Green Tambourine

YOU'VE got to respect somewhere that makes its own "tea-cup biscuits". An Arnott's Tic Toc is the "saucer", a marshmallow is the "cup", half a Life Saver is the "handle" (yep, they painstakingly cut the Life Savers in half), and an old-fashioned freckle with hundreds-and-thousands sits on top, all of it stuck together with white icing. It's a cute touch, and a sure-fire party-starter for the under-fives.

Open now for three months, Green Tambourine is Brunswick's latest kid-friendly offering and owner Adam Fawal is pulling out the big guns for the suburb's littlest residents.

One word: sandpit.

It's an above-ground affair, about half a metre deep, with a wooden bench seat around the edge, and the golden(ish) grains are littered with dump trucks and other tempting toys for scooping.

Opposite is a double-door chalkboard and plastic play equipment — a couple of key pieces such as a mini climbing gym and a two-seater rocking-boat-thing — and there are pails full of pencils when distraction is needed.

This child-friendly haven is out the back in the undercover courtyard, where pushers bank up and carers and nippers congregate without feeling like they're disrupting other diners. (One thing: it's not fully enclosed, so if you've got a sprinter they can still take off down the breezy hallway and end up on Albion Street.)

On the other side of the courtyard's brick wall is a leafy park, and Fawal has applied for a permit to create a gate between the two spaces.

You might know Green Tambourine's building — it's that beautiful old double-fronted bluestone, set back from the street with big picnic-style tables out front. Apparently, it was originally built as the residence for the Pentridge prison warden.

Inside, there's lots of exposed brick, timber-panelling and a grey slate floor — it's been slightly modernised with some ubiquitous low-hanging light globes, but the rooms can be a little gloomy compared with the great outdoor spaces.

The food is classic cafe fare, none of it fried, and there's no dedicated kids menu but chef Robert Willis is happy to adapt dishes — one egg, rather than two, mini scrambled eggs or ham-and-cheese toasties.

He makes gluten-free and vegan muffins on the weekend, and during the week there's gluten-free zucchini slice, cheesy with tasty cheddar and parmesan and laced with pesto (for afters, try the gluten-free carrot cake).

Veg and salmon patties are popular, the salmon double-crumbed and shaped into a brunch-sized serve with mashed potato and onions, spruced with juice from a lemon and lime.

"Green eggs and ham" is a generous mound of scrambled eggs tinged with pesto, served with huge chunks of pan-fried Kassler (good for ham fans).

Overall, the food does seem a little dated but sometimes unfussy and old-school is just what you want.

And the babycino? High and frothy with chocolate and coloured fairy sprinkles, pretty enough to make them squeal.

nrousseau@th-eage.com.au