Albert Park eatery a shore thing for Melbourne’s brunch bunch

IS brunch Melbourne’s most exciting meal? Cafe menus just keep getting better, with more and more seriously smart food to start the day in style. This new Albert Park cafe is among those leading the charge.

IS brunch Melbourne’s most exciting meal? Cafe menus just keep getting better, with more and more seriously smart food to start the day in style. Among those leading the charge has been Armadale’s Moby 3143, perennially packed since opening in late 2016.

So, when its owners, childhood friends Christina Higgins and Steve Svensen, hit play on their second offering in June in bayside Albert Park, the brunch bunch were primed.

Some of Moby’s greatest hits are here — the buttermilk chicken bao, chilli scrambled eggs and the cracking mushroom and manchego omelet — but Lenny’s menu is broader, with plenty of new faves, both clean and green and indulgent.

Executive chef Svensen (ex-Pillar of Salt and Barry) also plays a particularly strong lunch game here, available all day.

DELIGHTFUL AND DIFFERENT ALBERT PARK CAFE

BOURKE ST’S MR CRACKLES FAILS TO IMPRESS

Lenny has great breakfast food and vibes. Picture: Josie Hayden

FOOD

Duck enters pre-noon dining in the form of Duck & Waffle ($21). A duck leg — skin gloriously bronzed and flesh pull-apart perfect — teams with a just-set fried egg and a spongy herb-flecked waffle to delicious effect. With a simple salad comprising batons of apple to counter the rich meat and ringed by a not-too-sweet juniper-infused maple syrup to unify all the elements, this is a dish that will no doubt inspire return visits.

Applause, too, for the Brazilian Beans ($19.50), a nourishing bowl of thick tomato sugo embedded with still-bitey kidney and butter beans and piled with a poached egg, hunks of oiled bread for crunch, and dollops of chipotle labne bringing just the right amount of chilli heat.

Duck & Waffle at Lenny cafe. Picture: Jacqui Wilkins

Like life sweet? Tiramisu ricotta hot cakes ($21) with chocolate espresso sauce, or the gingerbread porridge ($18) with fresh plums and whipped vanilla cashew cream are yours for the taking. Bigger appetites will wolf the rendang ($22) with beef cheeks braised for 16 hours.

For the littlies, get eggs and buttered soldiers ($12.50), hot cakes with berries and ice cream ($13), or a Vegemite and cheese toastie ($9).

DRINK

Warm up with Five Senses coffee and Mork hot chocolate while cold sips include CAPI soda, Greene Street juices, Remedy kombucha and two types of house-made smoothies.

A liquor licence is pending.

SERVICE

This young team is breezy yet well-drilled and capable, from landing coffees pronto to wrangling weekend queues.

Nuts and seeds granola with dried fruits, fresh pear & coconut yoghurt. Picture: Jacqui Wilkins

Confit salmon and soba noodles at Lenny cafe. Picture: Jacqui Wilkins

X FACTOR

Closer to the bay than the bustle of Bridport St, Lenny occupies a gorgeous corner Victorian building formerly home to Petty Officer cafe. Clean lines, high ceilings and massive windows are drawcards here, as are the 40 or so outside seats when the sun’s out. Inside, pastel tones and wicker chairs give a chic seaside air.

As for the name, Lenny is Svensen’s pet vizsla, while Moby was Higgins’ beloved pooch.

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Servings can err on the small side but with cheffy turns and cool combos, it’s $20 well spent.

VERDICT

Lenny has hit the ground running, with dishes high on flavour and enjoyment. What are you waiting for?

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