Love this place! It’s an ‘organised’ busy that was so seamless - name taken, 15 min wait, seat, water, coffee and food - all with very attentive staff. More brunch options for vegan than I’ve ever found and really delicious food. Highly recommend and much needed in the area.
Classy eating spot without being uppity. Elwood is way overdue for a place like this! Great dining experience with delish food, friendly attentive service, and perfect ambience.
Outstanding dinner!!! I’m a huge fan of Ottolenghi and the food definitely is on par with Otto 👏Bravo. The entire dining experience was magnificent. Lamb was mouth watering and the sides were bursting with flavour. It was our first time after friends had raved about it. Now we are raving fans. 👍
Awesome breakfast and coffee! Busy little spot but didn’t have to wait long, staff were really nice and service was really quick!
Delicious food, great service. Fabulous atmosphere. Kid friendly. Coffee is highlight.
A great new addition to the Elwood Village food scene!
Delicious food. Great service, I will definitely be back.
We visited Plain Sailing for brunch yesterday and given I am a fan of their affiliate cafes (Left Field, Tall Timber, Nine Yards) I expected good things. They certainly nailed the spacing of the tables in terms of social distancing and I enjoyed the clean modern interior. Ample parking around too.
Food wise I enjoyed my porridge which was pretty as a picture and a perfect choice for a nippy winters morning. I didn’t much care for the Sunday surcharge though or for the fact that they don’t offer an all day lunch option
Very popular place for Brunch. I have been to this cafe multiple times and love trying different things. The coffee is amazing and the food is amazing.
Enjoyed my time at Plain Sailing. The staff were super friendly from the moment we walked in. The decor was quite impressive, kind of like cabin vibes.
I ordered the Middle Eastern Cauliflower which was delicious and beautifully presented with lots of bright colours. The poached eggs, pomegranates, dukka and herbs all worked so well together with the cauliflower.
Will definitely be back to try out the french toast which another customer ordered - it looked great!
The moment my friend and I sat down we were brought menus and asked for coffee. The coffee was great! We then ordered 2 main dishes and a side dish to share between us. Not even half way through my coffee the food had come out, so quickly! & it was brunch time which they did look busy as well. The food was incredible, I was lost for words with the look/presentation of it and just the taste of it! I will definitely be back again to try some other good looking tasty meals on the menu.
Staff was also very nice and quick service!
Plain Sailing is part of a group of cafes by the same team behind Left Field, Port of Call, Tall Timber and it looks like they will opening another new cafe soon called Nine Yards located in South Melbourne. I'm not really a cafe groupie, however it's intriguing to see cafes being standardised. I hope this doesn't hold them back from designing new unique brunch dishes.
Absolute incredible Good and presentation. Coffee was great and service was fast and polite. Never had food like this quality anywhere and would highly recommend indulging in either breakfast or lunch and you won’t be let down
Plain Sailing in Elwood has been on my to eat list for a long time now but every time I thought I’d give it a go, that eerie 48 minutes till arrival estimation from Google Maps always deterred me. However, with summer in full swing and sitting outdoors no longer being rife with the prospect of rain (most of the time anyway), Ivan and I finally bit the bullet and ventured out towards the beach side suburbs.
Visited with a girlfriend on a Tuesday for brunch (breakfast dish for lunchtime!).
Lovely vibe to the venue with a variety of seating styles including round tables for get togethers.
The jasmine green tea and long black coffee were served quickly and of excellent quality.
I had the greens dish for breakfast and it was presented well and tasted delicious.
Followed by a fresh friand cake that was a melt in mouth experience.
Would return again for other appetising dishes too.
Great feel to this local cafe. The staff are fabulous and the menu is broad. The service of food was fast however coffee was a bit slow. I recommend the beetroot and hemp farafels. Would love to go back.
A beautiful cafe with an impressive cafe and even more impressive fitout. It reminds me of a cafe in a contemporary art museum in the very best way. The grain of the walls, assymetrical light fixtures and soft leather seats are contemporary yet also evoke 70s cabin vibes. As for the coffee, it's top notch. I didn't try any food but can vouch 100% for my extra hot soy flat white. Will have to save time for a bite on my next visit.
