Melbourne, HawthornShade Café, the best smoothies in Melbourne

By Jess Moses @freshlysnapped
15 January '19

Shade Café is the new plant-based kid on the block in  Melbourne and takes café food to a whole new level. It branches out above and beyond the standard smashed avo toast.

The space

This cafe is an Instagrammer’s dream. It’s super stylish with high ceilings, exposed brick walls, hanging amber light bulbs and outdoor seating. I couldn’t stop snapping away.

The fresh juice test

Shade have a yummy range of smoothies and juices including a green juice combo of green apples, celery, cucumber, spinach and the added citrus kick of orange.

But their signature drinks are the “posh shakes”. So, I had to try the Malteaser Posh Shake because, well…. It’s a Malteaser posh shake. It was designed and tasted better than you could ever imagine. All in a mason jar with a plastic free straw too… win win!

What we ate

Let’s start off with the deserts because that’s way more fun. We tried their Mango Coconut Rice Pudding.

It was seriously creamy and fluffy, topped with toasted coconut shards, fresh berries and a baked pear.

It wasn’t too sweet and was very filling, I would highly recommend it.

Next, let’s talk about the Croffle. This is when a croissant and a waffle collide, and boy is it a match made in heaven. Sandwiched in between a scoop of strawberry ice cream for some texture contrast and a selection of fresh fruit… it was a seriously genius work of art.

They also have a large and varied savoury menu catering for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters. We chose their low carb bowl (that’s actually served on a plate ) which is packed with cauliflower rice, bean sprouts, pickled red cabbage, edamame beans, asparagus, kale, fried enoki and a house made baba ganoush.

The little things that make a difference

The chef’s brief, “plate beautifully, deliver crowd favourites with flair and spike the interest of the food adventurer” makes a huge difference.

What else

The staff were super friendly and welcoming. Josh their head waiter couldn’t have been happier to help.

What we’d go back for…

Their golden latte with almond milk was so creamy and flavourful; a real hug in a mug.

The bill

Turmeric latte  $5.50
Malteser Posh Shake  $10
Low Carb Shade bowl  $18.50
Croffle  $18.00
Rice pudding  $17.00

For more Melbourne inspiration click here.

 

 

Shade Café

684 Glenferrie Rd
Hawthorn
VIC 3122,

03 9818 2865
visit website
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