The Kettle Black

The Kettle Black is a good reason to spend time over breakfast on Albert Road. Its white Victorian terrace sits beneath a contemporary tower, with a bright café interior of pale surfaces, green chairs and plants. Choose it when you want a table and a cooked plate, especially if you are based around South Melbourne or the Domain precinct.

The menu offers more than coffee and a pastry. Avocado toast is A$24, a breakfast roll A$20 and mushroom toast A$25, before coffee, additions and the applicable fees. A short coffee stop and a seated brunch need different budgets and different amounts of time. Reserve a table when you have a fixed departure later in the morning, and allow enough time to enjoy the meal.

Normal trading starts at 07:00 on weekdays and 08:00 at weekends. The café’s closing time is not a separate promise that the kitchen accepts orders until then. For race mornings, an early weekday meal is easier to fit than a long weekend brunch. Weekend and public-holiday surcharges are material additions to the bill, so use the total for your actual day when planning.