Tuck Shop Take Away

There are hopscotch squares drawn in chalk outside on the footpath of the entrance of the shop. As you hop your way into Tuck Shop Take Away you are transported to a world of childhood nostalgia. The memories of school days flood back as you order your tuck shop meal. New friends, young love and exploration come to mind. Rebellion, broken hearts and bad acne do too but we’ll leave those memories in the past where they belong.

The shop was created by Clinton and Katrina, husband-wife duo who have worked with culinary superhero’s like Heston Blumenthal (The Fat Duck), Ben Shewry (Attica) and Shannon Bennett (Vue de Monde). I think the experience with these food stars have definitely rubbed off on the couple. Their menu is imaginative like Blumenthal, the ingredients used are fresh local produce like Shewry and the food produced is of the highest quality like Bennet.

This oldskool college canteen makes you feel like a kid. As you get overly excited about the playful menu chalked on the blackboard behind the counter, you realise nothing has changed and you are still that kid at heart. Some of the menu options are burgers and hand cut fries (yum), nutella, peanut butter and redskin milkshakes (omg) and pulled pork with smoked cheddar bechamel jaffles (aahhhh!). (excuse me while I restrain myself). “I want to order everything!” said my brain.

The burgers were yummy. The difference between the minor and the major is that the major has egg and bacon added. The buns are linseed dotted milk brioche (a little less sweet than your standard brioche), with a juicy beef pattie, iceburg lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheddar cheese and ‘the tuck shop sauce’ which is a 3-hit combo of mayo, mustard and tomato sauce. Match that up with a house made soda or organic milkshake and I’m theirs to keep.

For my vegie friends they have the ‘veggie wedgie’ with a lentil and rice burger. My mum said it was delish and as the saying goes ‘mothers are always right’. The hand-cut chips were yummy like my boyfriend in year 7 and oily like my skin in year 8. The ‘cuts’ are thinly carved hand-cut potatoes with the skins on. I like that they are thin chips with the skins on, because I’ve only ever had thick hand-cut fries with the skins on before.

The banana liquid cheesecake and salted caramel jaffle speaks for itself (delicious, delicious and deliciousness in a jaffle). Yum! I want to eat this for breakfast everyday for the rest of my life. My personal trainer said something about having a banana and toast for breakfast. (well this jaffle has banana and toast right?) We were cautioned that the jaffle was piping hot. After a few seconds of trying to wait for it to cool we had to eat it. The heavenly banana cheesecake salted caramel lava was absolutely amazing!

The choc chip cookies were yummy with big chunks of dark chocolate and crushed up kettle chips for a touch of salt. The crushed kettle chip bits had a crunchy chewy texture sort of like there were little bits of honey joys in the cookie. Loved it!

I didn’t know other people liked redskins as much as me until this place opened. Redskins milkshakes, redskins tart, chocolate brownies with redskins ganache. It was great! The redskin tart was my favourite! It tasted exactly like redskins lollies but in a smooth and creamy tart form. Yummo! They also have unusual but delicious soft-serve flavours like chocolate pretzel, popcorn and salted caramel.

Next time I visit tuck shop takeaway I’ll put my sunflower stack hat on and ride my bicycle in. I’ll transport my burger & cuts home in the straw basket at the front of my bike with my peanut butter milkshake sitting in the side pocket of my backpack. This will add to the nostalgia. The store is itty bitty but you can picnic at Caulfield Park which is close by. It’s a really fun place to grab a bite to eat and experience some deliciously creative food.

I heart Tuck Shop Take Away!

Olives x

Tuck Shop Take Away
Address: 273 Hawthorn Road, Caulfield North, Victoria
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TuckShopTakeAway
Phone: 0431 406 580
Trading Hours: Mon- Thurs: 11am-8pm Fri-Sat: 11am-9pm (Closed Sundays)