Monday, February 19, 2018

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras by Bureaucrat

On most days, you'll see a smiling man all decked out in medieval livery waving to passing traffic right outside King Henry Arts Cafe in Sassafras.  I've spotted him several times as I whizzed past in my car - each time thinking that I must check it out with the Lawyer and Boy Chick.

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras, coffee
Latte and piccolo

Despite the kitschiness of it being a themed cafe, King Henry Arts Cafe is a very nice spot for a meal and a wander.  The cafe is set in this large property.  There's a gorgeous sun-dappled deck that we sat at for our mid-morning snack.  Inside, the rooms are beautifully decorated with plenty of seating. 

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras, garden
The other draw card is the gardens - there's a lot of green space, with formal gardens and a more natural, rambling sort of park (there's a walking track that we didn't fully explore).  It's great for young families and those who love being out in nature.

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras, chess
Plus, there's a fun large-size chess set to play with in the garden.

A mid-morning snack was in order, so we got some crumpets, chips and coffees to share.  This would have been my first coffee in about two years and I'm so very glad that this was a very nice cuppa (see first pic)!  My piccolo was smooth and deep.  The Lawyer was equally impressed with his soy latte.  Served in ceramic cups, I especially liked the logo that's inscribed on them.

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras, crumpets
For the food, I was impressed that the quality of the ingredients are a definite notch or two above what you'd get from some of the cafes in Mt Dandenong.  Dr Marty's crumpets certainly hit the spot for us.

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras, chips
We all enjoyed the thick cut chips too.  Big and beefy in size and beautifully golden crispiness on the outside, while the inside was soft and fluffy.  Best of all, they were piping hot but weren't greasy.

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras
Rule, Brittania

King Henry Arts Cafe, Sassafras

Verdict

We loved it
We loved it.
Mid value
Mid value.

Overall

This was our first visit and it won't be our last!  A beautiful spot to enjoy a meal and to relax.  Well worth stopping by if you're in the area.

The staff at King Henry's are really friendly and nice - all of them are as smiley as the man who stands outside the cafe in costume.

The only curious thing is that we couldn't find the "Arts" component of the cafe.  There didn't seem to be any artwork/gallery on the property.

Find it at

King Henry Arts Cafe
320 Mount Dandenong Tourist Road
Sassafras VIC 3787
Phone: (03) 9755 2346

King Henry Arts Cafe Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato 

2 comments:

Foghorn Leghorn said...

I've seen that bloke in the wizard costume standing outside the cafe, and had two thoughts.

1. Bad location for a cafe. In central Sassafras, people wander around and check out all the shops and cafes. The King Henry place is in the middle of nowhere, so has to resort to a silly gimmick.

2. It must be humiliating to be an aspiring actor, and have to put on a stupid wizard costume and wave at passing cars, just to pay the rent.

EatAndBeMerryCrew said...

I agree it's not the best place for a tourist / cafe as it's situated right on a bend and it's not near the main Sassafras strip. But don't write off them too quickly. It may be gimmicky but it's the first time I felt actually inclined to stop and visit this place (I never felt remotely interested in its many predecessors that had set up shop there).
And as for the guy in the costume he genuinely looks happy waving to the passing cars - I wouldn't lump him with, say, the glum looking restaurant touts you see in the city.

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