Jack's Cafe Penshurst

With so many choices in Victoria St I was lured into Thanh Phong as it was just outside the super concentration of Pho restaurants.

Located on Victoria Street, the Little Saigon area of Richmond, Thanh Phong is one of many restaurants that serve authentic Vietnamese cuisine in the

Walking along Victoria st last night on the hunt for a great Pho in the heavy mix of Vietnamese spots we decided we would select the place with a packed

New management, new name and new menu and all good in Pankhurst. Nice place just after the bridge from the train station, new look and new menu all to enjoy. The staff is very attentive and friendlyfriendly, move quickly and are willing to serve you...More

I wasn’t completely sold on Jacks Café. The staff were friendly and efficient, the coffee was very good, but I wasn’t a fan of the décor, and my brunch was only average. I think I would give them another try as I have heard good things, but my first visit wasn’t overly memorable. My partner and I had lunch on a Sunday, around 12:30pm. She had been previously and it is supposed to be the best in Penshurst. At first I didn’t mind the décor, very minimalist with concrete all around. However once we moved inside (quite a cool wind tunnel outside) the concrete did amplify and echo all the noise. It wasn’t overly busy so that was acceptable, but any more people would have been difficult. The staff attended us quickly and efficiently, I had a large coffee on the table in five minutes and it was indeed both large and tasty. The menu wasn’t huge, and one third consisted of bagel varieties. My partner got a bagel with cream cheese, tomato and (I think halloumi?), which she said was only ok, nothing to write home about. I ordered the penne basil chicken salad which was very large but unfortunately there was so much mayo mixed in with the pesto it was smothered and not very appetising. If there were less mayo this would have been quite good, but really the meal was smothered. We also shared some sweet potato fries which were very good, with a side of aioli. In total the meal was $40, which wasn’t bad priced but the quality did not match the cost. The service was very good and I did notice the manager (possibly owner) in friendly conversation with a person requesting a cake in advance. She did seem very willing to help out given the adequate notice period. It is possible the food may have been an average day, but I do hold reservations about the concrete; yes it is easy to clean out and maintain but it also takes away some of the weekend brunch/lunch atmosphere, and would actually be horrible for everyone if a raucous group or crying child were present.