CORNELIUS CHEESE WINE COFFEE

141 Maling Rd, Canterbury - ph: (03) 9830 7915

I read about Cornelius on The Age the other day. The article was about good places to buy and eat French food around Melbourne. Their suggestions for best places to buy croissants and cheese were spot on with my favourite places, so I was excited to try what was described as one of the 'best French-style cheesy toast'.

Cornelius is located on Maling Rd, this really picturesque shopping strip lined filled with antique shops and cafes. It was a sunny autumn morning when we came for brunch, so we went for a walk around the tree lined road in all shades of orange, yellow and red... I was already in a good mood when I entered the cafe :)

The cafe is quite small; a few tables at the front and a large counter where you can buy cheese, pates and cured meat.

We ordered:


Croissant ($6)

The croissant was served warm, which I liked, but wasn't anything spectacular. I thought the dough was a bit dry.

Coconut, mango and lime milkshake ($6)

Milkshake was tasty and not too sweet. It's a huge serve - I think there was almost 1/2L of milk on it. More than enough for 2 people.

Tinned Spanish sardines with toasted sourdough and vine tomatoes ($11) with an extra poached egg ($4.50)

My dish was a bit of a mixed bag. The sardines and tomatoes were delicious, but the bread was burnt (you can see the black bits I scrapped off on the side) and the egg looked more like cooked than boiled - and costed $4.50 as an add on!

However, when I complained about it to the waiter, he promptly offer to replace my dish. The next poached egg was perfectly cooked.

I really liked how the sardines were cooked on their own tin. It tasted great.

Replacement poached egg

When the star of the day - cheese toast - arrived, we were a bit disappointed. I thought it was a very small serve (1 toast!) for the price. Taste wise, it was a nice CHEESE on TOAST, nothing the creamy, spices filled cheese toast you get at Richmond Hill and Larder (my favourite). To be honest, hubby's version with cider tastes much better.

Italian Job - Tallegio washed rind, Parmigiano Reggiano & Proscuitto ($13.50)

The relish was probably the best part of this dish; fresh, tangy and well spiced.

Overall, I thought the food was pricey for what it was. Service was ok and the location is great, but I think there are better places for coffee on Maling Rd and best places for croissants and cheesy toast.

I might come back to buy cheese, but not to eat in.