Cafe Lafeyette
55 Beach St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207
03 9078 9808
Cafe
$$$
Food
- Rainbow Latte
- Confit Duck
- Sautéed Wild Mushrooms
- Pork Belly Bao
- Matcha Raindrop Cake
The Good
It was off to a great start with the Rainbow Latte. The latte art was accompanied by a beautiful array of colours. The latte itself was pleasant and had great depth in flavour. The forward profile was well matched with a lingering pleasant aftertaste.
Our Confit Duck didn’t disappoint either. The outer skin was fried to a perfect crisp, enclosing a soft and flavoursome duck leg that was tasty and full of flavour, though could’ve been a tad juicier. This was well accompanied by a bed of silky smooth scrambled eggs and beautifully contrasted by coarse black rice.
The seemingly humble Sautéed Wild Mushrooms were certainly impressive. Two sunny fried eggs took the centrepiece, surrounded by a generous helping of juicy, sautéed mushrooms that simply bursts in your mouth. Coupled with shaved pamasean, crispy bacon and some crispy potatoes, this made for an incredibly bold and hearty mushroom dish that just kept on giving.
We also enjoyed the Pork Belly Bao. The soft and fluffy bao bun held together exceptionally juicy and succulent chunks of pork belly that simply melted away in your mouth. Dusted with some crunchy peanut crumbs and a beautiful sweet glaze, we found this bun well-balanced in both flavour and texture. Perfect.
The Mediocre
As one of the first venues to feature the Raindrop Cake, we felt that our Matcha Raindrop Cake didn’t quite live up to all the hype. The suitably jiggly raindrop itself looked spectacular, though there was definitely an absence in flavour apart from a light sweetness. The texture was much like eating jelly, and we thankfully found our matcha hit form the green tea powder and sauce sitting alongside.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Verdict
Cafe Lafayette, and particularly the raindrop cake, has been on our to-do list for a long time. We are glad to report that our visit certainly did not disappoint, as their very Insta-worthy dishes not only looked photogenic, but certainly tasted as good as they looked!
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Definitely. We can’t wait to be back to try more of their well-executed, diverse menu taking inspiration from all over the world!
Penguineats would like to thank Cafe Lafayette for inviting us.