Tucked away inside The Street Theatre near the ANU in Acton, is As You Like It Cafe & Bar. With tables scattered across the carpeted foyer of the theatre, the cafe is pretty spacious. I was pleased to see no hipster decor, just your sturdy table and chair, letting the food speak for itself. You wouldn’t really know there was a cafe there unless you were specifically looking for it. Even upon entering through the sliding door, the actual front counter is hidden away to the right.
The breakfast menu includes staple items such as eggs benedict, poached eggs, house made muesli, a breakfast wrap/roll and pancakes, however my friend D and I were both more interested in the monthly breakfast specials. I ordered the red velvet pancakes with white chocolate dirt, maple syrup and fresh raspberries topped with white chocolate ganache and cookies and cream ice cream ($17.50). What looked to be like four pancakes stacked on top of each other, were actually two super fat pancakes. Both were fluffy with a slight red velvet taste to them. The blobs of white chocolate ganache were dangerous and I only smeared a tiny bit onto my pancakes. As I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate, I was able to resist eating most of the ganache. If it had been milk chocolate ganache, I probably would have licked it clean. I’m not certain of the cookies and cream ice cream pairing, but in saying that, I did finish off the whole scoop. I appreciated the added strawberries and blueberries which were the only healthy items on the plate! A very filling pancake stack.
D had the pumpkin French toast topped with Nutella, maple syrup and mixed berries ($16). As soon as it was placed down on the table, I could smell the hot sugar and fried doughy bread. Mmm. I could definitely taste a hint of pumpkin in the french toast but it was soon overpowered by the sweet sweet Nutella.
This was a very generous portion with two slices of thick pumpkin bread provided and cut into halves.
If that’s not enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, As You Like It’s range of decadent muffins should assist. These mega muffins are topped with icing and a sweet treat, and it changes daily!
I bought one of the blueberry muffins topped with white chocolate icing and a matcha eclair filled with creme patissiere. At only $4.50, these were reasonably priced for such a giant portion. I was really happy, and surprised, with the very light and airy muffin which wasn’t too sweet and had some crispier bits on the outside. All the sweetness came from the white chocolate icing.
The matcha eclair was a lovely touch but there wasn’t enough matcha for me (it was only in the pastry casing) and I thought it would be filled with matcha cream.
D and I also tried out As You Like It for lunch one day. We started off with some drinks. I decided to have an affogatto ($4) which was strong and definitely perked me up. My friend D ordered the mixed berry smoothie ($6.50). The smoothie had quite a bit of yoghurt blended in it – a healthier alternative to the ice cream version. Check out the skull glass it was served in.
We both decided on burgers. I ordered the chicken burger ($15.90) consisting of a fried Doritos crusted chicken, lettuce, tomato, swiss cheese, guacamole, pineapple and smoked ham. The thick chunk of chicken was succulent and I loved the crispy coating. A great combination with fresh vegetables and yummy melted cheese. The portion size was largevand both D and I couldn’t finish our burgers. Each burger came with a side of curly fries which were fabulously crunchy and well seasoned.
D ordered the lamb burger ($16.90) consisting of a Morcoccan lamb pattie, lettuce, tomato, red onion, grilled capsicum, hummus and mint yoghurt. It looked fantastic and he really enjoyed it.
Although As You Like It has been situated in The Street Theatre for a few years, it was only my first (and second) visit. I was seriously impressed with the quality of food, variety, portion sizes and prices. There are monthly changing breakfast and lunch specials to keep you going back for more. Gluten free buns are available but I’m not sure about the sweet items on the counter. The eatery also seems to do a lot of catering in the city area. There seems to be table service for lunch only, as we ordered and paid for our breakfast at the counter. Drinks and food were reasonably quick to arrive. We both left feeling satisfied and full.
As You Like It can be found inside The Street Theatre at 15 Childers Street in Acton. Open Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6pm.
Foodgasm 8.5/10
Value for money 8/10
Service 7.5/10
FPJ score 24/30
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