Penta in Elsternwick have saint and sinner bases covered with their naughty and nice food

ARE your tastebuds telling you to smash a burger or be virtuous with a superfood bowl? Clever cafe and Elsternwick newcomer Penta have got all your bases covered.

Pink beetroot bagel at Penta. Picture: Chris Eastman

ARE you a saint or a sinner today? Are your tastebuds telling you to smash a burger or be virtuous with a superfood bowl?

Clever cafes, like Elsternwick newcomer Penta, have got all bases covered these days, offering a bet each way in the naughty and nice stakes.

In a side street off Glenhuntly Rd, Penta has landed on the ground running.

This is no off-Broadway production, quickly garnering a following of locals, school-run parents and order-from-Instagram cafe tourists.

The 110-seater unites five owners (hence the name Penta) whose past ventures include Camberwell Legacy, Collective Espresso and My Other Brother in Camberwell, and Temperance Society in Hughesdale.

The menu appeals to the health conscious as well as the indulgent, with dishes that are as visually appealing and colourful as they are packed with flavour and interest. Penta takes bookings, too.

FOOD

The all-day menu goes global — to Japan with okonomiyaki ($19) fritters dressed in kewpie mayo and hoisin sauce, and south of the border with a Mexican Rainbow Bowl ($19) loaded with vegies, kidney beans, salsa and chipotle.

Bagels nod to the area, and Penta makes its own, a filling beetroot-tinged springy roll ($19, below) piled high with cured salmon, a fried egg and, for crunch, fennel, capers and watercress, all fused with a heady horseradish crème fraîche.

The Big Deal ($23.50) combines a burger, fries and a shake on a cute tuckshop tray, with the toasted brioche bun housing melted smoked cheese on a juicy patty, salad and drippy thousand island dressing.

The Nutella panna cotta ($18.50) that’s been racking up the Instagram likes is a good excuse for dessert during the day.

DRINKS

Milk-based coffee is a house blend from Dimattina, while black coffee is roasted by Maker Fine Coffee. As well, get beetroot, green and mango smoothies and shakes including salted caramel and vanilla malt.

Points for the complimentary sparking water on tap, too.

A licence is due later in the year.

SERVICE

Busy times call for good people skills. Penta mostly deals well with crowds. On one visit during a high-volume Sunday we were seated outside, but then totally forgotten about. Coffee on the house redressed the lack of love.

X-FACTOR

The cafe is the base of a new apartment block and while shiny and new, the concrete-heavy industrial fitout and exposed ducting, writing and vents feel a little cold. The open kitchen adds theatre, and love the gleaming white La Marzocco coffee machine.

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Coffees creep up to $4.20 and you don’t get much change from $20 for most dishes.

VERDICT

A good all-rounder with quality ingredients and thoughtful dishes to suit your every mood.

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PENTA

28 Riddell Pde, Elsternwick

9523 0716

FOOD

Mod cafe

HOURS

Mon-Fri 7am-5pm;

Sat 7.30am-5pm; Sun 8am-5pm

CHEF

Nicky Campbell

BOOKINGS

Yes

TIME BETWEEN ORDERING & EATING

12 minutes

PERFECT FOR

Being naughty or nice

DESTINATION DISH

Beetroot bagel

NOISE FACTOR

Buzzy

ONLINE

pentaelsternwick.com.au

REVIEW BY

Megan Miller

PICTURES

Hamish Blair

REVIEWS ARE UNANNOUNCED AND PAID FOR BY WEEKEND. RESTAURANTS ARE NOT REVIEWED IN THE FIRST MONTH OF OPENING