Rue Bebelons spreads its wings

Nestled on the cusp of the over-stimulation gauntlet that is Melbourne Central, the venerable Rue Bebelons has spread its wings into the store next door and is now serving a new brunch and lunch menu.

The new expansion houses a dedicated coffee machine, which patrons can use as a quick take-away hub or if they wish to stay a while longer, take a seat in the existing bar space.

The adjacent building has not been altered and is still bathed in a lush red colour palette, maintaining the slightly wonky wooden tables and chequered red table clothes. There is a distinct European style that is at once minimalist in design but manages to be warm and cosy.

The food on offer is a simple array of chow, with the choice at lunch being four different kinds of baguettes and a single soup, which is made on site daily. That’s it. No muss, no fuss, just solid and simple lunch time grub.

The four different baguettes are salami, ham, pastrami and salad. Two sizes are offered, a regular and a large. My lunchtime compadre chose a regular ham baguette ($6.50) which was generous with the ham and the salad had a fresh, slightly crunchy quality. The baguettes used are on the chewy side, but that adds a layer of complexity to the succulent filling. I ordered the large salad baguette ($9.00) which appears as mammoth salad sandwich with juicy beetroot and crunchy carrots shards resting on a slices of cheddar cheese.

Any Melbourne cafe needs their java to be worth its salt and Rue Bebelons serves up a mean robust cup of coffee derived from a special house blend of Arabica. A well-stocked bar housing the usual spirit suspects, along with a cocktail menu, is also available for those wanting a civilised tipple.

Pleasant staff, enjoyable tunes spinning from the two LP decks and a feeling of satisfaction make Rue Bebelons a humble hive of BoHo happiness in the heart of the CBD.

RUE BEBELONS
267 Little Londsdale Street, Melbourne
9452 0070
Mon 9am - 8pm
Tue - Fri 9am - 3am
Sat to Sun 12pm - 12am
ruebebelons.com.au
@RueBebelons