Lillie Espresso Eatery - Kurunjang

‘A name is just a word. Unless it isn’t’<br/ Lillie Eatery is much more than just an eatery- it’s a tribute. A tribute to the history of the building in which it lies, and its famed former owner. Elizabeth 'Lillie ' Williamson was a framer, carver and gilder whose studio was once located in the stunning establishment named in her honour. Inspired by the many works of artist Claude Monet, the interior is an absolutely gorgeous marbled open plan. It’s hard not to be impressed by the clear amount of dedication that has been put into decorating the bustling café, and as we were soon to discover, the same amount of dedication and love was put into crafting each dish on the menu.<br/ As it was a warm Melbourne day, we decided to start the morning with a couple of fresh juices. The jungle juice with apple, beetroot, ginger, carrot and celery was tangy, a bit spicy and sooo refreshing! Absolutely deelish! The classic orange juice was also a winner.<br/ *Green Breakfast Salad with raw broccoli, green kale, buckwheat, chilli, avocado and pistachios with honey mustard dressing and poached eggs <br/ This was the perfectly healthy and refreshing way to start the day. The mixture of greens with chilli and hint of honey mustard gave the bowl a fresh zing with a load of flavour. The greens were crispy yet juicy and the eggs were perfectly poached- an absolutely mouth-watering and nourishing dish! <br/ *Ham Hock Benedict with poached eggs and hollandaise on sourdough toast <br/ This was one of the more decadent dishes we chose to indulge in, and we’re so glad we did! The hock was melt-in-your-mouth and not too salty, and the hollandaise had just the right amount of flavour and ooze to create a delicious and satisfying meal.<br/ *Coconut and vanilla granola with yoghurt panna cotta, citrus gel, dried mandarins and raspberries <br/ Being huge fans of granola bowls, we were pretty excited when this stunning dish appeared in front of us. Full of vibrant colours, our hopes were high…and we were not disappointed in the slightest! The panna cotta was soft, jiggly and just sweet enough to satisfy our sugar addiction; and the granola was crunchy and absolutely sensational! Mixed with the dried fruits and citrus gel, it was everything you could possibly want in a granola bowl on a warm sunny day in Melbourne.<br/ In addition to the history and the beautiful food that Lillie eatery provides, it also delivers wonderful, friendly service. Jake and the team behind the counter were absolutely brilliant hosts from the moment we walked in, checking up on us and chatting about the food and the history of the cafe. Everyone seemed so happy to be part of the team and we felt like part of the family. For an lovely experience, we thank everyone at Lillie! We will definitely be back to try that Ramen!<br/

Yesterday we visited the gorgeous Lillie Espresso Eatery off Chapel St in Prahran. We were blown away by how beautiful the venue was, with a huge fish tank on display as you walk through the door,  pastel painted walls and some awesome designs on the ceiling.<br/ <br/ It was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday morning, but it was also Melbourne Cup weekend, so a lot of people were probably either away or still out from the previous night.<br/ <br/ We ordered a coffee, a freshly squeezed OJ, the Dr Marty's Crumpets and the Breakfast Ramen. Both serving sizes looked a bit small, but were very filling. <br/ <br/ The Dr Marty's Crumpets $13 were immaculately presented, topped with vanilla mascarpone, blueberry compote, crushed walnuts, burnt honey and edible flowers. The blueberry compote had a very rich flavour, but was evened out nicely by the mascarpone. It is a very sweet dish, but the honey and the nut mellowed it out. There was a lot going on in this dish, but if you had a  bit of everything in each bite, it tasted great.<br/ <br/ The Breakfast Ramen $18.90  was also very well presented, consisting of buckwheat gluten free noodles in a miso broth, raw mushrooms, bacon, tea egg and assorted greens. The flavours were great, but the bacon came in two big pieces and was hard to pull apart. I tried to eat it with chopsticks, but they did not have ramen spoons, so it was hard to eat the broth. The noodles tasted nice and were a bit denser than traditional ramen. The egg and greens were cooked perfectly. I did not finish it because it was a bit fiddly to eat, but it tasted very nice.<br/ <br/ All in all, we had a very pleasant experience at Lillie Espresso Eatery. The venue is gorgeous and the staff are very friendly. It is away from the bustle of Chapel St, but still close enough that you can go for a stroll afterwards to work off your meal. I would highly recommend this place before you have to start queueing to eat your breakfast :

The fit out is elite, let's just start there... ELITE!! If there were 11 stars, I would give it 12. Service is elite, second only to the finest breakfast melbourne had to offer. Found this hidden gem by accident and what a treat I'll see you every Sunday morning until I move out of the postcode. The Asian style fried chicken is a winner my girlfriend had the breakfast greens and she was the happiest I've seen her since we started dating. Do yourself a favour get breakfast at this cafe!

Awesome day today at Lillie Eatery. Very vibrant inside but chose to sit on the limited outdoor seating areas as it was a lovely day. We were welcomed politely by two friendly staff members, and found the menu to be a range of hand picked favourites that appeal to all age ranges and preferences. A lovely touch is the ability to make a larder salad with beautiful fresh choices on hand. We had an espresso, cappuccino, Oreo shake, pink lemonade, and for meals the poke bowl and 5 spice chicken we had a pretty good all round perspective of the food. <br/ <br/ Lovely coffees, Oreo shake was very fun and appealing to the younger audience, however my favourite was the pink lemonade, made with fresh raspberries and lime. Definitely a stand apart and it was particularly nice on a sunny day. The poke bowl was perfect nice balance of salty, sweet and umami. The 5 spice chicken was good, however we noticed that there wasn't much kick to it I would suggest perhaps adding more spice across the chicken to provide spice. The other suggestion is that Mayo tends to split under the heat of the chicken perhaps putting it on the side would make it more obvious (wouldn't have seen if I didn't move the chicken! . Looooooved the crispy basil, great touch to the meal. Would love to know how they make it!<br/ <br/ Overall really good experience, doing really well for a cafe that is so new to the scene.

Fabulous new little eatery. Small but delightful menu and great coffee. Quite a large space, easy to find a table. Will return again for the hotcakes, delish!