Hawthorn Common

Hawthorn Common
302 Burwood Road, Hawthorn
(03) 9819 2200
www.hawthorncommon.com

One of the main benefits of having a car this year has been being able to try cafes and restaurants off the beaten track (meaning the Monash train-line) that would ordinarily have taken over an hour in travel time (think bus, train, bus, walk…). Hawthorn Common, a cafe with a commendably sustainable ethos, had been on my list of places to try for a long time and we finally got around to visiting.

Having opened a couple of years ago to rave reviews, Hawthorn Common is now established as a popular and trendy Melbourne cafe: think Saturday morning yoga, a stone mill bakery for all bread and oats, an in-house coffee roaster, a composter for all organic waste, and their own vegetable/herb garden.

Not a small space nestled in amongst taller buildings like many cafes in Melbourne, it is situated above street level with an airy, white washed main room and a sun-drenched deck with almost as much seating again. The aesthetic certainly fits its environmental theme: being elevated makes it seem slightly removed from the bustle of Burwood Road, while large green plants shield patrons from the street and large, sturdy wooden tables with monochromatic striped sun umbrellas sit outside. On first look, the menu certainly reflects it as well – uncomplicated flavours are paired together in non-standard ways, and the drinks list reads like the colours of the rainbow: orange, yellow, red, green, and blue.
Though not long, the menu encompasses a wide range of dishes, complete with a few smaller, simper plates for kids. On first visit I went directly for the Poached Avocado: though a concept I had never encountered, I was informed that it is cooked sous-vide style at a low temperature for about an hour. I have to say that it didn’t seem to make much difference – maybe a bit softer, but what really made the dish was the thick-cut, grainy housemade bread, perfectly poached eggs, romesco sauce, crisp green beans and softly crumbled feta that accompanied it. Definitely a must-try.
Kate had the Common Eggs (with beetroot relish, spinach and bacon) and thoroughly enjoyed them, while on our next visit we went for the rhubarb and apple bircher, the Plum Pancake with peach and apricot jam, poached plums, mascarpone, fresh passionfruit, and meringue, and the Chorizo and Eggs (house-smoked chorizo mince, salmon roe and chargrilled bread).
Our resident bircher expert, Annie, was happy with the bircher being not too sweet, but did comment that it was a bit watery for her taste, while the pancake was a hit in terms of flavour but difficult to get through in terms of size and bulk sweetness (think similar to the famed Top Paddock/Kettle Black hotcakes). The chorizo mince dish was good but the salmon roe was a pretty minimal garnish and I found it a bit heavy and oily for a morning brunch (though I am sure others would differ!). The lunch menu also looked worth trying with a quinoa, black bean, lentil and corn salad, cured trout with radicchio, and a buttermilk fried chicken burger as interesting options.

The first time I visited I was surprised by how quiet it was – for mid-Sunday morning, it was only half full. Probably because of this, the service we got was helpful and enthusiastic, our food came quickly and I later received great advice with my perennial indecisiveness in choosing something sweet from the cabinet. On recommendation, I went with the Carrot & Oat muffin, which was outstanding – moist, heavy on carrot, not too sweet (no dry cakey, vanillery muffins here!) and I am usually pretty tough on baked goods.

However, when we came back the following week, being reluctant to judge a cafe based on one visit and only trying two dishes, it was jam-packed. Although the heaters were on, outside was chilly so we opted to squeeze onto a little table in the window. The problem with this was that I think they got mixed up with who was serving us – it took at least 10 minutes of trying to make eye-contact with someone to take our order, and then another 50 minutes for our food to arrive. Granted, they looked pretty frantic, but seeing multiple tables who had arrived after us get their food much earlier was frustrating.

Rating: 6.5/10
Price: $12-20 for the breakfast menu
Don’t miss: The poached avocado breakfast or the carrot & oat muffins.
Pro tip: bring a coat to enjoy sitting outside on a crisp Melbourne morning
Don’t: wear white and black stripes – you might blend in a little too much.
Features: sustainable, child-friendly, larger tables for groups