Mr Tulk

Mr Tulk
State Library of Victoria, 328 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC


Located on the ground floor of the library's north-west wing, Mr Tulk (named after the 1st state librarian, Augustus Tulk) is a welcoming place for students, bookworms and business people alike. Huge, arched windows provide lots of natural light in this high-ceilinged cafe which has a communal table perfect for spreading out The Age if you are feeling anti-social or for holding meetings otherwise. There's also smaller wooden furniture around the communal table, 60 plus seats outside, a coffee counter and a large cold cabinet for takeaways.

The menu is kept fairly simple with a range of baguettes, flatbreads and scrumptious sweets, supplemented by daily specials. Case in point: Avocado on sourdough with fresh lime and black pepper ($10), Steamed egg with vegemite soldiers ($8.50), Porridge with banana and date ($10.50), Bacon and egg pizza.

We had the Corned beef hash with poached eggs and Dijon Mustard ($15). It was breaded and fried 'til nice and crispy. Together with the mustard, it was a match made in heaven!

The other dish we tried were the Zucchini fritters with labna ($9), add bacon ($4). Another place which serves over-fried bacon crackers!