Weasels Garden Café

If you feel like a pho but your friend feels like eggs on toast, Weasels Garden Café may be the place for you.

Hidden in the back pockets of Abbotsford – only slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of Victoria Street – Weasels Garden Café is an
unobtrusive family-run local perfect for whiling away a lazy Saturday afternoon.

The buzzword ‘fusion’ has negative connotations but the café does classic breakfast dishes as well as French-inspired Vietnamese fare with a certain amount of flair.

Although on this occasion the Western brunch menu was not sampled, options include scrambled eggs; organic muesli with red plums home-grown in the café’s garden alongside rhubarb and yoghurt; and Swiss brown mushrooms with sage butter and feta, served atop a slice of sourdough.

What Vietnamese offerings we did try were lip-smacking delicious. The sizeably portioned Vietnamese fried rice, known as ‘fry rice’ on the specials board, was garlicky and full of grilled Vietnamese pork sausage and bean sprouts. The duck liver pate came with generously buttered slices of baguette and a cabbage salad to cut through the richness of the pate — with the option to have more bread as desired.

Although it tasted like a heart attack in the making, the duck liver pate was smooth and creamy, and a perfect antidote to the chilly weather outside.

Other Vietnamese dishes on the menu include beef and chicken skewers marinated in lemongrass, ginger and spices; rice paper rolls; and a pho available with either chicken or beef.

The café does a selection of sweets too, usually displayed on their counter. On this occasion we sampled a slice of their carrot cake with cream cheese icing. Tasting like a homemade baked treat, it was simple and tasty.

With outdoor seating that would be ideal in warmer weather, Weasels Garden Café feels akin to sitting in someone’s house — warm and welcoming with comfort food fashioned out of fresh produce.

8 Murray Street, Abbotsford
(03) 9410 0214
Wed to Fri: 7am to 3pm
Sat to Sun: 8am to 4pm
www.weaselsgardencafe.com