So, there I was on a Saturday morning getting ready to go to Sardi. I then took a look at their Instagram page and realised that they had reduced opening hours in January. That meant I had to postpone my visit to Sunday. I ended up going for a meet-up instead, which was better than this one.

Sunday comes and I woke up earlier than usual so I could get to Sardi in good time before the kitchen closed. Trains were down so I had to take two trams (Chubbydija: money and time shouldn’t negatively affect my food happiness). Anyhoo, I got to Sardi at about 11.45am and it was pretty much empty. I also found it to be located in what looked like the middle of nowhere. There was however a big sign that pointed me in the right direction.

Sardi is small. In fact, Google describes it as snug. It has a semi-open kitchen style, which means that you can smell the dishes as they are being made. I had initially chosen a table opposite the kitchen but a mixture of bad lighting and “I’m not here for this smoke”, led to me uncharacteristically sitting on a stool at the bar-like table, which was by the window at the front of the cafe.

While looking at the menu, I was tempted by the Black Rice Bowl as it reminded me of Mexican food and I love me some Mexican food. The Green Goodness smoothie was also tempting but I decided against it (it was also expensive and would take me way out of my budget). I decided to get the Peanut Butter Pancakes which had a triple stack of chocolate buttermilk pancakes, peanut butter maple syrup sauce, ice cream, fresh berries and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Sounds like a lot?

My dish took about 10 minutes to arrive which felt long considering the fact that I was hungry.  When it came though, things began to get better. It smelled so good, and the pancakes were still steaming which I appreciated. They weren’t sweet and the chocolate added a bit of bitterness to them. The peanut butter went really well with the pancakes, making it a moreish dish. Adding the Reese’s PB cup made it even better. I usually don’t eat peanuts but clearly I was going all out, and it was so very worth it. The crumble around the pancakes was nice too; wasn’t a lot, compared to the pancakes, so the taste was quite subtle and took me a while to notice.

On the downside, the ice cream was very cold and hurt my teeth. It was also not very creamy. It did add a good amount of sweetness to the pancakes though. I also wasn’t very impressed with the flowers and I usually am.

Word of advice – much like the Hobba hotcakes, this dish should be shared. I’d only eaten about 3/4 of two pancakes when I had to stop (keep in mind that there were three pancakes). Peanut butter is also filling, which may have contributed to me getting full fast. In the end, I had to get the rest to go. I was so full guys.

Will I go back? Only if I have to. The food was really good but there are other places for me to explore. Also, shout out to them being nice to me on Instagram. Thanks guys!

Sardi is located at 111 Church St, Hawthorn VIC 3122.