A new kid on the Victoria Street block,
Little Big Sugar Salt (385 Victoria Street, on the Abbotsford side) seems out of place. Hey, I'm not going to lament another cafe within walking distance of mine, and I'm all for diversity. I'm hoping its arrival heralds the start of a subconscious social upgrade to the notorious drug centre of Melbourne. I don't always feel safe walking around the area, and believe a few classier shops and restaurants could raise help the bar. Upgrades to the
Hive shopping centre and
The National pub are also steps in the right direction, IMHO. But more on that another day. Maybe a rainy one.
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| Let's season the shit outta this |
Fortunately, it seems LBSS has classy in the hand. Once you wrap your head around the name (c'mon guys, it may sound cool, but dayum, it's a mouthful), and associate the rather vague "LBSS" fluoro script on the corner of the building with the cafe you're actually trying to find, you can begin your transition into the hip new state of being: a Victoria Street hipster. (HA! did you ever hear of such a strange thing?)
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| Why yes, that is why I came! |
The cool bit about this joint is its inherent coolness. An obvious statement, perhaps, but you'll know what I mean when you go.
The staff? - Sure, they're nice.
Interior design? - Yep, funky. All good.
Food? - Tasty. Trying to be kinda clever.
Coffee? - Pretty decent, on the whole.
Menu / website / little touches? - FRICKIN' AWESOME.
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| Menuness |
Seriously, I enjoyed the menu SO much. (It's also on their website.
Check it out for more detail.) Politically correct... yeah, not so much. If you're a sensitive type - about say, drugs, or Nazism, or meat - you may find something on there offensive. Recent tongue-in-cheek signage by the cafe, likening coffee to heroin,
did not go down well with locals (keep in mind this is from the ever-sensationalist Herald Sun). LBSS stepped up to the mark and decently apologised. Me? I like that kinda stuff. <shrugs>
Example:
"NO DECAF. Just don't drink coffee." Well -- quite.
Word on the street is this place is owned by non-hospo types, but more designery/writery/tradie types. Well, that explains the coolness.
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| Sound station |
The coffee is Kiwi in origin (
Peoples Coffee), and luckily the chef knows some stuff, so the food is edible, and - thanks to the awsballz menu - fun to choose. The idea is there's not a lot on offer, but something to suit most desires, or combinations thereof.
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| "Hash Cakes" - read: hash, kaiserfleisch, egg |
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| "Scram and Ham" (it's not on the main wheel of the menu, but a little blob) |
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| Housemate likes her breakfast burgers! |
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| Don't think this is on the menu anymore, but it *was* delicious |
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| Kawfee nom nom nom |
We sat in a room with a big communal wooden table (niiiiiiice table) - so big, in fact, that our waitress had to squeeze around it to serve everyone. (And although she was slight enough to manage it, perhaps that particular spacial arrangement is not the wisest move, logistically speaking?) I'm not sure about other 'spaces' - will check it out again and update later.
There's art and stuff and arty stuff. Records, too. I liked it. T'was like someone's house that happens to have a cafe inside and a bunch of really cool shit.
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| Artwork on the cafe's walls |
And to finish on wise words as quoted from previously-stated-awsballz menu:
"Every time you don't throw yourself down the stairs, that's a choice."
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| Roadies |
