410 High Street, Northcote
Tel: 9489 4000
Visited Saturday 3 November 2012 at around 12 noon..
(Updated 8 February 2013 after a further visit - see the end of the posting for details.)
Having rated this cafe highly on my previous visit as part of the Age newspaper "Coffee Army" special earlier in the year, I decided to return there when arranging to have lunch with a friend.
In addition to a delightful breakfast menu which is available until 1pm, there is also a wide range of other food available, including pasta, pizzas and sweet treats. We both independently settled on the 'Eggs Salmone', which consists of two poached eggs (slightly runny in the centre) served on round bread muffins with a slice of smoked salmon under the eggs and topped with Hollandaise sauce. The combination was served together with a scooped out and sliced half avocado. There was freshly ground black pepper available on the table. The salmon was not overly salty and the sauce was nicely balanced. My only criticism would be that the avocado was slightly chilled, which blunted the flavour a little. This was an enjoyable dish.
The orange juice was also very nice, served in a long glass with ice cubes (not a favourite practice of mine), and had the taste and texture of real (rather than processed and homogenous) oranges.
Now my favourite part, the coffee! I ordered a cappuccino, which was served in a cup and saucer and beautifully decorated on top. There was a light layer of milk foam on top, nicely textured and with a gentle sweetness. The coffee was fabulous - dark, rich, inviting and complex. The instant mental picture which it gave me was of the palace at Versailles - sophisticated, classy and elegant. It was very smooth on the palate and a subtle aftertaste. The blend used was single origin Columbian.
There was water available on the tables and the service was attentive. 'Cool jazz' played away in the background, slightly on the loud side at one stage but then it settled back to a more ambient level allowing easy conversation.
This was an enjoyable leisurely lunch. Verdict: Recommended!
"The Seal of Approval"
The Espresso Room 07.01.13
The cappuccino as good as always ($3.50). They now have an Ethiopian high altitude single origin coffee – grown at 5800 to 6400m. My colleague said that it was nice.
I had a toasted wrap with tandoori chicken ($10.50). This was nicely toasted, with tasty chicken and fresh spinach leaves, and accompanied by some fresh salad with rocket leaves, chopped cucumber and tomato.
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