Dropped by here for a takeaway coffee. While I was waiting I got a glimpse at the food coming out of the kitchen. Had to sit down and try some myself! I was late for my appointment but I regret nothing. Service was friendly and very accommodating. A great experience.
Worth the wait! We weren’t waiting long maybe 10-15 minutes for a table. The food was amazing! Everything was well presented, cooked well and well balanced flavours. Will bring more friends here so they can experience it!
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First impression: packed, packed, packed!
Seriously, there were so many people at this venue when I arrived that I even thought about changing the place for brunch, as along the road there are a couple of other good options to choose! But I was so happy I didn’t because not only the service was great but the food was quite good too!
We had to wait about 25 minutes to get a table but once we sat down and choose the food, everything came relatively fast and the waitresses were extremely thoughtful. We ordered:
- Supergreen smoothie bowl with kale: the taste was incredible and so refreshing - perfect for a hot day like that one. There weren’t many topping but it was curiously topping with figs, something that is quite rare to see but that definitely took it to a special level! The consistency was a bit watery and definitely not a strong point in its favour that there were some ice chunks inside. The bowl itself is not very filling
but overall it was an interesting smoothie bowl.
- Smashed avocado on Quinoa Toast: good presentation and my friend said that it was a very pleasant meal. He only reported that is was quite a small meal too and was still hungry at the end.
- Turmeric almond latte: very delicious and good presentation.
Even though the food wasn’t outstanding it was still a relatively good brunch. Not only does the place inspire great vibes and in frenetically busy, in a good way, but it’s a dog friendly place. Definitely a great spot to have brunch on a Sunday break from the city and enjoy some beach time!
Love the fresh fit out of this Elwood cafe. With a great corner position, the place was packed when we stopped in for a quick coffee. Service was quick despite the fact it was so busy.
We chose a few treats from the cake cabinet, and both were awesome. Muffins and cookies are a mainstay of most cabinets, but these were both above average, so no complaints from us.
We would definitely look to stay longer for brunch when we have more time to enjoy the menu.
George David Michaelides
+4
Breakfast board is great value at $20
Mushroom dish was crazy there was so much going on I couldn’t work out what I was eating although it was tasty. Nice fit out on the restaurant and great vibe
Tahlia Maheno Rogers-Brown
+5
Would be my absolute favourite cafe in Melbourne. Honestly the food is always so amazing and as being a vego I have tried literally everything on the menu and it never disappoint!
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One of those places that (excuse the pun) the wind catches sail and becomes one of the busiest brunch places in Elwood. I've come twice now to Plain Sailing and both times have had to put my name down for a 20minutes wait for a table at it was packed! Don't be deterred, as the constant flow of people is an indicator of just how great the food is here and how well worth the wait is!
After our wait we were seated outside in one of the tables in the sun. The time before I came here was with a bigger group (with kid in tow), we were seated inside which I found much better! Sitting outside I find a little bit hectic for my liking as tables are around the walkway and amongst the people waiting for a table of their own.
The menu reads like a dream - such amazing combinations and flavour profiles. There is something for everyone, which I absolutely love! I ordered the Beetroot Cured Ocean Trout – Poached Eggs, Asparagus, Smashed Peas, Avocado, Edamame, Beetroot Crisps, Feta, House Pickled Cucumber & Dill Dressing - delicious! My partner ordered the Sauteed Middle Eastern Cauliflower, Chickpea, Sweet Potato and Kale Hash w/ Poached Eggs, Pickled Onion, Preserved
Lemon, Mint, Feta, Pomegranate Labna and Lime and it was sensational - rich with flavour!! One thing which I love is that Plain Sailings food items are value for money, beautifully decorated/plated, filled with texture/flavour and are generously portioned! I'm often wary of busy brunch places as I find the dishes offered are often pretty but not worth the upwards of $20 a plate price tag.
Coffee's were also great and staff are friendly and attentive despite how busy they were.
Will definitely be back soon.
