Rococo Lane

About

The staff at Rococo Lane café & restaurant, are now pleased to open their doors to diners on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Set amongst the boutique shops on Beatty Avenue, Armadale, opposite Toorak train station, Rococo Lane’s baroque styling, earthy tones and quirky features are immediately welcoming. The venue’s quaint charm mixes old world with new in a friendly and intimate setting.

Opened in mid-2011, and with a loyal local following already firmly established, the decision to extend the usual breakfast/lunch trading hours to include weekend dinners is a welcome move.

With a small but tantalising menu, specialising in European and Modern Australian cuisine, every dish is winner. For breakfast, the ‘eggs San Pedro’ is a stand out best seller – crispy bacon, grilled tomato, and hash brown rest on an English muffin, topped off with a perfectly poached egg.

For dinner, caramelised apricot combines with apple & blackcurrant cider for a succulent pork dish using Victorian farm fresh pork cutlets. Pan-seared then oven baked a single pork cutlet is accompanied by a generous serving of leek and cream mash, and finished off with a delicate fennel and pear salad.

Other dishes include pan-grilled crimson snapper, aged Scotch fillet with wild mushroom jus, and handmade gnocchi with roasted fennel & charred eggplant. A sharing platter for dessert ensures something for everyone with an array of sweet surprises to sample.

Whilst a liquor license is still in the works (but not far off), BYO with no corkage charge keeps patrons’ thirst at bay.

Rococo Lane is a dream realised by New Zealand born owner and chef Kent Muir. Muir came to Melbourne on route to South America but fell in love with the city’s café and restaurant scene and couldn’t bring himself to leave. Fast forward 7 years and the vision of running his own café is a reality.

“I wanted a place that really embraced Melbourne’s café scene, as well as its multicultural feel through the food served. The Armadale area has such a great community feel that I really hope the café can become part of,” says Kent.

“For me, preparing food and being able to share it with people really enriches my soul. I feel quite lucky to have the opportunity to share my passion with a local audience.”

With over 15 years’ experience in the hospitality industry in both New Zealand and Australia, Muir has learnt the importance of using fresh, high quality produce from local suppliers, as well as sourcing international specialities. From locally baked organic sourdough, to farm-direct meats via a speciality butcher to imported French chocolate, the emphasis is on quality.

Daily specials keep regulars enticed and coming back for more, as does the excellent coffee. The venue also prides itself on exceptional, friendly service, and reasonable prices – sometimes a challenge to find in an upmarket area such as Armadale.

Owner Kent Muir said, “Fair pricing is important to me – maintaining costs in general is tough but I make things in-house to keep control where I can. This means everyone wins, particularly the customer.”

Rococo Lane is open 7 days a week.

Monday- Friday 7am to 4pm

Saturday 9am to 3:30pm

Sunday 10am to 3:30pm

**Also available for local catering, private group dining and functions.