Third Wave Cafe – multi-cultural delights
This cafe is now closed.
In a crowded cafe market, setting yourself apart from the rest is tough to do. One cool spring morning, Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband wended their way to Prahran to check out Third Wave Cafe, which has an interesting take on food.
Already established in Port Melbourne, the newly-opened Prahran eatery has been going about two months. It’s one of those quintessential Melbourne multi-cultural moments. It boasts succulent American BBQ ribs, also offers Russian specialties (courtesy of the owners’ background) and the chef is Japanese.
A little early to get stuck into a feed of ribs, we perused the breakfast options in this light, bright dining room, a block back from busy Chapel Street and a dumpling’s throw from the foodie mecca of Prahran market. Our friendly barista Paul (see a picture of him later in this blog) settled us in and suggested we take two large dishes to share – the Russian sampler plate and the crunchy risotto hash brown.
The servings here are generous. Gluttonous husband put his hand up to start with the hash brown dish (pictured above). Risotto and mushrooms had been fashioned together as a cake, cut into slices and fried crispy. It was served on a bed of rocket, fried chorizo, yummy semi-dried tomatoes and an intense tomato relish, fried button mushrooms and a perfectly poached egg. It was a sensational combination of crunch, texture, softness and moisture. The hash brown cake and the tomato were both inspired. An unqualified yum.
Greedy Girl had before her the Russian sampler plate, plus a bowl of steaming meat dumplings (aka pelmeni). This is a power of food, consisting of a huge mound of Russian salad, blintzes (one mushroom, one beef – caviar is also available as an extra), syrniki (the thick pancakes made with cottage cheese) and the separate bowl of beef dumplings, topped with sour cream and dill. The salad is rich, richer, richest. A base of potato and peas, it’s loaded with a tangy more-ish mayonnaise but complements the other elements very well. Both blitzes (stuffed crepes) were delightful – served piping hot, the flavours developed more as they cooled. The pancakes are designed to be eaten either with sour cream, or blueberry jam, or both. Greedy Girl went for both and the combination was a revelation. The dumplings were also very good. It was just as well we were sharing – Greedy Girl filled up fast.
Russian sampler plate
Pelmeni
Chatting with one of the cafe’s owners, Greg, Greedy Girl commented how unusual it was for her to enjoy sour cream, unless it had been mixed in during cooking. Apparently, behind only caviar (and Greedy Girl suspects vodka) it’s the Russian national obsession. Greg says Russians eat sour cream on everything.
There was only one thing more to be done. A nice cup of coffee, prepared by the aforementioned Paul – and here he is.
The man behind the machine
A good-looking brew
It was a great experience and even though the cafe was quiet when we arrived it started to fill as the morning progressed. In capturing this moment fairly early on in proceedings, Greedy Girl was delighted to see she’s not the only person in the world who likes taking pictures of their food.
Light, bright dining room
There’s a great many options on the menu but the Russian delicacies proved to be fairly irresistible. The chef, Ryo Kitahara apparently trained under “Iron Chef Sakai” who runs a well-regarded French restaurant in Shibuya. Greedy Girl is impressed with his multi-cultural abilities. She’ll be back to try more.
The Foodie World was a guest of Third Wave Cafe.
Third Wave Cafe
30 Cato Street, Prahran
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