One of Elwoods most popular spots, this busy cafe is a great location to sit down to enjoy some great food in the sun. I decided to have their wild hempnola with cacao and date muesli, vanilla, cardamom & orange blossom yogurt pannacotta, blueberries, strawberries and pistachios. Overall it was very refreshing and all elements worked well together. A great variety of options on the menu which is sure to please everyone. Definitely recommend.
Luckily when we arrived there wasn't a wait and we sat down straight away. Food came out fairly quickly and it was delicious! We had the Cauliflower/chickpea dish and the chicken salad and both were beautiful in presentation and flavour. Would definitely come back again to try the lamb salad.
High expectations met.
Been wanting to come here for so long and was not disappointed with what we got. I ordered the sautéed greens which made getting your daily serves of greens easy and super tasty. Perfectly poached eggs and a generous helping of avo and hummus. My friend got the nourish bowl and was equally satisfied with the size and taste. Consistency across each of their other restaurants is key.
Beetroot cured ocean trout was amazing great coffee and friendly helpful staff. The cold drip was very refreashing. Would definitely go back.
Really lovely little find. I went on a Monday morning as read quite a bit about how hectic it was on the weekends and it was very civilized.
The menu was flamboyant, creative and healthy and was a hard choice to pick the winner but in the end settled for the cauliflower hash and a smoothie.
I’m not a big cauliflower fan but the
way they had cooked it and flavored the dish was so exciting combined with nuts, pomegranate, feta, chick peas and the eggs and dressing, it was absolutely a delightfully delicious surprise.
The green smoothie was slightly heavy and very earthy and perhaps wouldn’t pick that one again.
I just missed rating this a 5 as the meal wasn’t a hash like in their Instagram pics, it was more of a salad almost, all ingredients tossed together, which set a slightly different expectation in my head, but I am keen to go back as it was super tasty and would be keen to try the breakfast bowl and smashed avo as all the meals coming out of the kitchen looked delicious.
I just rate this place! My local. Great food, great staff, great vibes! Love coming here mid week as a break from study or on the weekend with friends. Get in early though or there will be a wait-not too terrible in the Elwood sun!
Arrived in the peak of brunch hour but the queue moved quickly. Judging by the constant flow of people, this is a rather popular cafe! The pastries in the counter looked rather delish!
We ordered the asparagus and also the chicken salad🥗. Both were beautifully presented. Highlights: great coffee. The chicken for the chicken salad was perfectly cooked and full of flavour. The crispy chickpeas was so good! The toppings were plentiful. Lowlights: the dishes were a little unseasoned.
Plain Sailing is a great place for brunch. My friends and I visited recently and were able to sit outside, which meant we were able dogwatch. The venue is spacious and set out well, with a very modern feel to it. The food is just incredible, and is plated up beautifully. The avocado smash might be the best I've had in Melbourne, and the coffee we had was excellent too. Would return.
A lot of options can be made vegan.
I had the cauliflower steak with quinoa pomegranate salad and spiced sweet potato hummus with avo - fresh and yum.
Hubby enjoyed his meals also.
Beautiful cakes on display but unfortunately none were vegan.
The food is so tasty! Healthy and a huge variety on the menu and the portion sizes are huge! Will be back for sure!
The prices are very reasonable too
As foodies we’re lucky to always check out new cafes and trying awesome food. Plain sailing has been on our list to check out ourselves for a long time and after this dish, we’re sad it took us so long. Generous in portion (including 2 pieces of toast which appears to be rare these days), flavoursome and delicious! We did find the service a bit slack and arrogant but the food was certainly worth it!
I really enjoyed my breakfast here. I think the way the menu is written is quite strange it seems to list every single ingredients in the dish which there are many making it easy to get extremely overwhelmed and confused as to what you are actually getting. This place falls into the “instagram food” category however the food was really good. I got the brekkie board which I would highly recommend as it has both avo toast and granola so you get the best of both worlds. The service was very fast friendly and attentive that I commend them on as it was pretty busy having most tables full. I would recommend they had lots of options good brunch place.
