There’s nothing Plain Jane about this new Moonah cafe

There’s a lot to love about this new eatery in the northern suburbs and the line-up of old cafe favourites really hit the spot, writes TasWeekend food reviewer Alix Davis

PLAIN JANE

73 Main Rd, Moonah

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 6.30am-4pm, Saturday-Sunday 8am – 2pm

On the menu

Roast pumpkin toastie, $13; the Big Cheese, $18; Cappuccino $4.5; Pot of tea $5.5; Melting Moment, $4; Lemon tart, $9.

The funky, bright interior at Moonah’s Plain Jane features gelato-bright painted walls, original Laminex tables, vintage china and comfy pastel upholstered benches. Picture: Linda Higginson

A fancy restaurant meal is all well and good but a girl can’t live on Clover Hill sparkling and Boomer Bay oysters alone – sometimes you need a pot of tea and a toasted sandwich. If you know what I’m talking about, you’ll love the new Moonah cafe from the Machine Laundry team – Plain Jane.

Don’t let the name fool you; this sweet girl is anything but plain, decorated as she is with gelato-bright painted walls, original Laminex tables, vintage china and comfy pastel upholstered benches. She’s a cheery splash on what was a very grey and rainy day when we visited. Plain Jane has Main Rd frontage, but we wandered in through the back, where there’s plenty of parking so you can linger longer over coffee, cake and today’s Wordle.

Plain Jane’s Big Cheese, which is a 5cm-high cheese and greens pie wrapped in crisp, buttery filo and packed with feta, parmesan and ricotta. Picture: Linda Higginson

We nabbed a table in the front room at the tail end of lunchtime and the friendly staff immediately offered us menus – everything you need for breakfast, brunch or lunch with a couple of extras on the blackboard. I could happily have ordered the lot but there were only two of us and my husband had ill-advisedly just eaten a bacon and egg roll at Ed’s Spuntino (see last week’s review for more details). However, I told him he had to take one for the team and ordered him a roasted pumpkin toastie ($13) while I opted for the Big Cheese ($18). Our cappuccino and the aforementioned pot of tea arrived swiftly and the generously sized pot is enough for three or four cups (good thing we didn’t get half-hour parking).

This is a cafe that knows what it’s doing – not surprising considering the team that owns it has been successfully running Machine Laundry in Salamanca Square for 19 years now.

Plain Jane’s Pumpkin and Zucchini toastie comprises toasted slabs of sourdough which sandwich sweet roasted pumpkin with salty olive tapenade and several slices of mild and melty provolone cheese. Picture: Linda Higginson

They’ve only been open a few weeks and already “the locals love us being here”, says co-owner Josh Clarke. “The customers are really appreciative and we’ve got a lovely vibe going. It’s very chilled on the weekends and we’ve already got plenty of regulars.”

And I can see why. My Big Cheese is a 5cm-high cheese and greens pie wrapped in crisp, buttery filo and packed with feta, parmesan and ricotta. There’s a dish of caramelised onion and tomato relish on the side that goes well with the salty tang of the cheeses, and the silverbeet and spinach give it a (in my mind) healthy edge. The toastie is also a winner – toasted slabs of sourdough sandwich sweet roasted pumpkin with salty olive tapenade and several slices of mild and melty provolone cheese. Unfortunately for my husband, he can only eat half of it – I happily step up and finish it off. I’d also been eyeing off the classic toastie ($14) and while the lady sitting next to us certainly enjoyed hers, I’m glad we went with the pumpkin option. The classic will have my full attention on my next visit.

Plain Jane’s Lemon Tart includes a biscuity base and a light and creamy lemony filling. Picture: Linda Higginson

If that all sounds a bit much for breakfast, rest assured there are plenty of other options, including Machine granola ($14), French toast with mandarin curd ($21) and poached or scrambled free-range eggs on toast ($12). If you’re going the egg route, my advice would be to add a couple of sides like Jane-made beans, haloumi or mushrooms.

An afternoon at my desk looms large, so I get a melting moment and a lemon tart to take away. Everything’s baked on site and there are some enormous blueberry muffins in the cabinet that would also make a great breakfast to go (a savoury option was all sold out on the day we were there).

Plain Jane’s Melting Moment is just like a classic Melting Moment should be – crisp and soft at the same time. Picture: Linda Higginson

Back at Indulge HQ, I tuck into the melting moment – it’s just as a classic melting moment should be – somehow crisp and soft at the same time and it really does melt. The sandwich filling has a slight passionfruit tang and it is with reluctance that I save half for later.

Rather than being a shortcrust pastry, the lemon tart base is quite biscuity, which I am a big fan of, and the light and creamy filling is lemony without being mouth-puckeringly so. I’d be happy to serve these as dessert at a dinner party. Or eat it at my desk anytime.

There’s a lot to love about this not-so-Plain Jane and her line-up of cafe favourites that hit the spot.