Replete Providore

Replete Providore
302 Barkers Rd, Hawthorn, VIC
Di Bella Coffee
Best Brownies


This suburban foodstore cum café was number 1 on my breakfast rankings for a long time until I tried too many places, each with their own draw, & gave up ranking them 'cos it was just too hard.

They serve breakfast & lunch daily, but if you're going on a weekend, go early or you'll be waiting outside for a very long time. Especially when you go in a group bigger than 2 - in which case, you'd probably get one of the bigger tables at the back of the Edwardian building with lots of cushions. The staff are genuinely friendly.

So what's all the fuss about? Ricotta hotcakes with lemon curd & strawberries – winner of The Age Cheap Eats '05 Breakfast Dish of the Year & truly deserving, coming from someone who doesn't fancy hotcakes too much. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside - without that baking soda texture.

I usually share that & the Replete breakfast with a friend so we can get both savoury & sweet. It's basically 'the lot' with bacon, mushrooms, sausages, hash brown, roast tomato, eggs of your choice, toast & relish.

Ive also tried the French toast with bacon & maple syrup which is good, but not as outstanding as the previous 2.

So after sharing the 2 big plates of food, we're always stuffed & don't have room for the brownie, which is excellent. Just the way I like it - chocolatey & with no walnuts. They have other sweet treats too, amongst which is the lemon slice which is divine. Probably 'cos it's similar in taste to the lemon curd on the hotcakes.

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Update:

It's been too long since I've been back here, mainly 'cos my partner despises the hotcakes. I admit, the hotcakes aren’t the best, but it’s the whole package – the tangy lemon curd and the sweet berry compote. Any boy did I get a lot of that today (just compare the pictures)… yummy! I still maintain there’s too much insides though. Just like muffins, I want more crispy outsides and less filling dough! When we paid the bill, we noticed they sold the lemon curd by itself at $5.50… does anyone else have the same thought as me??? Hmmm.

I did finally try the famous Corn Fritters with smoked salmon and tomato relish when my partner ordered it-. While I didn’t appreciate the cumin? in the fritters, I did appreciate how the corn was in bigger chunks so picking them out wasn’t as difficult as some other places. Haha. The smoked salmon on top was fresh (the layer in the middle was cooked due to the heat of the fritters) and the relish was as good as I remembered it. What I didn’t remember was the hash browns being not to my liking and I ordered it as a side. It tasted like it was made of radish not potato, and had uneven patches of salt.

Service was so good - prompt, friendly and the cute guy even came to check on us halfway through our meal (although I was too busy chomping down the hotcakes to talk so just nodded like a ditzy blonde)...
I will keep going back here, if only to drop in and buy the brownie ($4.20). If I dare say so, I make a mean brownie (my friends know me as the brownie girl) but Replete whoops my ass! So rich and with a texture that melts in your mouth, but with a crisp top layer – it really deserves the best brownie award.