Dark Horse on the Brit, Mitcham by Bureaucrat

Having survived a shopping trip at Harvey Norman on the weekend (quelle horreur!), the Lawyer, Boy Chick and I all thought we could do with a little post-lunch something something as a reward.  Nearby, Mitcham was beckoning.  I wasn't in the mood for Vietnamese (otherwise we would have headed to Pho Minh Long) so we wandered around the mall area looking for a cafe.  There's a few on offer, including Ambrosia Food For Gods, but I was lured by the smart-looking and unusually named cafe called Dark Horse on the Brit. 

Middle Eastern spiced calamari with salad  

There's plenty of seating outside and inside.  I loved the wooden detailing around the place, including the framed "window" that separates the two parts of the cafe inside.  With family friendly seating and friendly staff, I had a good feeling about this place.

We've learnt to get food in a flash when dining out with Boy Chick.  So the moment we sat down, we placed an order for a side of small chips sans salt.  These came out pretty quickly and for chips, these were pretty nice.  It's almost as if the chips were slightly battered.  The Lawyer and I had to restrain ourselves from eating all of them!

We also felt it was time to formally induct Boy Chick into the cafe scene.  And so, we ordered his first babycino.  It came better presented than what the photo shows - Boy Chick immediately dunked his fingers into it and then refused to try any of it.... such is life!

Us big kids, on the other hand, ordered some soy chai lattes.

For big kids food, we ordered the Middle Eastern calamari salad to share (see first pic). The calamari was deliciously tender and crisp.  I loved the tumeric tinted aioli that came with it.  There was plenty of salad that had plenty of balsamic vinegar drizzled through it - it was a tad tart for me.  While I couldn't fault the calamari, some of the salad ingredients looked a bit stale.... there were quite a few lettuce and cabbage pieces that were browning on the edges and some of the stuff looked limp.

If it wasn't for the fact that Whitehorse City Council enforces the parking restrictions like a council that relies heavily on fines to top up its coffers (we know this from painful past experience), we would have stayed to try some of the fine looking sweet stuffs on offer.  Oh well... another time.

Verdict

We really liked it.

Mid value.

Overall

A really nice cafe.  We'd definitely be back to try more of the menu.  I love the vibe - it's definitely a cut above the typical suburban cafe.  Friendly service.

Find it at

Dark Horse on the Brit
22 Britannia Mall
Mitcham VIC 3132
Phone: (03) 9873 7169