not all there

200 Wells St
South Melbourne, 3205

June 22, the day after winter solstice and at 7.50am it is still rather dim with daylight barely breaking through the winter skies. After an early start to the day with my personal trainer to work off some food blog excess I dropped in to not all there in Wells St to undo some of the hard work.

not all there is what I would describe as a post-St. Ali cafe that draws upon good coffee and pays high attention to detail over a modest & affordable menu, this is becoming common all over Melbourne which is definitely a good thing.


Arriving before the morning rush, the staff were prompt in delivering my coffee order of a strong flat white. The esspresso element was spot on, flavoursome without extracting much in the way of bitterness and possessed a slightly sweet finish. Ten years ago only a handful of places were capable of such finesse, but the post St Ali world, it is now becoming the norm to showcase single origin beans and extract with a touch of lightness. Bitter, over extracted coffee I hear is still on offer at Pellegrini's, the rest of the world has moved on.


Chive & Feta scrambled egg, potato hash, bacon with Turkish toast.

For breakfast, I took a punt on the special of chive & feta scrambled egg with hash brown and bacon and was not disappointed. The eggs were scrambled perfectly with plenty of chives and enough feta to provide texture whilst not overpowering, crispy bacon hit the mark too with the only let down coming from the hash browns which were greasy.

Based on this dish alone, I would happily go back for breakfast and assuming the same standards apply over lunch. Problem is it is a few doors from Peko Peko which would make for a real dilemma.

Like - excellent coffee & food, comfortable unpretentious interior, good staff
Dislike - nothing.

not all there - 3.5/5