Aura- Lower Templestowe

> Corn Fritters- grilled corn fritters with smashed avocado + feta, bacon + a poached egg AND Benedict with poached eggs, French stick, maple glazed ham hock + housemade hollandaise AND Lamb Tacos with slow cooked lamb, slaw, chilli mint chutney, grilled corn salsa + tzatziki <

Aura Café has been on the café scene for a lot longer than most cafes you would see on Instagram. Tucked away in a strip of shops in Lower Templestowe, Aura has watched the Melbourne café market grow into what it has become. However, they have not lost their authenticity and have maintained the same level of service over their 8 years. They have not conformed to the expectations of other cafes in the ‘trendier’ suburbs, they cater to the locals and welcome people from all of Melbourne to be part of their close family. Their service is very personalised and you can guarantee a very friendly chat from the staff and owner. You may also know their brother café @chicken.orthe.egg which is located in Canterbury, that I also urge you to check out!

If you’re looking for a guaranteed hearty and quality meal then this is definitely a place to check out. I know I miss the old Melbourne café scene before everything was about presentation and the Instagram worthy picture, so coming here really took me back and made me really happy.

Corn Fritters

> Corn Fritters- grilled corn fritters with smashed avocado + feta, bacon + a poached egg <

It has been a long time since I have had a fritter brunch feast and I have missed it a lot. Three perfect sized fritter cakes presented with bacon and avocado on a long dish. The fritters were chunky and slightly creamy, which is what you want to see in a fritter because it makes it so much more satisfying to eat. There was a ton of bacon, which made the meal so much more filling and the juices and saltiness from the bacon complemented the fritters really well. The smashed avocado was perfectly creamy and worked really well with the concept of this dish. I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and I was very full by the time I got through all three.

Benedict

> Benedict with poached eggs, French stick, maple glazed ham hock + housemade hollandaise <

The benedict. A perfect breakfast dish for anyone to enjoy. The portion size of this was also quite large and will keep you full for the entire day. The two thick slices of baguette soaked up the flavours to savour the richness of the meal. The eggs were poached perfectly and the house made hollandaise sauce on top was really creamy and sweet. The maple glazed ham hock was also quite sweet and really tender too. It fell apart in the mouth and enhanced the flavours of the egg and sauce. A very well executed meal that I recommend trying.

Lamb Tacos

> Lamb Tacos with slow cooked lamb, slaw, chilli mint chutney, grilled corn salsa + tzatziki <

These three perfect sized tacos are what you need to enhance your brunch experience. Tacos are becoming more and more common on lunch menus and I actually love it! They are great for any meal and not just your Tuesday night dinner ;) These tacos were a really satisfying and filling meal. The lamb was really tender and each shred melts as soon as it touches your tongue. The seasoning on the lamb was incredible, which was further enhanced by the subtle kick of spice from the chilli mint chutney. The tzatziki added a lot of character to the dish and complemented the lamb really well. Although it looks like there’s a lot of it, it is not overpowering at all! We really enjoyed devouring this meal and definitely recommend checking them out!