Once upon a time, Kingsway in Glen Waverley was yet another unexceptional suburban shopping precinct - mainly local fashion shops, professional services, a Chinese takeaway restaurant and a cafe or two. Young families and golden oldies shuffled up and down Kingsway going about their daily business and dropping by at the local council office and the library. Nowadays, Kingsway is bulging with cafes and restaurants, and getting a parking spot has turned into a competitive sport in this area.
Shakshuka baked eggs with chorizo and prosciutto
There are Asian eateries (e.g., Hong Kong Dim Sum, The Grand Tofu, Ocean King Chinese Restaurant) and cafes galore (e.g., Workshop Brothers, Mocha Jo's Burger Bar, Yo My Goodness) and even fine dining options (e.g., The Black Toro, The Butcher's Bench and Yokohama Teppanyaki) all located in this relatively short shopping strip.
Extensive range of cakes and crepes and waffles made-to-order
Located right outside the entrance to the Century City Walk cinema complex, Piatella is an European style cafe. With its dark wooden decor, huge mirrors, mood lighting and menu is very reminiscent of a more mid-to-high-end Italian restaurant you'd typically find in Camberwell, Hawthorn or in the city. While I've walked past Piatella many times, I was surprised to find out that it's actually quite big inside and has this lovely ambience that makes you feel like you've entered another world - one that's cosy, relaxed and filled with comforting food. We were extra lucky as our table was in a light-filled part of the restaurant - it felt like a conservatory.
Our 11am booking meant that we were a bit early for the lunch menu (the Lawyer had his heart stomach set on the linguine marinara). But luckily, there were still plenty of options beyond the breakfast menu as the all-day menu has many tempting options. Instead, he ordered the Piatella big breakfast. This was indeed big! It was absolutely loaded with lovely creamy scrambled eggs, cheese kransky, house made potato rosti, mushrooms, Kessler bacon and oven-roasted tomatoes on cheesy sourdough bread. I loved the cherry tomatoes and capsicums, which gave a beautiful pop of colour to the dish.
Beaker went for the Shakshuka baked eggs with Spanish chorizo, prosciutto, feta and served with crusty bread (see first pic). She was very happy with the dish as per her words, it was "filled with meat and not padded out with beans".
I went for the King Towers. While it wasn't vertiginous, it certainly was rich! This was incredibly creamy and crispy and oh-so-yummy but I think it should be a dish for sharing! I especially liked the homemade rosti (made with properly grated potato) with its crispy crust, and I loved the Kessler bacon. The bacon was scrumptious - thickly cut, with a hint of smokiness, the lovely fattiness and it tasted like proper pork (none of this water-injected bacon here!). The dish also came with slices of avocado and a good smothering of Hollandaise sauce which really upped the luxe factor to the dish.
Bubba Chuck ordered from the all-day menu. Her grilled calamari was served on a bed of rocket, cherry tomatoes, avocado and a lemon dressing. She was very happy with the generous amount of tender calamari. The only minor comment here was that some of the calamari tasted a bit under-cooked for her liking.
We also got some beer battered chips.
For drinks, we got some juice and a banana milkshake. I was a tad taken aback with the lurid yellow of the milkshake as I had thought it would be made with a real banana. But it wasn't until I saw these delicious looking fruit smoothies that were being served to the table next to us that I realised I should have ordered one of those instead... d'oh!
We also got some coffees.
There's an incredible range of sweet somethings on offer - there are pastries and cakes galore, butterbings, macarons, vegan balls and even crepes and waffles made-to-order. While we were too full to try any of them, I've made a mental note to come back here when I need my sugar fix. Impressively, there's quite a few gluten-free options available.
Verdict
Overall
Piatella definitely surprised me. I always thought it was just another cafe in Kingsway but it feels more like a restaurant in terms of food, service and ambience. We really loved our food and our time at Piatella. The food was generous in size and also the quality was definitely above average - you can tell the dishes are made with quality ingredients.Service was super friendly and attentive - not just to us but to other diners. The staff are smiling and come by to see if everything's okay. There's a very welcoming vibe to Piatella - while it's more formal than most cafes in Kingsway, it's not stuffy or rigid. There's a great buzz of chatter and given how Piatella was pretty much at full capacity when we were there it's obvious many people love the place too.
We're already planning a revisit but for the dinner menu. There's two dishes that has caught everyone's attention - the BBQ pork ribs and the seafood platter for two (steamed mussels, grilled Atlantic salmon, fresh oysters, lemon pepper calamari, fresh smoked salmon, creamy garlic prawns and scallops, Blue-Swimmer crab, garlic Moreton Bay bugs, basmati rice, chunky chips and two dipping sauces)!
The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of Piatella.
Find it at
Piatella88 Kingsway
Glen Waverley VIC 3150
Phone: (03) 9562 1700
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