The Priory

Pretty diverse all day menu (including fruit salad sundaes yum!) generous portions, and very kid friendly atmosphere and attentive staff. Will definitely be back.

They definitely improved their service this time. Feel pretty nice this time. The food is still awesome. Will try the French toast next time and recommend this place to other friends

Everything time I have been to The Priory I have had a great experience. The breakfast menu is excellent and is seasonal. Service is always attentive and it is kid friendly too. The restaurant has a lovely fit out and is quite large so good for big groups.

TL;DR: Now this is the place where it is for sure that they know their regulars well, and that there would be a number of them from close by and far around. It is all in order here, with effective customer service, good quality food that is wholesome and inventive (you will be coming back) and an environment that definitely an appeal to it. With where it is, and being somewhat representative of the alleyway projects around the country, this is the paradigm of eating in the future.

Right down the deep end of the newly refurbished Trafalga Lane is the place that is like the hidden bar right in the middle of the bustling area of town, and the one that is more or less opening its arm welcoming all kinds of new clientele. That is the best way to describe the Priory in a nutshell, with enough space so that you can waltz on in here at a moment's notice yet it is still a manageable enough size that it allows clients to feel welcome and get a high level of service from the many staff on hand.

It had come to Sunday morning again, and that meant the usual schtick for me and my house mate. Somewhere for breakfast that day, and with the previous week's one not being up to scratch - especially in comparison - somewhere better was in mind, and this time around he was going to make sure that it was going to be a big and efficient meal this time around. What that lead to was him remembering Trafalga Lane, and having tried one place out there beforehand as well as being aware that some well-received places were nearby. That led us to none other than the Priory, which was already contemplated and planned. It is suffice to say that it worked well in the end.

The whole look of the place can be summed up quite quickly - it is bright, it is spacious, and there is quite the amount of seating all around the quarters - from tables to barstools, each with enough room to spread your elbows and swing them around. With so many places being small and pocket sized, this takes advantage of the space it is given and makes it is own character. All that adds to its dynamic atmosphere.

At any point in the day, during each of the major meal times, it can be guaranteed that you are offered a good range of meals, all that are wholesome in presentation, and interesting to behold. It is possible that the menu changes from time to time, but as of writing this review there is a breakfast menu that spruces up a number of the common favourites, a lunch which more or less has the cafe staples on hand, and from the mid-afternoon it gets a little more exciting. Adding onto that, there is the usual dessert cabinet that mixes it up a notch with what is offered.

Plus, they don't relent when it comes to the drinks menu either. Whatever your go is, they have something too suit that. It can be a range of ciders, beers and wines, or it can be sparkling mocktails, or perhaps freshly squeezed juices, or a smoothie, or a milkshake, or just a good cup of tea or coffee. Whichever one it is, the quality has definitely had attention paid to it, or it won't be there. Starting off the meal as per normal was the coffee orders. The coffee that they use here is courtesy of Bear Bones Society, and from what I can recall about this coffee is that it is pretty consistent, though not one that often comes to mind when I think of the blends I take a particular liking towards. Nevertheless, the coffee here is done pretty well with the extraction, the flavour, and the texture all being good - it was probably around the middle regarding strength with some tipping towards stronger, and the temperature was a decent one to drink it quick.

Looking at all the interesting choices that were for breakfast, the one that was the hardest to pass up was without a doubt their take on having chilli for breakfast. That was a combination of beef cheek and refried beans, and a couple of poached eggs - which were requested as soft a per usual, on top of corn bread with avocado and salsa. And as the usual extra touch with me goes, there was also some crispy bacon requested on the side. This has got to be one of the best breakfasts out in quite some time, since it was substantial in portion, but also very tasty and good quality. My goodness, the real issue is where to start - getting to the meat of it helps, and that is what it hinges on. The beef was cooked slowly, and was some of the most tender that I have tried and it mixed well with the beans making the distinct taste and texture combination. On the side, the avocado was rich, smooth and creamy, plus the salsa added some spice to it, and best of all the bacon being requested crispy was delivered as such. All of this on top of some buttery cornbread made for it to be one that is recommended; this belongs in an American diner, I am sure of it - everything that would suit it well is right there.

With the usual switching around of items between the plates, from my dining buddy's meal I got to sample a bit of the rosti and some pork belly. With the pork belly, it is often at a pretty high level of quality as of late, and somehow, somewhere, someone has managed to make it taste just as good if not better than what is already expected; the bit of pork belly that I tried here was small, with the flesh being tender, and the fat - which made up over half the cube - was pretty much like butter and went down a treat. The rosti was crispy, salty and delicious.

These two dishes are what I am talking about when it comes to having a decent breakfast out. Not only were they quite inventive, all the components were given the due attention; what makes it even better is that they are still pretty simple and straightforward, with no need to innovate upon the wheel. From the looks of the menu during both the lunch and dinner time rushes, a similar sort of thought process is in place.

Also for a last try of this place, before coming here I had noticed a couple of less usual flavours of milkshake on the menu, and that is always something which piques my interest to this day. For this time around, that happened to be an iced vovo milkshake. This was done the classic Australian style, where the streaks of syrup - and I think they might have used strawberry syrup here - hugged the side of the glass, and a whole lot of whipped cream was on the top plus an actual piece of iced vovo as well. This was quite sweet, creamy and cold - more or less what would be expected from a milkshake. And it was with that last go that another solid meal out was experienced.

We have yet another winner here, where more or less everything is being done right, with the addition of an identity on top of that being present. This is partially a bar, partially a laid-back cafe, and one where they are aiming to fire on all cylinders to provide a good experience for each client. It is pretty close to being as good as it can get, and hopefully with quite a bit of planning it will be staying here for quite a while longer.

Don't let the breakfast sizes fool you. The potato rosti that came looked small but it was quite a hefty portion. Pork belly on that was good and tasty. The priory eggs had pickled pumpkin which was definitely a highlight. Service was a bit slow but considering a full house and a waiting line, I think it's to be expected. However, wait staff were really friendly.

Amazing range of food, very tasty. Great selection of coffee, milkshakes, beer and alcohol. Ample portion sizes too!

Food was amazing, fresh and tasty. 4 of us and my 3 month old baby, plenty of room for the pram. Coffee was great, milkshake was one the best chocolate milkshake I've ever had. Staff were professional and friendly. Very prompt service. Will definitely go back.