Morris + Heath, Hoppers Crossing by Bilby Blue

“Best smashed avo in Melbourne” is a mighty big call, but Benny and I have found a contender, believe it or not, in Hoppers Crossing. Not normally a suburb you associate with café culture (friends have been rather incredulous), but when Benny and I were recently visiting out west, Morris + Heath caught our attention. And wow – it totally delivered.

Morris + Heath opened last September and is already very popular with the locals. On the day we visited there was a steady stream of customers eating in or grabbing coffees to go. Just a short walk from Hoppers Crossing station, it is easily accessible even for car-free inner-city types willing to brave a day out in the ’burbs.


Pan-seared salmon fillet

The sleek and stylish décor is a great example of a strong modern design aesthetic. The walls are lined with spotted gum panels, with the same timber used for the stools, benches and tables. Narrow timber battens line the upper parts of the walls and the high ceiling. With windows on two sides, the large space is flooded with light. It’s an impressive fitout – even more so given its suburban shopping mall location.

Most of the menu options are of the ‘all day breakfast’ variety, supplemented with a handful of more lunch-oriented mains. I honestly thought Benny would go for his namesake – the Bagel Benny, comprising BBQ pulled pork and rösti, with poached egg topped with a chipotle chili lime hollandaise and served on a toasted bagel – it sounded awesome.

Instead he opted for the pan-seared salmon fillet – and was rewarded with a truly marvellous dish (see first pic) with fennel, rösti, beetroot crème fraiche, avocado and shaved radish, plus a poached egg. The salmon was impeccably cooked, juicy and pink with a crispy skin, the rösti was – surprisingly – cubed before frying, the egg poached to perfection, and the avocado…. Well this turned out to be dollops of the aforesaid “best ever smashed avo”. Blended with just the right amount of feta, a goodly slurp of lemon juice and something unidentifiable that elevated it into avocado heaven.


My choice was the poached chicken super salad. This was a deceptively deep bowl filled with a combination of succulent chicken, rocket, feta, pumpkin, radish, quinoa, toasted pumpkin seeds, black sesame and a zingy house-made vinaigrette dressing (which had a goodly amount of mustard seeds). A very tasty and substantial lunch. The menu suggested that alterations are possible at non-busy times – if you omitted the chicken, it would make a great vegetarian dish.

The menu includes a few vegetarian dishes, some with optional egg.


There was a tempting range of cakes and pastries available – all except the croissants and Danish are baked in-house. However after our generously sized mains, we very reluctantly had to forgo any further indulgence.

Verdict

We loved it.

Mid value.

Overall

Delivering a café dining experience that would make it a star in inner Melbourne, Morris + Heath offers great freshly cooked food at a very reasonable price. The pan-seared salmon was a knockout dish, and the poached chicken super salad was also excellent.

Find it at

Morris + Heath
13/24-48 Old Geelong Road
Hoppers Crossing Vic 3029
Telephone: (03) 9748 6742