Having grown up in America, I never totally understood the love Melbournians had for coffee. I’ve lived here for several years now, and while I have come to grow a fond affection for the murky magic, I still can’t believe it when I meet an Australian, and we get to talking about food, and someone says “the food was great but I don’t want to go back there the coffee was shit”.
Because it never really made sense to me, in the States coffee at restaurants is all the same; universally bad! And after a few years here, whenever I’m out for a bite somewhere new, and we encounter this conundrum of a great meal, with less than satisfying coffee, I always ask whoever I’m with when they start complaining about the coffee that they cannot finish, because its too milky/too strong/too weak/burnt, “come back?†and no one ever says yes.
What I am waiting for is the place with good food and bad coffee, but the food is so good, that people in Melbourne will tolerate their imperfect coffee.
Apparently I’m gonna have to keep waiting, because Ernest V has got it together, their staff is super friendly, the coffee is tasty, and the food was surprising (surprising in the good way like surprise youve just been upgraded to firstclass, as opposed to, surprise I’ve been sleeping with your best friend), and it may be just what my life is missing. It was excellent if you ask me, go ahead ask me, it was excellent. Â
My first coffee at a new spot is usually a cappuccino, and its normal enough an order, the barrista makes them all day long, but everyone makes mistakes, and I get disappointed every now and then, get a good one mostly, and every few times a year I get one that’s exceptional, and exceptional was what I had at Ernest V, I know I loved it because I it didn’t put sugar in it, I took a sip, and I knew I was getting my best coffee of the month.
Ernest V all of three weeks old, showed up with its portions dressed to impress. We had a summer salad, consisting of fresh greens, shredded apple, mango, some nuts and finished with a light and bright dressing and you can almost feel the sunshine. Next we had corn and fresh herb hotcakes with smoked salmon and lime butter, which is probably not something that I would regularly order, so I was really surprised because it is what I wanted, I just didn’t know it all time. I loved it, it was great, it was a stack of three cakes, I didn’t have to eat them all, but I did.
They tell me that their pizza oven will be finished soon, and plan to offer dinner two nights a week in the near future. All I can say everything I experienced there was either the bee’s knees or the cat’s pajamas, plus they got this cool re-purposed antique Egyptian tile thing going on.
Ernest V
Address: 432 Glenhuntly Road Elsternwick
Phone: 9532 4322
Hours: 7-5 weekdays, 8-5 weekends, maybe open later once they get their liquor licenseÂ
Coffee: Padre from Brunswick East Project
Food: Breakfast and Lunch for now, Dinner coming sooner or later.
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