The Grain Store

Written by Melbourne Food Blog on 31 August 2013.

The Grain Store is another foodie haven in our fair city and is causing massive interest for its European rustic ambience and imaginative French and Mediterranean cuisine.

The fit out is full of style with barn doors at the entrance, painted timber, elegant tables and chairs and deft arrangements of flowers and produce.

The philosophy pays respect to the precinct - nestled amidst the hustle and bustle of the Melbourne CBD, The Grain Store is a throwback to the days when many buildings in the area were used as holding stores for shipments – oftentimes, grain – coming off the Yarra River. Charm and elegance shine through with a touch of country styles and is enhanced further by the outstanding engaging service from the staff. This is a customer focused restaurant.

The Grain Store serves up excellent coffee with their shiny La Marzocco, and can offer you a cold drip. It has also teamed up with CERES for its organic produce service. Working nearby I'm tempted to get my local produce from The Grain Store.

Choosing from the breakfast menu was a problem as I would seriously like to try it all. After a mental arm wrestle I decided on the Bacon Steak and Spiced Apple Fritters. I felt this could be a risk because a bacon steak could be overly salty, danger of dryness and a fatty drama. Instead this steak was superbly cooked and presented. Not overwhelming at all but succulent.

On reflection a few hours later, this was a fabulous breakfast with some finesse. Along with the superb bacon steak there was an egg sunny side up, and some well chosen greens and killer gruyere cheese fondue.

Check out the Spiced Apple Fritters above - moorish and a perfect complement for the bacon. Having been to a myriad of cafes I found this to be something interesting. I'm also fascinated with other menu items such as Orange Cured Samon with a truffle creme fraiche. Or the Portobello Mushroom and Raclette Potao Rosti.

For lunch there's tempting offerings such as Slow cooked Tasmanian Sea Trout with potato fondant, leek and red wine glaze. Or the Romsey Range Buttery Beef Cheeks.

The Grain Store website gives more of the philosophy -

We serve food the way it was meant to be enjoyed – nutritious, healthy, and always delicious. We don’t use many additives, because we don’t need to. When our ingredients taste this good all on their own, why tamper with them?

Combining his fondness for rustic, traditional European fare with modern techniques honed from years of training in some of the best fine dining restaurants, head chef Ingo Meissner seeks to take you on a culinary adventure that will excite, surprise and delight you.

As skillful as he is principled, he is passionate about delivering beautiful food, but he also wants to make that food more accessible to people. That is why here at The Grain Store, customer interaction (and satisfaction) is our number one priority.

The Grain Store is a foodie haven that impresses at so many levels, even for my breakfast visit. I'm keen to return for more.... Highly recommended.