Cafe Reviews

Europa Espresso Glenelg

- Alex 2 Comments

 

 

date of visit: Saturday 14 April 2012

We stopped in at Europa for a quick coffee on a Saturday afternoon. The venue is both café (or espresso bar) and restaurant – the two are divided by the bar itself – and the outside seating follows suit.

As we were coffee and caking we sat on the café side, and set about ordering the requisite coffees, babycino and cakes. These were all ordered at the bar, and Andy returned with the edibles but the coffees were brought to the table.

The man behind the bar seemed a little grumpy, but the coffees themselves were fine. I’d ordered two biscuits: a hazelnut log and a coconut macaroon. Being brutally honest, I found both of them a little past their prime – particularly the hazelnut log, which was depressingly soft. However, Andy ordered a fruit danish and said it was really good. When pressed, he put it ahead of his cheesecake at Angs at Marion.

While I’d be happy to give the restaurant part of Europa a go, next time I’m at the Bay in search of a coffee I’ll no doubt be trying a new venue …

Europa at the Bay on Urbanspoon

Brighton Jetty Cafe

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Brighton Jetty

date of visit: Thursday 12 April 2012

We’re still enjoying some really lovely autumn weather so what better to do than head down to the seaside and grab a coffee and cake? Apparently, it’s grab a coffee and some breakfast.

A friend visiting from England was in urgent need of a sun (does anyone remember the less than stellar Easter?) and, as it made its appearance, we headed down to Brighton. I’d originally planned on coffee and cake (because cake is suitable at any time of day) but after a wander up and down Jetty Road and spotting scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on Brighton Jetty Cafe’s breakfast menu I was happy to change my mind.

Of course, it transpired that we’d turned up at 11:50am and breakfast technically finished at 11:45am. But the waitress headed off to check with the kitchen and I’m pleased to report that commonsense prevailed and breakfast could, indeed, be served.

Between us (that includes the baby) we had poached eggs on toast, scrambled eggs and smoked salmon and fruit toast. The fruit toast (which was two big thick slices for $4) was a huge serving and deliciously slathered in butter. And, miraculously, not all devoured by the baby so my friend and I got to sample it. The smoked salmon and scrambled eggs was great: loads of salmon, thick wedges of buttered toast, and a pile of hot eggs, scrambled and with a lightly fried finish. Personally, I like my scrambled eggs on the really runny side, but I am realistic enough to know I’m never going to be served eggs like that in a café. The eggs at Brighton Jetty Café were a good substitute. At the same price ($14.50) as those at etc I’d opt for those at the Brighton Jetty Café.

My coffee was also fine and service was friendly and personable, with the baby’s high chair meticulously wiped down prior to use. It sounds silly, but these days so many venues are inflexible about rules (like the time breakfast starts and finishes) that I really rate those places that exercise some sane and autonomous decision making.

Of course, Brighton Jetty Café offers lunch and dinner and has amazing beach side views. If you sit on the footpath you are a little close to the roundabout but as winter approaches I daresay we’ll all be glad to grab a bit of sunshine …

Brighton Jetty Cafe on Urbanspoon

Angs Coffee and Special Teas

- Alex 1 Comment

 

 

date of visit: Saturday 7 April 2012

We live quite near to Marion and, while it’s fair to say I loathe the place, it’s incredibly handy if there’s any serious shopping that needs to be done.

One thing we rarely do at Marion is stop to have a coffee because food wise Marion’s offerings just aren’t that appealing. There’s the food court and then there’s quite a few places that sit out in the middle of the mall itself. You might assume that these are great for people watching (and they are) but they just don’t have a very pleasant atmosphere.

There is, however, one place that we do stop off at if we’re feeling like single serving coffee and cake. And that is Angs, which is downstairs near Woolworths (and near the excellent Cheese Monger – if you haven’t sussed them out before, you really should!). While Angs does have some seating out in the mall it also has a proper shop presence so you can sit inside, away from the shoppers and enjoy your snack in (relative) peace. Of course, you do get to listen to the coffee machine but any experienced café goer can cope with that!

The coffees are good and, as a bonus, you can buy beans or ground (to order) coffee while you’re at it. The selection is modest but we’ve always enjoyed the coffee we’ve picked up. The biscuits are fresh and appropriately crisp or crumbly and, last time we ducked in, the lemon cheesecake received a tick of approval from Andy. They also sell savoury food but when faced with cake or biscuit, why would you choose that?!

If you do need to escape while you’re at Marion, Angs represents your best bet.

Angs Coffee & Special Teas on Urbanspoon