I'd noticed the window signage for this intriguingly named bar months ago and had wondered when it would finally open. Finally I read that it was opening last week, albeit minus a licence, but would open for food including breakfast. So I arranged with a friend to meet there this morning to check it out.
Saccharomyces, I've discovered after some quick Google-ing, is a type of brewer's or baker's yeast which I'm guessing relates to it being a beer cafe. Labelled 'Beer-Cafe-Deli', it does appear to have a major focus on the beer aspect with 10 craft beers on tap at all times including some from Green Beacon, Beard & Brau and Mornington Peninsula. Obviously they do some eats as well but I'm not sure where the deli aspect comes in.
I assumed the entrance would be on Melbourne St, since that's where I spotted the signage, but after realising there was no entrance and the signage clearly says 'Fish Lane', I rode around the corner to find it across from Wandering Cooks. Low-set and long, it's a bit hidden from the main streets but obvious once you're in the lane. Despite stating they were open from 7am, they didn't really open until around 7:15ish. The kitchen doesn't open until 7:30am but I believe coffee brewing happens from whenever they open. They do take-away coffees and simple take-away breakfasts including yoghurt, muesli and bacon & egg burgers.
It's got a simple industrial vibe with polished concrete floors, exposed brick walls, timber tables and some comfy looking leather chairs. Plus the ubiquitous blackboard behind the counter. Despite being down a shady lane, it does get a decent amount of light in the morning and, given it's across from a stark white wall, potentially some glare later on.
The breakfast menu has quite a few options including some interesting ones such as Indonesian Rice & Poached Egg and are all reasonably priced with the majority under $14. The majority is fairly simple and almost all options include eggs, which was less than ideal for my friend who is not an egg fan. The only non-egg options are the toast and condiments/avocado and the muesli parfait. She doesn't mind when egg is cooked into something so she decided to go for the Peanut Butter & Choc Chip Pancakes ($11) but apparently they didn't have that this morning. Or they weren't ready. This seems to be a common theme actually amongst cafes as she'd recently experienced the same issue somewhere else. So she chose the Muesli Parfait.
The only apparent gluten-free item on the menu was the Indonesian Rice (assuming it had no soy sauce) and since I wasn't feeling that this morning, I asked about gluten-free bread. They had none but it is apparently coming and so they were willing to sub in something else for it instead. So I chose to have the Lemon & Cayenne Smashed Peas with a poached egg minus the toasted sourdough and with haloumi ($12) - oddly haloumi wasn't on the menu. Note, it's counter not table service and menus are on the tables. Also we only received water after asking for it - there's a chance it's self-service however and I just missed that.
Coffees (long black for me and soy flat white for my friend - both $4) came out relatively quickly and were nice but I wasn't blown away. Sometime later our meals arrived. The muesli parfait was layered with yoghurt, muesli, strawberries and unexpectedly, grapefruit. Personally I love grapefruit but take issue with citrus and yoghurt. Unfortunately my friend hates grapefruit and so this was not ideal - but that's personal preference. My dish arrived nicely arranged on a long platter with a large serve of peas, with two poached eggs and three slices of haloumi with a couple of slices of lemon. The peas were the dull green they get when cooked for a long time and they weren't exactly smashed (although this could be due to them not being served on toast) and the poached eggs were soft but had that runny texture that comes from older eggs usually. The haloumi was fine - soft and warm but nothing outstanding again. I didn't detect any cayenne and as a spice lover, I had to add plenty of pepper which was that fine pre-ground type in shakers which I'm not a fan of. Why can't everyone just have pepper grinders to allow for freshly cracked pepper???
Overall it wasn't an awful experience but not particularly great. It's early days though so perhaps things will improve but if they do want to stand out as a cafe, I feel like they'll need to up their game to compete with others nearby. Prices are reasonable and it was friendly service however that's not enough to get me to return for breakfast. It's a nice looking bar with some good beer options however so I'll consider returning for drinks sometime. read more