REVIEW: ST ZITA'S CAFE, GLEN HUNTLY

For quite some time now, words and visual evidence of St Zita's greatness and tasty menus had reached my ears/eyes on a number of occasions. I finally got around to checking out the east side cafe for myself after being extended an invitation to tuck into their new winter menu.

The wintery cold often has my cravings steered towards comfort foods and St Zita's menu does very well on this front.

For those of you with a sweet tooth or if you're up for a dessert dish after the savouries, the black forest french toast is not one to miss. The french toast was not too eggy or soggy. Everything about this dish; the taste and mouth feel, was superbly balanced. While I'm not the biggest fan of coconut, I thought the coconut ice cream was a tasty touch that really tied the dish together.

Lately, I've encountered one too many takes on corn fritters that come out looking and tasting more like pancakes with barely any crunch. I must admit, my excitement for the dish dampened slightly when I saw the absence of a fried coating around St Zita's fritters and their pancake-like appearance... BUT to my surprise and delight, my taste buds ended up thoroughly blown away by the sensational crunch and flavour of these fritters. Don't judge a book by its cover indeed! The batter was beautifully seasoned, not too floury and bites were studded with aromatic mint, zucchini and juicy bursts of sweetness from the corn kernels. Upping the flavour ante was a highly memorable and equally flavour-packed chutney.

When it comes to eateries, over-hype and disappointment often go hand in hand but luckily for me, St Zita's Cafe lived up to its stellar reputation, if not more so. Not so fantastic is that there isn't one closer to home on the westside. Still, definitely worth a visit (even for those of you who hail from the west) or in my case, a return visit...