Drip Cafe serves cornflake crusted creation that’s the talk of Cheltenham
How do you like your french toast? How does a soft, buttery brioche bread coated in cornflakes sound? Finish with rosewater syrup and vanilla bean ice cream and you’ve got a brunch that’s the talk of Cheltenham. Here’s where to try it this weekend.
Inner East
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Hop in the car, zoom down the Nepean Highway and take a turn behind Southland shopping centre for your next suburban brunch destination.
Cheltenham’s trendy new cafe Drip is run by husband and wife Ali and Hannah El-Halabi, whose food with Middle Eastern flair has been luring folks bayside since March.
Why the fuss? The hot tip is the knafeh french toast ($18).
A crunchy cornflake armour wraps puffy brioche bread that’s stuffed with a delicate semolina custard.
It’s drizzled with sweet rosewater syrup, pistachio crumbs and a smattering of fresh berries for a Lebanese dessert twist on the traditional breakfast treat.
The El-Halabis took learnings from their first cafe, Poncho in Bentleigh East (that they’ve since sold), and this time haven’t appointed a head chef, allowing them to control the cafe’s food direction.
The couple brainstorm brunch ideas that are later created by the kitchen.
The practice appears to be working, with an all-day menu packed with cafe favourites of savoury, sweet and vegetarian tastes.
You’ll find staples like smashed avocado, eggs on toast and porridge, along with food that plays on the owners’ Lebanese heritage.
Take the warming Middle Eastern-inspired baked eggs ($19.50).
Two eggs are softly cooked among a cumin-spiced pool of chickpeas, black beans, chorizo and tomatoes. Persian feta chunks add creaminess, while pomegranate seeds detonate zingy flavour bombs with each mouthful. Mop up with a side of sesame seed-crusted toast and it’s a winner this winter.
Add colour to the mix with one of Drip’s health-conscious drinks, like the green smoothie made with matcha, spinach, banana and avocado.
There’s also bottled cold-pressed juices, herbal and black teas, and milkshakes.
Service is seamless despite the Sunday rush. Staff effortlessly seat customers, serve coffee and ferry orders from the kitchen in good time.
You’ll find the cafe — named after the drip style of coffee — brightening a suburban shopping strip with its striking royal-blue colour scheme teamed with white walls and clean timber finishings evoking The Hamptons.
A sleek, functioning floorplan was another lesson the El-Halabis took from Poncho, so there’s plenty of room to move at their 80-seater.
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Pull up a stool at the window or lob onto the front room’s large tan-coloured communal table, while mums and bubs with prams have room to dine at the spacious two-seater tables.
There’s also a sun-drenched, plush navy cushion bench in the front room perfect for solo diners.
The owners hope to one day host cocktail functions in their huge rear courtyard but for now the space works as a breezy outdoor dining option.
Like at Poncho, Inglewood coffee remains on the machine. Enjoy the single origin bean (with or without milk) paired with the delicious knafeh french toast for a brunch worth hurtling down the highway for.
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