428 malvern road, prahran
Ph: (03) 9510 8336
http://hobba.com.au/

“Hobba, Gerrick Numan’s first venture from Willim Espresso in Malvern, is an industrial-looking cafe with cool timber booths, honest coffee and wholesome foods.”

Some friends of mine have been planning on going to Pope Joan for a very long time, but due to busy schedules on both sides we couldn’t find the time to make the trip. SO, we opted for the nearby Hobba, which I – embarassingly – haven’t been to (it’s just down the road from my work, you see).

The place essentially looks like a garage/warehouse that has been divided into areas with timber walls – simple but well executed. Furniture is similar to other cafes but the timber booths definitely make this joint unique and bistro-like. Top it off with a black exterior and large window panes – I wouldn’t mind hanging around for a while

Espresso is offered in their House blend or a changing Single origin. We ordered the single origin in a latte and cappuccino, which probably shouldn’t have done – but I didn’t feel like a filter coffee at the time. Nonetheless, both of us loved the beans, which seemed to have a relatively heavier body and roast/nutty flavour.

Having waited til 2 o’clock for lunch, the both of us we’re PRETTY damn hungry. With our stomach’s in need of a good feed, we ordered the ‘heavy weights’  (in both a portion and cost sense) on the menu

glenloth corn fed chicken schnitzel, spiced slaw, mashed potato, caramelised onion

I was told that this dish was ‘huge’ and indeed it was (for a cafe, anyway). Overall, it was quite nice. The chicken meat was still moist, tender and the light breadcrumb and herb batter was a good addition. The mash was creamy, buttery, smooth and the slaw was cool, refreshing but fairly sweet. The caramelised onion and sauce did little for the dish (although the chicken does require some kind of sauce, otherwise it’d be too dry.) Despite each element being fairly good, nothing really stands out in the dish. Also, your wallet will feel a bit of a hit with it being the priciest dish on the menu at $22 (…for chicken!?!?).

andean grain quinoa salad, roasted beetroot, braised lamb neck, pistachio, harissa yoghurt dressing

We also left with some of their baked-on-premises goods. I left with a huge brownie whilst Y left with a brownie and two caneles! Unlike some other brownies, theirs was very moist, soft, sweet, sticky and coconut-y! Something different, but was very welcome