Busy place even on a Tuesday arvo. Treating myself after a job interview so I had the amazing peanut butter cookies & cream bao with banana bread. It looked fantastic & was delicious but very filling. The people at the next table asked what it was as it looked so good. Service was friendly and pretty quick considering the full tables. Coffee was good but could have been hotter.
I'd sail my boat here, park and set up shop. The food is great, good service and very attentive. The competition better sail away as i'm not sure they can compete. The lamb was very succulent, and they even gave me the left over bones so I could lick them in my undies. Bellisimo!!!
My partner and I adore this place. From the friendly staff to the delicious coffee and food. Plain sailing never disappoints us and is so accommodating. They can get really busy but the quality never strays from being amazing.
This place can get super busy in a weekend, which is why I love to come here during the week. It’s a great place to pull up a chair, open the laptop and get some work done over a delicious breakfast. And it seems I’m not the only one with about 7 others around me with their business focus switched on too.
The food is delicious here! Not only that but looks amazing! Very Instagramable, if you ask me.
Good coffee, friendly staff and awesome food.
Will be back again for sure :)
This place is annoying because you have to wait for a table, but the tables move quickly and service is speedy, so you can quickly enjoy a delicious meal. Everything I had tried here so far has been amazing. The burrata bruschetta was certainly a hit, as well as the cauliflower. Yum. Worth the wait.
I ate here and ate the peanut butter bao thing which was decadent, delicious, ridiculous. I will come back again to eat this one day when I want to treat myself.
Delicious and beautifully presented food! I had heirloom tomatoes and burrata on sour dough; chai tea; good friend Pamela had poached eggs with sautéed mushrooms. Nom, nom, nom, nom!
Another weekend morning, another fantastic Melbourne brunch spot. Half an hour wait, so may need to get there early...coffee/food and service all on point with the chicken burger a particular winner for my slightly delicate physical state.
Looking forward to coming back and trying rest of the menu sans hangover!
Been excited to check out the sister restaurant of Left Field for a while now; I'm a regular at Left Field so I was eager to see what the new café had to offer. I ordered the sautéed asparagus beans and broccolini with kale avocado, poached eggs, hummus, feta cheese, pesto almond and sweet potato dukka and lime dish - it was absolutely delicious! I also ordered the banana and cacao smoothie bowl - also quite yum.
The new café is quite trendy and fresh and the staff are very nice as well. I do prefer Left Field based on location and the food but I do love the new place as well! I would recommend coming here with a small group
As soon as I drove past this place for the first time I knew I had to go! And I was not disappointed, the vibe of the place was really cool and a very south side feel to it. The food presentation was amazing! And also there was a wonderful mix of flavours in every dish! Heading back today to update this review :)
I have dined here twice and been impressed both times. The flavours are well combined and have so many layers it’s a delight for your tastebuds. My only complaint is that I asked to sub eggs (I’m allergic) for bacon on a dish and they charged me $6 for one rash of bacon. In saying that, I didn’t eat the bacon because it didn’t match the dish - the chefs have designed the flavours perfectly - trust them!
Very allergy friendly.
Went twice in a week to this bright and breezy spot. Saturday for brunch was a bit hectic for me. 20 min table wait but service was good, food came out quickly. Weekday early morning is a joy. I loved the sense of energy. People from all walks of life. Some working away, others catching up with friends and work mates. I had the tomato medley with burrata cheese and pesto. Bursting with flavour. I added in a poached egg, asked for it medium firm but it came rock hard. My friend had the beetroot cured salmon. Generous serve of yum. It was quickly replaced when I asked. Coffee was so so, a bit creamy for my taste. Must be the full cream milk but there's lots of options.
We came here on a busy Sunday afternoon and had to wait for around 15 minutes which we didn’t mind as it was Sunday and it was nice weather. We then heard a waiter saying Stephen and we started to walk over at which the waiter had given our table to someone else.. literally within 10 seconds of calling Stephen’s name lol next time we will sprint over haha anyways we got seated inside anyways
We ordered the slow cooked lamb, slow cooked chicken and sweet potato fries. All were really tasty and we were left very full. I also had the coconut chai latte which was done well. The service was friendly and quick :)
Great service, even better food! The menu had a large range of food for all dietary requirements. The portions are generous, and most importantly, delicious! Will be back soon!
