il Fornaio
| Where | 2 Acland Street, St Kilda, 3182—View map |
Contact | 03 9534 2922 ilfornaio@ilfornaio.net.au |
Website | http://www.ilfornaio.net.au/ |
Open | Monday to Sunday 7:00 am to 10:00 pm |
Payment | EFTPOS, Visa, Mastercard, Cash |
Diet | Check with venue |
Seating | Inside and outside |
Kids | Welcome |
Pets | Welcome |
All for it
Rowena Robertson 30 October 2009
One might think that il Fornaio's industrial/warehouse-style surrounds may not provide the requisite solace on a blustery, rainy Melbourne day such as the one on which we visited, but in fact one would be wrong. Even on this greyest of mornings, the polished concrete-floored, split-level,high-ceilinged room was strangely comforting. This perhaps has much to do with the bakery/café/bistro's strategically placed, warm-yellow emitting downlights and the buzz of what looked like a bunch of firmly installed regulars.
il Fornaio's breakfast menu is fairly limited, comprising eggs poached or scrambled plus the usual sides; toast; porridge and muesli –and that's about it. There were also a couple of specials the day we went–French toasted brioche with poached berries and cream or bacon and maple syrup, and poached eggs with asparagus and smoked salmon on dark rye toast. My friend chose the brioche with the bacon and maple syrup and found it extremely tasty; I had a poached egg, which was perfect, as well as nicely crisp bacon, spinach and mushrooms.
il Fornaio's baked goods are what it is really known for, so to take one's breakfast there to the next level it's really crucial to order something from the bakery. Their beautiful muffins and croissants make perfect sweet companions to the larger items on the breakfast menu, and there is a wide range of bread to choose from, from yeast-free to yeast-full varieties. (We also purchased a couple of cheeky cakes on our way out.)
The coffee at il Fornaio is some of the best I've had in some time, and is presumably a key factor in the café's indisputable success. Il Fornaio does what it does with absolute aplomb.