Basic Info:
Opening Hours:
Open for coffee daily from 8am, lunch from 12pm
Open for breakfast at 8.30am on weekends only
Open for dinner at 6pm Monday to Saturday
Little Eats ‘soundbite review’:
A good option for a family brunch get together, Sunday lunch with the extended family, or a coffee and fruit salad after a walk or cycle along the river.
Highchair: Yes
Change table: Yes
Pram access: Yes
Separate kids menu: Yes
Normal menu suitable for kids: Yes
Friendly staff: Yes
Play area for kids: No
Activities provided for kids (eg: crayons): No
Vibe/atmosphere: Smart, glam, slick, special occasion vibe
Prices: Very good (based on breakfast)
Little Eats detailed review:
Located on the banks of our famous murky Yarra river on the outskirts of Richmond (right behind every family’s favourite - Ikea), this spacious glass-walled restaurant is fresh, slick and modern. Fenix certainly provide kid-friendly amenities too, however it is very different to Masterchef Judge and owner Gary Mehigan’s other restaurant the Boathouse in Moonee Ponds (which scored 5 milkshakes out of 5).
There are highchairs, there’s a spacious bathroom with change table, plenty of room for prams, good options for larger groups including the communal table inside and the outdoor terrace and there’s even a kid’s menu for lunch (even if it is the stock standard staples including chicken and chips and penne pasta with tomato sauce). As this is first and foremost a fine-dining restaurant that mainly caters for smart business lunches and posh dinners, the weekend breakfast service lacked a bit in the whole fun-loving, casual kiddie-friendly vibe like some other preferred family weekend brunch spots.
That said, on the Sunday morning we brunched at Fenix, there were quite a few other family’s there too. Some with prams and another group with kids playing outside on their scooters. There were also a couple of ladies with a pram who looked like they had been for a morning walk along the river and were popping in to re-fuel and have a goss over bircher and a latte.
We found the breakfast prices to be very reasonable, cheap in fact, and although there is no kids menu for breakfast, there are plenty of suitable options for little ones including chunky fruit salad with yoghurt, home-made granola, and slow-roasted tomato, fetta and avocado on sourdough. They are also happy to offer half serves too. My little one and I shared the blueberry pancakes with maple and vanilla syrup which were very nice and a bargain at only $10 for three decent sized ones, however it was a little bit like playing a game of “spot the blueberry” as there weren’t all that many to be seen. Still, they were yummy.
We had a pleasant time at Fenix, however there were a couple of little things that did annoy me. We had the courtesy to contact them in advance to make a booking and to request/reserve a highchair, however when we arrived no table or highchair had been set-up or reserved for us (and it certainly wasn’t busy or full) so we had to wait around with a squirming toddler (and a bubba in a capsule) for the highchair to be retrieved from upstairs and set-up. The second thing was that the babycino was $2. (Yes, $2! I know! Ripped off!) For a little bit of milk froth slopped into an espresso cup by a surly looking barista... and I literally mean “slopped” as it was spilling over the edge and looked very messy. No marshmallow either!
Also be aware that the parking is a wee bit tricky (there is a paid carpark next door) and if you are entering from street level then you have to go down a big flight of steps... we watched a couple of Dads having fun carrying a twin pram down.
All in all, Fenix is still a fine spot for a very affordable and very delicious weekend brunch at one of Melbourne’s favourite chef’s restaurants. For me, it had more of a “special occasion” vibe, and would be a great option with the extended fam for Mother’s/Father’s Day etc, as it is spacious and has large tables and is that little bit smarter and classier than normal weekend casual cafes.
