Kitty Burns: Review

Kitty Burns: Review
http://kittyburns.com.au
24 Acacia Place, Abbotsford
Open daily 7-4pm .

Beautiful architecture. Beautiful setting. Beautiful people. Beautiful food. Is that the key to a popular cafe in Melbourne in the age of social media? Abbotsford’s new Kitty Burns exploded into our feeds a couple of months ago when it opened in Acacia Place, an apartment complex nestled next to the Yarra, all pastel hues and edible flowers. It is is good as the photos appear: a high ceilinged space full of Scandinavian-style pale wooden furnishings and vertical green indoor gardens, floor-to-ceiling windows opening out onto the outdoor seating areas, and plenty of room for waiting diners to sit in anticipation of their name being called. The coffee cart and take-away juice bar a la The Kettle Black outside seems a pre-requisite now for cafes where wait times of up to an hour are the norm.

The menu reflects current trends towards Pacific Rim flavours, restaurant techniques and housemade produce: the standard #avotoast is transformed into the ‘Spiced Togarashi Avocado’ with citrus, amami salt, avocado & edamame smash ($13.5), the big breakfast is the ‘Meet Mr Burns’’ (with dry cured bacon slab, spiced bon bons, bacon jam, clonakilty black pudding, 63/63 eggs, mushrooms, spinach & my gentleman’s relish), and the famous burger is ‘The KB’ – shaved free range pork belly on brioche bun with green mango & papaya slaw, kimchi mayonnaise, housemade pickles and kimchi. The coffee was just okay – we ordered five, and the slightly bitter aftertaste was a constant presence. Maybe the machine needed a clean after a busy morning.

Being a french toast fan from way back, I couldn’t go past the Kitty Burns version, complete with coffee ganache, roasted peaches, freeze dried raspberries, whipped maple syrup and quince. Although it was visually gorgeous, I can’t say it lived up to expectations – the french toast was dry, with no eggy custard interior at all, and the espresso flavour was so faint it was overwhelmed by the tender, juicy peaches. The latter was the highlight, cooked to their luscious best and tasting of summer.

We had more success with the torched kingfish, plated up with kimchi mayonnaise, leek ash, sea succulents, roast sesame dressing, edamame beans, Japanese rice and a 63/63 egg (63° for 63 minutes, in case you were wondering). Fresh and just seared, the kingfish was perfect.

The omelette “Arnold Bennet” was rich. Plated up as the prettiest omelette I had seen, it was paired with smoky slow poached rockling, creamy clove & bay béchamel, aerated hollandaise and scattered parmesan. Be prepared for creamy, cheese-filled egginess if you order this – but the rockling is the star of the show.

Our final treat, the Eton Mess, was another hit and miss. A terrarium-like jar of flowers and fruit, it was a base of strawberry coconut yogurt, activated buckwheat clusters, freeze-dried berries and fresh strawberries. The spiced meringue was thin on the ground, and the yogurt was just thick yogurt – neither here nor there, not particular special or particularly awful. Nothing that made you close your eyes and savour your mouthful in appreciation.

In all honesty, although I came away with some of the prettiest cafe food photos ever, I’m not sure I will be back in a hurry. Kitty Burns seems to be aimed at the ultimate instagram shot – but the taste means more than the number of likes, and the food needs a little more substance to match the beautiful aesthetic.

Rating: 6.5/10
Do: order the seared kingfish, even for breakfast. Bring along your camera if you must.
Don’t: expect to not have to wait at peak hours
Features: outdoor seating, coffee cart, bike racks, Morgan’s Donuts available on weekends