Bean Counter Cafe

I have been here twice now. Once for coffee early morning and once for a late lunch (2 PM). Coffee service was great and the latte was pretty good. That is where it ends though. Nothing spectacular or special about the food. Just decent. When you live in a city where food is a culture all of it’s own, just decent doesn’t really cut it. Glad I tried it. Want talk bad about the place, but will probably select other establishments in the area that are much better.

Having recently moved to Alphington (just a 6-​minute walk from Fairfield Village), we’ve been hitting the local eateries in search of our neighborhood faves. Bean Counter Café is a very inviting-​looking eatery, with a charming alfresco space, and a very welcoming and homey interior. We grabbed an outdoor table since we brought along our family pooch, C.J. Things started off relatively fine, with our waitress bringing us our menus promptly, and taking our drink orders; waters arrived promptly, as well. Waitress took the food orders and was off in a flash.
We waited patiently, enjoying the fine afternoon weather. The waitress bounced back-​n-​forth to various tables. (We couldn’t help but overhear, several times, the words «I’m sorry» coming out of her mouth. Uh-​oh…) Another waiter brought my chocolate shake (A$ 5). Unfortunately — and this may simply be the case in Australia because the last time I ordered a shake it was exactly like this one — it was all liquid without even a smidgen of ice cream to be found. Are thick milk shakes — the type you can eat with a spoon — not the norm here? I’ll have to do some research, obviously… I couldn’t finish it because it went warm too fast. Fortunately, it was only 5-​bucks. (The A$ 10 «Got The Shakes» — a variety of eye-​enticing shakes with elaborately edible toppings — looked more appealing. Maybe I should’ve gone with that one instead? Such is life.) My partner was getting a bit parched waiting for his beer to arrive. Waitress continued to zip to-​n-​fro. He called to get her attention. No luck. Called again. No luck still. I jumped in and gave one of those big Aussie «EXCUSE ME’s!» which (finally!) caught her attention — and everyone else around us. LOL!!! She apologized and ran in to fetch the beer.
The waiter brought our orders — 27 minutes from sitting down — and all looked very good (and, possibly, worth the wait). My partner said his fried calamari (A$ 20) meal was wholly decent, although the breading was slightly undercooked. My Chicken B.L.A.T. sandwich (A$ 19) was a bit bland, but wholly decent, as well. Nothing to write home to mom about. The sandwich bread was very good (rustic and soft). Both our meals came with baskets of chips, too (cooked well with a strong potato flavor).
As we ate our meals, we couldn’t help but chuckle at the several more «I’m sorry’s» that were coming out of our waitress. Granted, she was a very nice gal; maybe a bit overwhelmed by the number of tables to service (possibly?).
The wrap: I’m glad we tried it. It’s highly unlikely that we’ll be back again, esp. with so many restaurants to choose from. All-​in-​all, we now have another Fairfield eatery checked off our to-​do list…

First time here and won’t be the last. Super friendly staff, good menu with reasonable prices as well as counter food. Quick service and food was delicious. Tables outside, courtyard and inside seating. Pick up coffee trade from nearby railway station. Great experience all round.