Howdy Café Lovers!
Welcome back to Cards and Cafés! Late last year I went to Friends of Mine in Richmond with my good friend Beth. I happened to drive past the café one day; it looked so inviting from the outside that I knew I had to add it to my list and go and visit it sometime.
We both really enjoyed our time there and thought that it had a fantastic atmosphere and lots of great choices on their menu. It was pretty easy to find, but we found that parking was a bit of a struggle, especially on a Saturday morning. So I would suggest you look down the side streets around then café, but keep in mind that there are a lot of restricted parking areas, so make sure you keep an eye on the time to avoid getting a fine.
FOOD & DRINKS
Friends of Mine has quite a lengthy menu, with a lot of fantastic breakfasts to choose from, as well as some mouth-watering lunches. They have also got a great selection of teas, smoothies and juices, and some cheeky cocktails to treat yourself to.
The following menu photos were taken in December and might have changed since then.
I ordered a cappuccino, which came to the table quite quickly after ordering. I thought that it was an average coffee; it had a good flavour and a rich consistency, but it was slightly cold when it arrived at the table.
Coffee rating: 3/5 
Beth ordered a chai latte; she also thought that it was pretty average and that it wasn’t any different to other chai’s that she’s had at other cafés.
Chai rating: 3/5
Beth ordered the eggs benedict, with slow cooked pulled pork with champagne poached apple and perfectly poached eggs on toasted sourdough, topped with apple cider hollandaise and maple bacon crumble.
Seriously, just typing this out makes my mouth water. As a big eggs benedict fan, this dish sounds delicious and I’m glad that one of us got this dish. We both thought that it looked fantastic when it arrived at the table. The yellow of the hollandaise sauce against the golden brown of the toast and the green of the herbs looked incredible.
Beth said that this was a fantastic dish and that all the flavour combinations worked perfectly together. The eggs were cooked pretty well, as she loves watching the yolk run across the plate when she cuts into them. The pulled pork had a great flavour and was quite tender and easy to eat.
She also said that the champagne poached apple was quite unique and that it worked perfectly with the pork.
The only thing that she didn’t like about the dish was the sourdough toast, as she found it quite difficult to cut and found that her food would fall off the toast.
I ordered the toasted homemade banana bread with maple syrup mascarpone, macerated berries and pistachios. I thought that it looked amazing!! I loved the bright red of the berries against the golden brown of the banana bread and the green of the pistachios.
I thought that the banana bread was very moist and loved that it was toasted, as I enjoyed the slight crunch against smooth mascarpone. I also thought that the berries brought a slight sweetness to the dish, with all flavours marrying together perfect.
ENVIRONMENT & SERVICE
There are a number of tables both inside and outside, so I’m sure you’ll find a table to sit at. As I always recommend, try and get there before 10 am over the weekend period to avoid having to wait for a table. But if you have to wait for a spot at this café, I can guarantee it will be worth it.
The employees at Friends of Mine are so friendly and welcoming and make you feel as if you are a friend of theirs! They greet you with a warm smile and a hearty hello as you walk in.
I loved the yellow theme within Friends of Mine and thought that it made the place feel warm. I loved the exposed white washed brick wall against one side of the café. I felt that it gave the café such character, but still made it feel clean.
We both thought that the café had a very relaxed atmosphere and we didn’t feel like we were being rushed out to make room for the next group. We felt that we could sit there and drink coffee and chat without the need to rush off.
The only thing that I didn’t like about the café was the fact that the tables were so small. Everything was squished on the table and it felt like a game of Tetris.
We both loved our time at this café and would definitely come back and recommend it to others.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT FRIENDS OF MINE
Address: 506 Swan St, Richmond, Melbourne, (Vic)
Map: here
Phone: (03) 9428 7516
Facebook: here
Website: here
Operating Hours:
Monday –Friday –7:00 am- 4:00 pm
Saturday –Sunday – 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
The kitchen closed at 3pm each day
CAFÉ RATING = 8.5/10
Have you visited Friends of Mine 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
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