Light Years
132 Camberwell Road, Hawthorn East
03 8658 3534
Breakfast, Cafe, Coffee, Coffee and Tea, Contemporary
$$
Food
- Pixel Avocado on Sourdough Toast
- with Bacon and Smoked Salmon
- Miso Scrambled Eggs
- Matcha Waffles
- Turmeric Latte
- Matcha Latte
The Good
It was a brilliant start with the Miso Scrambled Eggs. The eggs themselves were exceptionally creamy and buttery, silky smooth with a pillowy soft consistency. This was well complemented by a generous amount of flavoursome shiitake mushrooms that were exceptionally soft and juicy. Scattered throughout were the sea noodles and seaweed that offered up a highly aromatic and fragrant experience, which was well matched with the buttery eggs. Contrasting the softer components of the dish were the crisp crunch of the fried bread sticks, which had a decidedly Asian influence and flavour to it.
We also enjoyed the Pixel Avocado on Toast, though it was markedly less spectacular than the scrambled eggs. The execution was flawless, though despite all the hype, the avocado was unique only in appearance and tasted no different to any other avocado out there. The fancier bits on the plate included the chilli air-dried kale which offered up a tough, hard crunch, which was well juxtaposed by the edamame puree, which was airy yet luscious with a silky smooth, mousse-like texture. The added bacon and smoked salmon were serviceable on the most part, though definitely lacked the flare found on the rest of the dish.
The Mediocre
Despite being such a thing of beauty, the Matcha Waffles unfortunately didn’t live up to its looks. Don’t get me wrong, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the waffle itself, which was soft, fluffy and had a nice crusty outer. Each component in and of itself would’ve been delicious, though when everything was combined, the flavours simply failed to work with one another. The bitter matcha crumbs clashed with the sour berry coulis, while the popping candy simply distracted away from the rich creaminess of the dark chocolate sauce. The sheer number of different components all with differing flavours and qualities definitely made for a convoluted experience that was not pleasing to our palate.
The Bad
The Matcha Latte was probably the most disappointing aspect of our meal. The taste certainly didn’t match the beautiful latte art. Exceedingly bitter and with a seaweed aftertaste, the drink was not at all pleasant nor enjoyable.
The Verdict
Being a newly established cafe that’s spearheaded by the ex-head chef of Hammer and Tong, Light Years had so much potential, yet our experience today was unfortunately a bit of a hit and miss.
While the dishes were undoubtedly innovative and rather interesting in concept, the execution of even the most basic items were spotty to say the least.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
We hope to return when the inevitable kinks of a new venue are truly ironed out, and look forward to a more refined dining experience.
Penguineats was invited to dine at Light Years Cafe.