At face value Cafe Blac may come across as a fairly unassuming and typical suburban cafe but don’t be so quick to judge, because like most good things, at Cafe Blac,  it’s the inside that counts.

The new owners faced a bit of a challenge when they moved in a year ago, the cafe was sorely in need of a facelift. But rather than closing the cafe for renovations, they decided to leave it open, continue business as usual and focus on making their upstairs a little more special.

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The result is a magical little room called The Reading Room. With fanned books, waving across the ceiling, and other novels, half swallowed by the cream walls, you definitely feel like you are in a classically whimsical library from Alice in Wonderland.

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Meeting with Taras Maciburko, one of the owners, who has a long history in hospitality, he explained that the focus was on making the space a sustainable investment. When designing The Reading Room, they focused on making it as classic and ageless as possible.

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Apart from the books on the walls, and the small coffee bar at the front of the room, not much else is permanent, making the space very versatile. It can be cleared out for an elegant stand up affair, or communal tables can be rolled out for meetings and dinners. It is also open, when not being used for an event, to a la carte diners, who are invited to recline in the French style arm chairs, possibly with a delicious book of their own, and a coffee, or three.

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The food here is not to be missed, with a fairly concise menu of well done classics. Be sure to tuck into the Blac Smash, their version of the avocado smash, or try the salmon omelette, with a generous serving of protein. For those just wanting a little something for their sweet tooth, don’t miss the french toast, laden with berries and a sneaky bit of cream, to go with your afternoon coffee.

Cafe Blac is currently running a competition to see who can most accurately guess how many book pages there are on the ceiling! The person who has the closest number, wins a function package for 30 people in the beautiful space. What more of an excuse do you need to escape to the Reading Room?

Cafe Blac
707 Glenferrie Road
Hawthorn 3122

Mon-Sun 7-5:30pm

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