Member Review by Kate Dal Forno

Hooray for another decent cafe to join the growing ranks of Brunswick eateries. For those of us working in Parkville (zoo end) with nought but a hospital cafe nearby this is important stuff. Offering the typical huddle of mismatched kitchen tables and odd dining chairs in an old-meets-funky new environment, the Green Refectory is one of those places (like "Rays" or "tom phat") which does not shout its name from the rafters; in fact the name is very hard to see etched into the window. I like these discrete touches but it does lose some folk along the way.

To illustrate, my hairdresser told me she had a great coffee there (from the "Illy Cafe")... and I did all I could not to laugh. She is a lovely girl my hairdresser but obviously not a cultural queen. I will go over this now, just once, for the cheap seats. "Illy" is the coffee brand. It is super well known in Italy and other places. The sign advertises the coffee on offer. It is not the name of the cafe. (By the way...all those pubs are not called the VB...its just a neon sign). OK, now that is out of the way.

Good brekkies are available here..eggs, toasts, etc. Lunch is also good - and reasonably priced. I order a cool sandwich (of my own invention -patent pending) which they happily whipped up. Sadly the lass added her own spin (mushrooms) to which I am opposed... and then happily whipped another. The sandwich was so big I had to ask them to wrap the other half for an afternoon snack. And because i had bought a yo-yo too (the sweet, not the gadget), not knowing the sandwich would be so good.

Great coffee (apparently I*** coffee) and fresh juices. Everyone else in the place it seemed was having chai tea. I am not yet that person who orders chai tea. I do indulge in green tea (bopha devi), buddhas tears (tom phat), and jasmine (ha long) when out usually to match the food (Asian) but must have missed the calling to chai. But for those of you who "get" chai tea, at this cafe it is apparently very good ... based on a syrup using organic New Zealand matter. Next time I will try it and see if I can be that person. The person who deliberately choses chai tea over strong Italian coffee. I can't promise anything.