DeeW and I went on a little adventure yesterday to visit family. My sister in law suggested lunch at Cuppa Cha on Burke Road in Camberwell. Cuppa Cha is all things tea– it’s a tea bar, a tea shop and cafe specialising in loose leaf teas as well as stocking lots of lovely teaware from Australia and around the world. Staff offer recommendations on what to pair with your meals.

There were quite a few vegan options on the menu and marked as VE. The smashed avo on rye toast ($16); steel-cut oat porridge with banana, cinnamon, coconut (honey was mentioned, though I’m not sure what the vegan alternative is, $12.50); house-made almond milk chai bowl with fruits, nuts and coconut ($12.50); the Cuppa Cha Veggie Breakfast ($20.00, I should have asked what the vegan alternative to the eggs were!); house-made Napoli sauce with penne pasta, mushrooms and spinach ($14.50); lentil and vegetable cottage pie ($14.50); Superfood salad with quinoa, kale, mint, lettuce, avocado, bean sprouts, pomegranate with a lime orange dressing ($16.50); Mediterranean salad with tomato medley, lettuce, cucumber, olives, avocado, cucumber (non-vegan version has feta so I should have asked about the vegan version! $14.00); bowl of soup: both pumpkin, and leek-potato were listed though I’m not sure which was vegan ($8.50). There are also smoothies available.

Everything on the menu is accompanied by a suggestion of what tea to have, but I decided to try the almond milk matcha latte. Really nice! I’m a bit hit and miss with almond milk in warm or hot beverages but this was really pleasant. Photo up the top there!

For my meal I chose the cottage pie. The vegetarian version has a mashed potato topping and the vegan topping is sliced potatoes. It’s served with a side of salad, chutney and some toasted bread. The lentil veg filling is already vegan and was well flavoured, nice and thick too:

Loose leaf teas are available to purchase in the cafe and you can get them online too on Cuppa Cha’s website (link at the end of this post). I also liked that the staff were very family friendly (we had a ten month old and an eight year old with us and were given a high chair). After a quick Google search, I have seen a few references to Cuppa Cha as a “hidden gem” and I can see why. It’s a lovely space, good food and friendly staff who know their tea.

Cuppa Cha

768 Burke Road

Camberwell

http://www.cuppacha.com.au/

http://www.facebook.com/cuppachalooseleaftea