Giraffe Cafe, Melbourne CBD by Snooze

To paraphrase a major American philosopher, sometimes cafes are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get inside (well, if you can’t read the box anyway). Giraffe Cafe is exactly that sort of place.


From the outside it looks tiny and like many other city eateries. Go inside and walk into the back and its like you’ve opened the box and found it full of creamy centred goodness, with an almost Scandinavian theme to its raw wood and light filled white space.


It was Big Fil and I for lunch only on a cold, blustery, wet day … the sort of day Melbourne is famous for. We opted to warm up with a hot chocolate and I think I’ve found a new best place to go to. Mine was a bit more expensive than usual at $4.50 but Giraffe Cafe had hot chocolate with extras like caramel and nougat and I opted for the nougat. Big Fil thought it was a little sweet, but I was happy without the bitterness, and I liked the little pieces of nougat as I drank it. I’m lucky Giraffe is just up the road from work because I can get one whenever I like.


Lunch was also nice … cheap but good. We plumped for good winter warmers with a chicken lasagne with salad and a shepherd’s pie with mash.

The pie was nice, although not large, with nicely browned mash and a slightly oily filling. What really filled me up was the huge side serve of mash. Big Fil thought it might have been improved with a little more butter or cream but I was happy with it … exactly the right potatoes were used to make mash (which I never get right) and the small lumps in the mash didn’t detract for me.


I thought the chicken lasagne was a little dry … but that might just be saying more about my love of béchamel sauce (of which there wasn’t really any) than the lasagne itself. Big Fil liked it ... appreciating the balance between the pasta, cheese and other ingredients.


By this stage I was well and truly full but Big Fil (ever the greedy bottomless pit) had to try a dessert. We shared a slice of apple crumble … okay but the sort of mass produced apple crumble you get most places.


Overall:
This might be my new ‘go to’ place for cheap food and nice serves. I like the ambience of the place … it fell on the trendy side but didn’t try too hard. I also liked the mix of seating (tables and sofas), and the café being full didn’t make the place feel claustrophobic or difficult to hear as we chatted.

Verdict:
Ambience – 8
Service – 7
Food – 7
Price – 7.5

Address:
302 Little Lonsdale St 3000
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9640 0889