Miss Frank's, Camberwell by Bureaucrat

We needed a treat.  In the past week I had uprooted myself to dog-sit two high-maintenance doggies (such is life).  Anyone who's looked after dogs will know the wracking guilt you feel when you try valiantly to eat your meal in peace but you have these cute, pleading eyes and wagging tails imploring you to share your meal with them.

Grilled field mushroom burger

Having had enough of feeling guilty each time we ate, the Lawyer and I went to a local cafe, Miss Frank's.  Miss Frank's is a slick but friendly cafe with nary a hipster in sight.  The functional, grey cement exterior belies the warmth and homely vibe inside.

The space is sort of split up in two.  The first bit is where you pay and get your takeaway items - with polished cement floors, shiny white tiles, posters and a neat array of goods line the walls.

The dining area is in the second area, with individual tables and a large communal table.  For a mid-week, late lunch, the place had quite a few tables occupied, with more people coming in for a snack or coffee.

Feeling the need to be healthy, I ordered the berry blitz - mixed berries, apple juice and baby spinach ($7) while the Lawyer got a latte.  I quite enjoyed the berry blitz as it had no iced (but it was cold due to the frozen berries) and had no dairy.  With such a dark shade of puce, you could feel the nutrition emanating from the drink - I can practically feel the antioxidants from the berries and the vitamins from the spinach doing all manner of good things for my body.

For noms, the Lawyer got the impressive delux burger.  A juicy and proper house made beef patty w bacon, toms, gruyere, spinach, beet relish and mayo.  It came with chips and aioli ($20.50).  For the price, it certainly delivered in quality and taste.  He particularly liked how the beef was cooked medium rare that had a lovely grilled flavour to it and the fluffy, toasted brioche bun.  The chips were just perfect - a light golden, crispy outer with fluffy inner and the aioli was deliciously garlicky.

In line with the berry blitz, I got the incredibly great value grilled field mushroom, crumbed haloumi, sauteed spinach and caps relish on toasted brioche bun ($10) (see first pic).  I was equally impressed with the freshness of the ingredients and the flavour.  The haloumi had a light golden crumb.  I especially loved the thick field mushroom and the very generous mound of spinach.  Spot on.





Verdict
Food - 9.5
Service - 7
Ambiance - 7.5
Price - 8

Overall
We're loving Miss Frank's!  Those that live in the area are very lucky to have this as their local cafe.  Fresh ingredients, great execution and just very yummy.

I'm a bit perplexed about some of the negative reviews about Miss Frank's.  There was certainly nothing I would fault about our visit.  We're definitely coming back!

Address
Miss Frank's
200 Through Rd
Camberwell 3124
Telephone: 9078 5351