I caught up with a friend who lives in Crace and decided this was the perfect opportunity to check out the newly opened The Drawing Room at the Crace shops. Located underneath a brand new apartment complex, The Drawing Room looks stylish with large windows and glass doors (that look like they will open up during the warmer months) and wooden planter boxes filled with flowers along the outside.
I booked us in for brunch on a Sunday morning and was so glad I made the booking. At 10.30am, the cafe was packed and the only tables available were outside (no heaters). The decor inside is minimal and fresh with white hexagonal tiles contrasting against timber and tan furnishings. A small buffet table with wine glasses hanging from above acts as a divider, separating the cafe into the main dining area and the bar area (the photo below was taken after the crowds had left). There is a dedicated kid’s play room at the back as well as a small outdoor beer garden.
Plenty of sweet things in the cabinet with muffins, croissants, banana bread, danishes, slices of cake, cupcakes and more.
The drinks menu includes various smoothies and juices. I’ve forgotten the name of my juice but it was a watermelon and apple mix served in the ubiquitous mason jar with a stripey straw. Not the most pleasing colour but it tasted yummy.
I ordered the Blini ($16) consisting of a potato and shallot fritter with wilted spinach, bacon, tomato chutney and a poached egg drizzled with lemon infused olive oil. The fritter is an oxymoron to describe – a piece of fried healthy goodness. Just enough potato to make it fluffy with shallot to lift that savoury taste. The egg was perfectly poached and oozy. The bacon wasn’t as crispy as I usually like it but that’s just a minor preference. I enjoyed this light simple breakfast.
My friend ordered the blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes with roasted pecans, strawberry coulis and vanilla bean gelati ($15). She felt that these were just your average pancakes with ice cream on top (and she doesn’t like ice cream in the morning! weird right?). I thought the ice cream tasted great and I could see some bits of the vanilla pods mixed throughout.
Staff were clearly busy that morning so it took a few minutes longer for our orders to be taken. Service is polite and given with a smile. There’s that feeling that everyone is welcome at The Drawing Room – the cafe was filled with families, kids, prams, couples and groups of friends. Because there were so many people brunching, the cafe was quite loud but I could still have a conversation with my friend with a raised voice. Glancing at the lunch and dinner menu online is enough to make me very keen to go back! The specials were also enticing.
Lunches include burgers, sandwiches, salads, pasta and Asian dishes. A separate tapas menu is served from 3pm. The dinner menu looks similar to the lunch menu minus the burgers, and there’s a dessert menu that seems to be only offered in the evenings. There are several gluten free, vegetarian and dairy free options available which are clearly marked on the menu.
The Drawing Room is located on the corner of Abena Ave and Galore St in Crace. Open seven days a week – Monday to Tuesday for breakfast and lunch, and Wednesday to Sunday for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Best to make a booking for weekends.
Key facts: Public Holiday surcharge of 10%; corkage is $5 per person; and cakeage is $2 per person.
Foodgasm 8/10
Value for money 8/10
Service 7.5/10
FPJ score 23.5/30
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