When I moved into my new temporary residence, a friend of mine at work recommended that I should try Platform Espresso near Glen Iris train station, so I made note of it as a place to visit. That week, the local edition of The Weekly Review showcased Platform Espresso in their Barista column. It seemed logical that I should go and check it out for myself.

When I walked towards the cafe on Saturday morning, I had a brief sense of deja vu and remembered that I had been to a property inspection in exactly the same area, five years previously!

Walking up the hill, I found the cafe and was delighted to find that there were several tables available to be seated at and no queues. The interior of the cafe was slightly stark with plywood floors, table tops, counter and shelving almost resembling an Ikea catalogue, with minimal soft furnishings and clean lines.

Looking at the menu, I laughed to myself when I saw another poached egg dish with dukkah and came to the conclusion that the combination of dukkah and eggs must be the breakfast speciality of suburban Melbourne after ordering it for the past two weeks at Bella Sistas and Red Robyn. Although I was tempted to order more dukkah eggs, I love bagels so I decided to be adventurous and try the salmon bagel with truffle cream cheese and winter salad.

I love food served on wooden boards and this dish had a definitive wow factor with its stunning presentation and decoration. The winter salad was particularly intriguing but nothing I had imagined it to be. In my mind’s eye, I was picturing beetroot and roasted root vegetables but pleasantly surprised by the imaginative array of sweet corn kernels, pomegranate seeds, thinly sliced radish, fennel, chervil and iceberg lettuce. The highlight of the dish was the whipped, fluffy and light cream cheese on both the plate and bagel. Although I couldn’t quite detect the truffle in the cream cheese, it was delicious with the cured salmon and sprigs of dill.

Platform Espresso is a hidden gem and I’m glad that I got to experience its quirky decor and fabulous food.