Replete Providore
| Where | 302 Barkers Road, Hawthorn, 3122—View map |
Contact | 03 9818 4448 |
Website | http://www.repleteprovidore.com/ |
Open | Breakfast Monday to Friday 7:30 am to 11:30 am, Saturday and Sunday 7:30 am to 3:00 pm |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
Replete with goodness
Rowena Robertson 30 October 2009
You'd think that Replete's location in an odd "no-man's land" part of Barkers Road, Hawthorn would work against it, but the reality is it's a constant hotbed of activity. Whether its devoted patrons discovered it by chance or read about its plethora of awards (including Best Breakfast Establishment at the Restaurant and Catering Awards in 2006 and 2007) I'm not sure – all I know is that I wish I'd discovered it sooner. It's almost my "local", after all.
Set behind a cheekily hued Edwardian façade, Replete has the kind of efficient, breezy feel that can only come from knowing you are one of the best. My friends and I decided to sit outside the day we went, but the mid-sized interior was buzzing was all types – families, couples and groups of friends. Our waiter was a gem, gently mocking our sub-Sex and the City conversation and showing the utmost patience with our drawn out breakfast-choosing process.
I ultimately settled on one of Replete's most renowned breakfast dishes – the ricotta hotcakes with Replete lemon curd and fresh strawberries. The hotcake stack, when it arrived, was massive – I couldn't get through the whole thing, but it was absolutely delicious. One of my companions also chose the hotcakes, and polished them off. The third person in our trio went for the porridge with sultanas, nuts and muscovado sugar, which she deemed delicious.
The eggs at Replete mostly come poached – you can get Florentine, Benedict or eggs with salmon – while the signature Replete Breakfast is comprised of poached eggs, Spanish sausage, Istra bacon, hash brown, roasted tomato and field mushroom with toasted sourdough bread (there is also a vegetarian version). The Replete corn fritters are another menu standout – they come with smoked salmon, poached egg and a tomato-chilli relish or with crispy Istra bacon, tomato and avocado salsa, Replete chutney and sour cream.
Replete is notable for its extreme kid-friendliness – see the Bambini Basics menu, which features dishes such Kiddie Pancakes, the Kiddie Healthy Plate and the Bambini Brunch.
And the fantastic news is that many of the breakfast products used at Replete are available in take-home varieties, enabling you to make every day replete with the joys of Replete. (Zing!).