Trendy new cafe in Elwood with extensive Middle Eastern style menu. I ordered the zucchini, pumpkin and herb fritters. The dish was pleasant but I think overall it lacked a bit of seasoning. This could have been easily fixed by a more generous serving of feta and pumpkin hummus. Otherwise no complaints, staff were friendly, prices were reasonable and we didn’t have to wait too long for a table.
Beautiful clean design made for a relaxed lunch. Menu is fun, fresh and right up there with some of the best cafes iv eaten at. My Mocha was a just a little to sweet but everyone’s else coffees were well received. Slow roasted chicken was a delicious salad. Crunch, creamy and well seasoned chicken. Beef rib taco was a good blend of rich meat, fresh salad and tasty mayo. Will be back.
As I am a huge fan of left field I considered this place a must! I took the sautéed cauliflower- just to make sure it tasted the same as at left field (I admit I am obsessed with it!) and it didn’t disappoint. My fellow companions had pulled pork, the trout and the zucchini fritters and were also happy with their dish. The coffee was unfortunately not top notch and the waiters - although very friendly- quite unorganized: before we were seated we had to wait 25 minutes although there were plenty of empty tables and we were finally placed on a table that had already been empty for 15 minutes.
We went here on a Sunday morning and managed to score a table right away. The guy running the door list was so bubbly, however our waitress seemed like she didn't want to be there. Next up were out coffees and they were quite a disappointment! Over textured and so washed out unfortunately
The food was the highlight and it was delicious! Both our dishes were outstanding and because of this we will return, but have coffee elsewhere
Excellent addition to the Elwood cafe scene. The food is attractively presented and tasty. Plain Sailing gets pretty busy so finding a table can be a challenge. The fitout looks fantastic with a mix of indoor and outdoor seating.
I work once a week in Elwood so this new cafe is essential for me.
I have been here three times and everytime has been a great experience.
Staff are pretty friendly and the food is so good!
I've have also tried something different each time and was very satisfied.
Can't wait for my next visit :)
Really good breakfast from the Left Field crew. Despite being big and busy, service was excellent, great coffee and an interesting menu. We had the breakfast board and tomato medley bruschetta with buratta cheese and pesto sauce.
Really nicely laid out, the service was good but not overly attentive. Pricing was on the higher end for brunch. Most meals sitting around the $20 mark. I ordered the breakfast board and my partner ordered the zucchini fritters. Food took 40 minutes to come out. Both meals were beautifully presented and the flavours were good. However, the zucchini fritters were burnt and the breakfast board lacked attention to detail. My piece of toast was tiny (like the end bit of the loaf) and there was so much smashed avocado and beetroot hummus on it. The ratio was so out, I finished my toast in two bites and ended up eating mouthfuls of hummus. The muesli lacked love and was plain. Overall, neither of us were really impressed. It's worth giving a go but maybe wait until the "hype" is over.
Very lovely cafe. Great location so vibrant and friendly. The staff were lovely and there was so much room outside if you want to bring your dog. The dishes were very generous sizes and the ingredients used were fresh and tasty. Would highly recommend. Only down side is long waits on weekends.
Amazing food - really well presented on the plate. friendly staff, love the inside of the cafe’s decor and ambience. Had a great time - good luck for the future to this new addition to Elwood’s shopping strip :)
So happy to have a new local cafe in Elwood which was very much needed!! Staff are so lovely and only had to wait five minutes for a table on a Saturday morning which is amazing-place is massive with very cleaver outdoor seating arrangements as well. Ordered the zucchini fritters which were delicious and such a generous serve. Friends had pulled pork benedict, smoothie bowl and raisin toast which were all pleasantly received and looked so good! Definitely our new favourite Melbourne cafe and can't wait to come back- thank you!!
Fantastic addition to the Elwood cafe scene. Coffee almost as good as Johnny's across the road. Much needed quality brunch spot in Elwood, which is already on its way to becoming #1 in Elwood. A classy establishment, with ample seating. Service is pretty friendly also. Can't wait to try more from the menu!
