Pinkie Cafe

Ivanhoe is well known for the abundance of cafes and restaurants, either on the main road or tucked into side streets. Today my family went to @pinkieivanhoe on a warm midweek day. Designed with an indoor and covered outdoor area, Pinkies was nicely busy at midday - in fact Oaks Day. We sat outside where it was quieter so we could chat and catch up on life. We ordered: Chilli Scrambled with a side of halloumi, Smashed Avocado with a side of egg, chicken schnitzel wrap with a side of chips and a steak sandwich. Drinks were a matcha tea and a banana smoothie and a snickers smoothie. The photos do justice to the presentation of each meal. Prepared quickly and on the table within ten minutes which always astounds me how clever chefs can be. Staff were lovely and very helpful. The steak sandwich was a 3 out of 5 but the other meals surprised us on taste and portion size. Definitely worth a visit and explore the other tasty options on the menu. Wheelchair accessible (including toilets), good parking across the road (3 hours), child friendly, dietaries catered for.

Pinkie boasts some seriously delicious avocado toast. Visually impressive, stacked high and laden with pomegranate seeds and layered atop beetroot hummus, it’s even more flavoursome with the addition of the cured salmon. This was a generous serve and by the time I demolished it and set about the pear and raspberry bircher I was extremely full (the mango lassi and snickers smoothies contributed to this also). Hubs had the chilli scrambled with a side of haloumi which he really enjoyed. Another great experience Update I was invited back to Pinkie to check out their new menu and wowee that banana bread French toast was absolutely delicious. They are totally nailing the new offerings with an equally impressive lemon and coconut bircher for those with less of a sweet tooth, the crispy meringue and dots of lemon curd combined with the subtle coconut flavour is a surefire winner. My dining companion had the grilled salmon on rye toast with a poached egg and marvelled how at far how brunch dishes have come. Super friendly staff and an aesthetic space, shame we aren’t local! Original review We were invited to Pinkie today and I was pretty excited to try it out. I loved the pink tones on the chairs and in little pops across the space. The menu echoed a few dishes from No19 (a sister cafe to Pinkie) and I gravitated straight to the beetroot and hibiscus latte I didn’t get around to trying at their original cafe. I’ve had beetroot lattes before but was intrigued by the addition of hibiscus and figured if there was ever a time to sip a pink beverage it would be at Pinkies. It has quite a turmeric taste to it which can never be a bad thing in Melbourne winter. Husband got the chilli scrambled eggs sans bread with a side of mushrooms. I didn’t try his dish but was impressed with how prettily it was presented. I went for the PB and jelly porridge which was a great combination and a great idea given it’s a classic pairing they everyone loves. A fabulous choice for a cold morning. For ‘dessert’ I had to try the salty sweet pancakes that have been doing the rounds on instagram. This generously portioned and gorgeously plated well balanced dish was a unique flavour combination well worth trying for something a bit different.

If you're looking for a brunch spot with good food and vibes, you've got to visit Pinkie. The plating and presentation of food is spot on as well (perfect for the gram)! We had the 'big breakfast', hotcakes and salmon. I'll let the photos do the talking. Hard to decide on my favourite dish, as all 3 were so tasty. The green smoothie was so good too. Beetroot latte had a little spice kick to it. Plenty of parking in the area as well, so don't stress about finding a lot.