive me if the quality is not up to standard. =p
There are shelves of fresh food and a fridge of cooked & packed food are available for lazy cooks.
A concept of residential kitchen (apparently, it used to be a communal kitchen) except that chefs in there are like chef on a cooking show, ready to be watched over at all time..
My morning fix- Latte.
Coffee is good but not great. The smell is not as strong and fragrant as i expected.
Coffee is good but not great. The smell is not as strong and fragrant as i expected.
Flat white
Again, good but not great.
My choice- Baked Eggs. I'm glad that i didn't conform to the usual Big breakfast and decided to be slightly more adventurous this time around.
The Baked Eggs came with italian meatball oven-cooked with the good ol' italian salsa sauce. It was served piping hot on the ceramic bowl with melted cheese.. Carefully took a dip of the sauce and boy was i impressed!! The sauce was so flavourful and blended so well with the melted cheese, topped with the eggs so perfectly cooked from the high temperature.
Because it's my choice and it's soo yummy, i decided to post 2 photos of this!! hehe (i'm biased, i know)
Highly recommend this dish for those who're visiting!! =P
The Lawson Full Breakfast- with the usual sauteed mushroom, bacon, avocado, grilled tomatoes, poached eggs with toasted bread.
Nothing great to shout about.
If you like your eggs to be on the runny-side, you would like this. Plain toast with jam with an extra scambled egg. With maybe just a tiny bit more of salt + pepper, this would be a perfect scrambled egg.
There are definitely hits and misses in the menu. I can see why there are many reviewers being disappointed by the food that they ordered or even the rude services (which i didn't encounter with during my visit). The arrogant disposition of the cafe showed on the board claiming that they "do not alter their food upon request as they believe that they are already serving how they thought it would be best" was quite a turn-off.
I really enjoyed my dish from The Lawson Grove Shop and other factors such as good vibe around the cafe and the quietly hidden spot left a good impression on my first trip. I'll definitely recommend this to those all breakfast joint seekers!!
Ratings:
Food: 6/10
(defintely some hit and misses. Loved my Baked Eggs though)
Ambience: 7/10
(perfect for lazy Sunday afternoon with a friends chatting away)
Service:6/10
(some are cheerful and some seemed like they're having a bad hangover day)
Overall: 6.5/10
The Lawson Grove Shop
1, Lawson Grove,
South Yarra
03-98663640
Open Weekdays 7:30am-6pm; Weekends 8am-6pm
