Not a deep fried thing in sight at Mr Hubbard Café & Larder
Malvern cafe Mr Hubbard is slick and well polished, with a handful of tables clustered together in a small and bright space. It isn’t the kind of café that you’d sit in whiling away your Saturday morning – it’s quick, efficient and to the point. And it serves up food that’s as healthy as it is delicious.
The glass display windows hosts various options, or you can go off the menu, which includes sweet options such as gluten-free banana loaf, chia pudding and crumpets with tahini and bananas or savoury options such as avocado and feta smash, ‘good morning’ bruschetta with marinated heirloom tomatoes and wild mushrooms on toast.
The ‘unhealthiest’ side dish at Mr Hubbard is probably the free-range bacon; there’s no sign of hash browns, black pudding or even hot chips that certain cafes serve up with their eggs – not that I’m complaining, of course.
On this occasion, I opted for the breakfast salad. This dish felt much more virtuous than I was used to feeling on a Saturday morning, and it was a deliciously satisfying. The quinoa provided depth to the vegetable-laden plate, and the generous proportion of bite-sized chunks of feta leant a much-needed salty kick. Two perfectly cooked poached eggs, the texturally delightful crunchy pepitas and crispy kale with some creamy avocado rounded off the highly enjoyable meal.
Unaccustomed to eating so cleanly but of the opinion that I may as well go all the way, I ordered a (forgive me) green smoothie that had kale, spinach, cucumber, apple, mango, lemon and coconut water. This was akin to a meal in itself. The desiccated coconut that coated the sides of the jar was a nice touch, although it was slightly harder to consume said coconut without smearing lipstick all over my face so I desisted and stared at it longingly instead.
My dining companion ordered the avocado and feta smash with poached eggs and a side of bacon, just because she could. The first thing I noticed when her dish arrived was the generous serving size – Mr Hubbard does not stinge on the bacon!
If you’re not tempted by the likes of the soy, coconut or almond milk coffee that you can order, maybe one of the iced teas will do the trick. We ordered the ‘limonello’ one and it came in a towering contraption that I was simultaneously too frightened to use and hugely captivated by.
Mr Hubbard is a haven for the intolerance-addled, with many of its options both gluten-free and lactose-free. Its menu contains almost every superfood of yesteryear, but it’s hard to remain a cynic of clean eating when everything tastes so good.
Mr Hubbard Café & Larder
117 Wattletree Road, Malvern
Monday-Friday 7am-3.30pm
Saturday 8am-2.30pm
http://www.mrhubbard.com.au/