From Drizzling Cakes To Smoking Cocktails, This Must Be Australia’s Most ‘Gramworthy Cafe
Call me a sucker, but I can’t help getting excited about food that is bright and Insta-worthy, even though I personally suck at taking food photos. The latest joint to make my mouth water is Zero Mode in Melbourne.
Self-described as a “cafe by day, Asian fusion restaurant by night”, Zero Mode is on a mission to create “vibrant, eclectic [and] unexpected” dishes. The result is a straight-up visual feast.
How do they do it? The owner, Cain Xu, and head chef, Kyo Tze Jian Tan, use their national heritage (Xu is Chinese and Tan grew up in Vietnam) to collaboratively bring new flair to Asain cuisine. Apparently, Xu will come with an idea that Tan will then turn into a recipe.
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Now, I won’t lie, all the food looks delicious and strange but inviting — from poke bowls with a twist, to whacky burger combos, to classic fried chicken. What I’m really here for, though, is the dessert menu.
Please allow me to draw your attention to these cream cakes:
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Tell me that doesn’t make you want to fly to Melbourne? If you’re in Melbourne, please go eat 10 for the rest of us. I’ll take matcha, please.
Speaking of matcha, just look at the glorious kitschiness of this iced matcha panna cotta:
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Then there are the popping cocktails. Yes, I said popping. The drinks list, in general, is as extensive as the food menus. Their new, brightly coloured smoking cocktails (available exclusively for dinner), burst into smoke when you touch them and it’s very satisfying to watch.
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Of course, the space itself is also super cute, keeping things a little bit more basic than the food they’re making with just the right splashes of colour.
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Everyone get ready for a million photos on my Instagram you never asked for.
(Lead image: Instagram / @zero.mode)
