How’s it going café lovers?
Welcome back to Cards and Cafés! I recently went to Aunt Billies in Blackburn with my Dad and our family friends Anita and John. Then a few weeks later my Dad and I went back, as we liked it so much. I came across Aunt Billies by sheer chance after driving past it one morning and I knew that this was one type of café.
Aunt Billies can get quite busy over the weekend period, as there are a number of locals going out for their morning meal and coffee kick. We found it really difficult to find a parking spot, as most of the street parking was taken. If you get there before 10am you might be lucky to find in the primary school parking area across the road. If not you’ll have to look down some of the side streets around the café.
We all thought that all the prices on the menu were quite reasonable and is slightly cheaper than other cafes in the area.
FOOD & DRINKS
Aunt Billies have a fantastic menu, with a number of mouth-watering meals to choose from. They have a great selection of both sweet and savoury dishes, that you’ll be struggling to pick just one.
The following menu photos were taken in September 2016 and it might have changed since then.
I ordered a latte and I thought that it was fantastic! It was nice and hot when it arrived at the table and it had a strong flavour and a rich and creamy consistency.
Coffee rating: 5/5 
My Dad ordered a cappuccino and he also thought that it was fantastic.
Coffee rating: 4/5 
After our meal my Dad ordered a pot of English breakfast tea. He was happy that the pot came with tealeaves instead of tea bags. He thought that it was a great pot of tea.
Both my Dad and John ordered the rhubarb crumble, which was warmed rhubarb, apple compote, crunchy almond & oat topping, cranberry and vanilla yoghurt.
They both thoroughly enjoyed it and they both bought that it was delicious. My Dad enjoyed this dish so much that he had this dish again when we went back recently.
My Dad said that the rhubarb had a fantastic soft texture and said that the vanilla yoghurt helped to balance and cut out some of the tartness that the rhubarb had. He just said that he wished that there was more yoghurt, as he said that it wasn’t quite enough.
Finally he said that he liked the crunchy almond and oat topping as it added a great crunchy texture.
The first time I was there I ordered the pancake stack, which was served with salted caramel sauce, pecan praline and Chantilly cream. I thought that they were absolutely delicious! I love all things salted caramel and when I saw this dish on the menu I knew that I had to give it ago.
The salted caramel sauce was fantastic! It was just very rich, so if you aren’t a fan of rich breakfasts, then I would suggest you give this one a miss.
The pancakes themselves were great, they were cooked perfectly and were light and fluffy on the inside and were firm and golden brown on the outside.
I would definitely eat this dish again and if you’re a fan of pancakes, then I sure you’ll really enjoy it.
Anita ordered the cauliflower fritters with Gruyere cheese, bacon, kasundi, poached eggs and almond dukkah. We all thought that it was plated were beautifully and the bacon looked delicious.
Anita seemed to enjoy her meal and she said that the flavours were pretty good. The eggs were cooked well and the fritters themselves had a great flavour and the flavours of the fritters and the Gruyere cheese were like a marriage made in heaven!!
On my second trip I ordered the smashed avocado with feta, roasted cherry tomatoes, a poached egg and pine nuts on sourdough toast. I thought that the avocado mix had a great flavour and thought that the pine nuts added a great flavour and nice crunch to the dish.
I just wished that I got another poached egg as I personally thought that only giving egg is a bit mean. It’s quite difficult to split the egg between two slices of toast.
ENVIRONMENT & SERVICE
Aunt Billies has a beautiful interior; they have these fantastic windows along the one side of the café that allows all the natural light into the café. The lightwood along the one wall looks incredible and adds warmth to the room. I love the light fixtures throughout, as they are quite different to what I’ve seen in the past.
Aunt Billies also have a number of tables outside, which would be a fantastic spot to sit during the warmer months or if you’ve brought your four-legged friend with you.
I know that they are remodelling the café, so I look forward to going back and having a look once they have finished.
The staff members at Aunt Billies are AMAZING!!! They are all so friendly and welcoming. They have to be some of the best café employees I’ve come across and I’ve been to a fair number of cafés.
I really enjoy going to Aunt Billies and as it’s in my local area, I’ll definitely be going back in the future.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT AUNT BILLIES
Address: 184 Surrey Rd, Blackburn, Melbourne, (Vic)
Map: here
Phone: (03) 9894 7774
Operating Hours:
Monday –Friday –8:00 am- 4:30 pm
Saturday –Sunday – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
CAFÉ RATING = 8.5/10
Have you visited Aunt Billies café before? Tell me what you thought of it. Do you have any suggestions of cafe’s to visit?
Comment down below, I’m always looking for somewhere new to try.
Until next time,
Happy eating
-Kim