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My friends and I decided to try this brunch place after hearing that it was the new cafe opened by the same people that own Left Field.
Already upon arrival it was a significant improvement to Left Field being significantly bigger!
We visited on a Saturday morning at 10.30 during the Christmas/New Year holidays and waited less than 5 minutes for a table of 4. We were seated in a nice area more so in a corner. The tables were spacious which is rare for most brunch places.
The cafe overall was very good but they still had a few teething issues being less that 10 days since it opened. Hopefully these issues will be ironed out over the next few weeks however, it was not a good start.
We were seated and not attended to for a good 10-15 minutes. In that time no one had asked if we wanted to order coffees. By the time someone came over for coffee orders we also were ready to order food. This did not seem to be an issue until another 10-15 minutes later the food came out with no signs of our coffees. This was already a small issue for us as we would have ideally had our coffees before having our meals.
We asked the waitress how long the coffees would be and she informed us that she would check. She did not come back to us so we decided to follow up 5 minutes later to be informed that they had a back log of orders so it wouldn't be much longer.
Overall it probably took half an hour to receive our coffees which is pretty unreasonable. It also did not help that other tables appeared to receive their coffees before us.
As mentioned, these are likely to be teething issues but you would have hoped that the staff would have received better training prior to opening. The fact that they also have another cafe that staff could have trained at makes some of these issues less excusable.
However, in saying that, we stayed at the cafe for 3 hours and were not hinted to leave until the very end (which is reasonable).
The food and coffee was overall very good. The smashed avocado and brekky board were really good. The smoothie bowl on the other hand was nice but got quite sickening after a while. Neither my friend or I could not finish ours. We also agreed that a fruit based smoothie bowl compared to the chocolate banana smoothie bowl would be a lot better. It was not refreshing enough.
All coffees and the chai lattes were very good and it ended up costing $99 for two smoothie bowls, a smashed avocado, brekky board, 6 coffees and 2 chai lattes which we all thought was very reasonable.
It is definitely a cafe I would revisit to see if the few issues we had have been resolved.
Always love the food here. Really great quality and serves are always generous. Always cooked and displayed beautifully. Coffee is great and there is a great vibe. A regular cafe I visit in Elwood. Generally pretty busy, sometimes can get pretty loud inside. But it’s not really a problem just something to note 😊
Food: Mediterranean Cauliflower was fast, simple and delicious. A great mix of spices and herbs that is not too heavy for a brunch.
Coffee: soft and smooth blend that suits those that want alternatives to fruity or acidic blends.
Service: friendly and courteous.
Venue: I want to highlight the very clean restrooms and beautiful architecture.
We really had to try this 'one of the highly rated' cafes around Elwood, thus grabbed the.opportunity to visit them the day we were in Elwood.
This vibrant place was buzzing and that's when our expectations increased. Had to wait for 10 minutes before we could have a table so ve ready to wait.
Ordered our usual coffee and chai with the slow cooker lamb and chicken, respectively
Fantastic coffee and chai, for sure. We loved the grilled chicken and the slow cooked lamb, although both came with similar style.of quinoa as opposed to.different variety, they were amazing. The freshness of ingredients and flavors were noteworthy and quite different. Also, the individual portions of meat and the over all dishes were quite good and almost difficult to finish all.
Attendants are very attentive....And probably too exhausted.
Definitely expensive but the vibe, quality, flavors and portions are good enough to even it out.
Literally the most beautiful 😍 and very tasty 😋 breakfast and lunch food you can find in a beautiful setting outside and inside with excellent service. Even the coffee ☕️ is great 😊
Good coffee, fun and healthy menu. Solid breakfast or brunch in a lovely setting.
Had a beautiful breakfast with my fiancee here. Food was amazing. Thanks for a great experience.
The sumptuous food came so quick.
Staff is superb and attentive!
Great service and yummy brunch.
@lilgirlfrommanila
Delicious, the garlic mushroom dish had a good mixture with texture and flavors, will definitely go there again.
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