SMXL

15 William St
Melbourne, 3000
www.smxl.com.au

Interior Shot (I take crooked photos)

We all have one of those friends that everyone seems to love for no apparent reason. SMXL is like that. But once you sit down and think about it, you realise that there’s plenty to love. From the sleek but warm interior, to the cool name, to the food itself, SMXL practically oozes effortless charm out of its armpits.

Moaves and Pastries

 

LOOK AT THOSE ADORABLE LITTLE THANGS! What are they called, I hear you ask? Keeping in the trend of cool and unusual names, these moaves are muffins baked into a tiny loaf, and there are 3 different flavours on offer each day. Also take a moment to note the delicious looking cakes and pastries sitting alongside.

Tuna Melt ($9.20)

K seems to think that breakfast should consist of actual food, and decided to be boring and get the tuna melt ($9.20), which came with a useful, but disappointingly un-dangerous knife, on what appears to be the same kind of wooden trays as the ones they have at Trunk Diner.

Tuna Melt Innards

 

As boring as a tuna melt might sound, at least it tasted pretty darn good. Dense and completely filled with tuna studded with chunks of crunchy onion, a smattering of rocket, and held together with gooey cheddar, all toasted to a satisfying crisp.

Small Flat White ($6 with Moave)

Moave with a Regular Coffee for $6? How could I not? My small (lots of caffeine makes stuff shiny) flat white came with obligatory pretty coffee art, and whilst not fantastic like Brother Baba Budan, is definitely on the better end of reasonable.

Fig, Walnut and Pistachio Moave ($6 with regular coffee)

 

I was tempted by all the moaves they had on offer today, but the Fig, Walnut and Pistachio moave combined two of my most favourite things – fig and pistachio, so it won out.

Mmm butter

LOOK AT ALL THAT BUTTER! And because I believe in a balanced diet, I proceeded to slather the majority of it onto the toasted halves of my moave. The result was a buttery, rich, crunchy-on-the-outside-moist-in-the-middle slice of heaven that wasn’t too sweet, and went brilliantly with my coffee. And despite looking small, it was extremely filling, and I had to get K to help me finish it off.

Our breakfast here was definitely enjoyable, but apparently, lunch is where SMXL really shines. They offer a range of organic and delicious-sounding salads and sandwiches from a rotating menu of a whopping over 40 different kinds. It really is a shame that this place is so out of the way. Alternatively, I’ll just see it as an opportunity to walk off the knob of butter I just ingested.

Rating: 13/20 – more than the sum of its parts