Jolly Miller started as a little humble bakery patisserie in Gisborne, that is supposed to be somewhere... in Victoria 😂 I personally had never heard of the place but I obviously had heard of Jolly Miller!

Why? Because the second they opened, they became so famous that they opened stores all across the state!

And they aren’t located within the CBD area but I understand why! They want to preserve that passion. That passion that comes from the feeling of waking up, hearing the birds singing and being surrounded by nature to get ready for mixing, making and hand crafting the most incredible pastries and cakes.

To get ready to share the love with every single one of their costumers.

High quality barista made coffee and wholesome and nutritious food is a must here and I think we can all agree on that right?

And even though I’m a city gal 🙋‍♀️😂 I actually love being outside and lost in nature. Like a little ranger. Maybe with some high boots even to look cool 🤙 when I do things like that I usually care my owns meals with me if I’m venturing for an unbeleafable adventure 🍃 because obviously there is no actual cafe or grocery store in the middle of nowhere (which is obviously wrong and a million dollar idea, because all the snacks and foods taken seem to never be enough 😂).

An no matter how good the food that I bring with me is, I think we all agree that enjoying a meal that is allergen friendly and plant based AND feeling that you are in nature is better, right? 🙌 plus no mosquitoes 🦟😂

Jolly Miller offers options that are gluten, lactose and fructose friendly and they have a FULLY vegan menu, like you might have seen from my previous post! And being outside the city area, not only do they offer mindful and very interesting alternatives to your typical café in the city, but the whole place is a leaf of faith and you can be sure to plant your seed here, relax and you can be sure that you are sure to have a jolly good time indeed!

It’s like being in a prime restaurant inside the nature. Minus the mosquitos 😂 seriously, still can’t get over how amazing this was!

It took us over 20 min from the CBD and there is enough parking around to leave the car and not worry too much about about finding a spot. We were kindly welcomed by Hans, the manager is the store that was trying to make everything suitable to the next directions and order from the government regarding the COVID19. There were quite a few people inside and it was somewhat busy but we all had plenty of space around.

We were offered some coffee to start while checking the menu and they were definitely much appreciated 🙏 there is nothing like a good Melbourne coffee and they definitely nail it! The size was spectacular and even with a medium size serving I didn’t feel that the milk was too much or not blended nicely - it was flawless in every aspect and I would see they as my regular take away coffee if I was local. There were actually many people just by the door for he take away and I also understood that the barista was quite talented as he was able to fulfil orders very nicely and promptly 👌 latte art on point too. At all times.

The place itself is vast, and bright. Brilliant I would say. And it seems to shine because it gives the illusion that it’s actually bigger than what it is from the way the tables are disposed and the window tall glasses. It is absolutely stunning! 👌 they have two types of tables - the wood ones that are square and then some rounded ones that have a bright and somewhat pink marble touch to it. Those are located on the sides and they give a more private experience. Not to mention glamorous! Yes, because around it you can find leaves and a top of special lights. Absolutely incredible.

After going through the menu, here’s what we had:

- Acai bowl - with such a great Amazon organic acai blended with mixed berries, it’s the recipe for success. Seriously! Probably one of the best bowls I’ve had in a while and it was blended with not only berries but also a touch of the usual almond milk and banana. Portion was good and just about right what it is expected but I would say that if you’re a big eater like me or a huge fan of acai you might find it slightly just small 😂 the consistency was slightly liquid and I would personally like it thicker but is was still pretty good and the taste was incredible, so I think it makes up for it. It also came in a dark marble bowl and it came topped with chia seeds, banana, crushed nuts, toasted coconut chips and strawberries. Interesting that they don’t add granola to the bowl but then again it prevents them from risking any intolerances or contamination with animal or animal related products. Being kind of an acai expert (😂) I asked what brand they used an they actually use one that I had never tried before! It is called Mais Fruta and it was something I will certainly look into as the taste was probably one of the best I’ve tried without any added extras to it to change the flavour! An applause for that 👏

- Chia pudding - curious combination! The meal itself isn’t very big, no l, but I think that the amount of chia pudding is massive! Really! Basically this vegan item is a coconut and lime set chia pudding and the consistency is quite thick! In terms of taste it isn’t bad and the coconut flavour can be found predominantly in the mix but it’s quite subtle and I do think it lacks some intensity. Maybe adding a bit lore lime? Or coconut cream instead of milk? It came topped with crushed pistachios that were absolutely welcomed and match very well with the fresh berries! There is also a berry compote quite sweet and that by itself was good but I think that pairing it with passionfruit and mango sorbet was a bit too much or strong flavours. I guess hat the chia pudding could be there to many everything a bit more bland and to balance these other strong ingredients 🧐 it wasn’t a bad meal, no, but I would t personally have it again as I feel that the flavours have too much contrast and there is some balance missing here 😂

- Banana Bread French Toast - my friend had this meal and was a winner. I couldn’t try it due to my lactose intolerance but it was a clearly generous and homemade banana bread French toast with a large scoop of mascarpone on top, very nicely presented and definitely drool worthy 🤗 with some coconut, mixed berries, passionfruit, crushed nuts, Canadian maple syrup and freeze-dried strawberries the presentation was not only on point but true taste made it justice indeed! I was quite jealous I must admit because I know and my friend attested that it was outstanding 👌 I am rooting for a vegan version or dairy free!

- Crushed Avocado - my friend had this meal too and it was your usual avocado toast taken to a whole new level! Beautiful presentation again and it was a combo of mashed avocado mixed with quinoa and medley tomatoes topped with marinated feta, seeds, radish, and pomegranate. Everything looked fresh and quite cute I would say and it came served on a toasted ciabatta that I felt was quite small! If I had chosen that meal I know I would be hungry so I would leave the friendly suggestion of making the piece of bread slightly bigger to make it more filling and a more wholesome meal. It also came with two poached eggs and house made minted capsicum chutney and my friend has quite happy with the whole meal. You can see that they do want to make sure the quality is prime 👌 and they certainly do it.

- Banana Buzz Smoothie - I asked for one of their incredible smoothies to see what the fuss was all about! We had to make some alterations to it to make it vegan so we added almond milk instead of cow milk, and left the banana in a larger portion. We also added some vegan icecream to the blend for that extra thick consistency. The result: PERFECT! It you’re a smoothie lover you will undoubtedly love this so so so much! Make sure you ask for that extra banana and icecream for the thickness!

- Matcha Latte - my friend had a matcha latte that came with a very beautifully executed latte art that we were really sure what it was 😂 nonetheless she absolutely loved it and it was executed to perfection, nicely blended and no aftertaste.

- House Cakes - we finished our meal with some cakes and I got two vegan ones - banana pecan and chocolate peanut butter - while my friend got an Elmo and Cookie Monster 😂 these latter ones unfortunately were vegan so I couldn’t try but they looked incredible! 👌 the ones I had were vegan and the base was moist and just with the right sweetness level. They had a sweet white frosting on top and some toppings on top of that. I was seriously surprised with not only the quality but the overall taste - it was INCREDIBLE and not sickening at all. It shows how great the quality of their store and local products are indeed.

Would I go back again? FOR SURE!
I had an incredible time and everything from the hospitality to the food was incredible! Great job!