Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Lip Cafe

Smackingly Tasty

226 Waterdale Rd Ivanhoe VIC 03079

Lip Cafe on Urbanspoon

Cute menu – but be sure to check the specials board
A lovely 20-minute cycle along the Darebin Creek trail from Preston to Ivanhoe and I arrive at Lip Cafe for lunch with a friend. Great service, good coffee and tasty food.

A cafe with a narrow shopfront, it's deceptively spacious, with seating nooks hidden around each corner, and outdoor tables both front (streetside) and back (courtyard). We claimed a pozzie in the back, walking past the bustling kitchen and observing bacon rashers sizzling in the pan as we did so – let the salivating commence.

Erin, our server, was friendly and professional, delivering table water and our coffees promptly, and directing our attention to the day's specials, successfully selling two dishes from the board. Mine was a Vietnamese Beef Salad – I wasn't expecting the rice and egg, to be honest, but it was a well-rounded and tasty dish, the salad elements crisp and plentiful and the rice cooked perfectly so that it didn't become stodgy or heavy. In fact, it was one of those meals where you appreciate the cleverness of the flavour and texture combinations more with each mouthful.

Vietnamese beef salad
My lunch companion went for the Malay Rendang Curry, which she assured me was delicious (though not photogenic, so no photo here, soz). 

The atmosphere was convivial and relaxed, with just the right amount of busy. Erin almost – almost! – convinced us to top off lunch with something sweet, but we resisted. On our way out, though, I clocked fresh-made biscuits baking in the oven – accompanied by more tantalising aromas – and suspect I shall be back on the bike one day soon to sample them.

Waiter station and wall of condiments
Geometric wall patterns