little white truths

Around once a week, I meet Mum for lunch at Talk of the Town. Not only do we love the food, but the café is around halfway between our houses and near plenty of op shops that we like trawling through afterwards.

It's our kind of place: simple, hearty food with no frills. Plus we like the fact that it's family-run and nicely cheap. Our shared lunch costs around $20 total and there's always plenty of leftovers to take home. Yay to that!

In the glass case lies a bunch of freshly made salads, dips and other goodies like stuffed peppers and vine leaves. Happy sweets like baklava and Turkish delight sprawl across the counter.

It's definitely not fancy inside, but that's why we like it! 

A couple of tables lie outside if you'd prefer to sit there now that the weather is getting nicer.

As always (yes, we're creatures of habit ; )), on this occasion we ordered a plate of four salads to share ($16), which comes with two dips of our choice and a side of warm pita bread. I always order a chicken skewer ($6, see below) as well, since I can't imagine a meal without meat.

The salads we chose this time around were the lima bean, tabbouleh, cous cous and eggplant with walnut. The eggplant with walnut is definitely our favourite (we always order it), but note it's rich and filling, so it's good to mix it with something lighter. The cous cous was also wonderful - nicely spiced and tasty - although the lima bean wasn't as good (not enough flavour) so we probably won't order that again.

The dips are always decent and freshly prepared. We usually order the yoghurt/cucumber one and on this occasion we also chose the beetroot. My favourite dips here are probably the yoghurt/cucumber and the tahini, which is done with garlic and lemon. The labneh is good too.

The obligatory pita bread. Nothing much to say about this, other than it's fine, warm and included with the salad/dips.

The $6 chicken skewer. It's a pretty good amount of chicken for that price - I reckon there's almost a full fillet on there. It's always cooked well and has a slight seasoning. Yum. Tastes good with the yoghurt/cucumber dip especially. Can't imagine the meal without it : )

In sum

Mum and I both really love this place and like meeting here weekly for a cheap, cheerful and filling lunch. It's a no frills, simple kind of place that delivers fresh food without fuss - sometimes that's all you're after.

We enjoy going not only to have the food, but also to say hello to the owner and his family. It's that kind of place. The food is authentic and lovingly prepared, and you don't feel like just another customer. Plus you've got to love a $10 per head meal that includes enough food to take some home for snacks later on!

Do try this - promise you won't be disappointed : )

Details

446 Glen Huntly Rd Elsternwick VIC 3185