Jake & the Beans Talk, Malvern East by Bureaucrat

We arrived at Jake & the Beans Talk at the right time.  It was Saturday, midday.  And we got there after the breakfast/brunch crowd had moseyed on but before the hoards of hungry luncheon seekers descended.

I had Googled Jake & the Beans Talk for my lunch with Beaker.  We needed somewhere that was nearby to Chadstone Shopping Centre but wasn't actually located inside the road-rage inducing fashion capital (I mean, who could enjoy their meal after having to fight tooth and nail for a car park?).


A spacious table and a friendly waitress bode well for our lunch.  My buttermilk fried chicken was quite yummy.  Tender breast fillets with a crunchy crumb.  The sweet potato chips were also very good - big and chunky and it had a nice crunchy polenta crust.  The slaw was a bit of a let down - there was far too much mayo, making it rather claggy.


Beaker opted for one of the specials - a chicken satay nasi goreng.  I was a bit suss with her ordering this dish - I mean, I didn't imagine serving a classic Indonesian street hawker dish as being a brunchy-cafe's forte.  As such, while it looked good on the plate, Beaker left most of it there.  For a fried rice dish, the rice here was rather soggy and was excessively coated in this sweet-ginger sauce - simply put, the dish lacked wok hei.  Missing also was the typical condiments - crispy fried shallots, crackers, chilli, etc.  She was only too happy to steal some chicken and chips off my plate.


We also got some soy chai lattes.

Verdict

We really liked it.

Mid value.

Overall

A nice suburban cafe.  Great relaxed vibe about the place - there's even outdoor seating in the back.  Friendly service.

Find it at

Jake & the Beans Talk
510 Waverley Road
Malvern East VIC 3145
Phone: (03) 9571 6661