date of visit: Thursday 3 May 2012

Part of me feels like perhaps I shouldn’t write a review of Bracegirdle’s in Glenelg. It was a really rushed visit and that makes me worry that some of my comments will be based on an atypical experience.

However, before I even got in the door of Bracegirdle’s I was impressed. I emailed (via the website’s contact form) asking if the café was wheelchair accessible and whether or not they took bookings. The response arrived within a few hours (yes, to wheelchair accessible, but no to bookings) and from there I was able to work out the details of my visit very easily. Normally my concern is about dealing with the paraphernalia associated with the baby, but in this case it was a birthday afternoon tea for my 94 year old grandmother, who would be using a wheelchair.

I arrived after my parents and grandma – they were already settled in the sofas right at the front of the café. I found a nook for the pram, settled the baby in and then set about ordering myself some cake and coffee.

A cafe latte and raspberry chocolate brownies for me and a mango macaron (from SA’s own Nic and Rocco) for the baby (he’s allowed sweet treats on special occasions – and 94th birthdays are special). I took the macaron back to the table but coffees for dad and me, and my bronwies, we had to wait for.

And while the café was busy, I would suggest the wait was a little bit longer than called for. Overall I’d say the in-house service didn’t match up to the excellent email experience I’d had prior to going to Bracegirdle’s. The brownie I really enjoyed but not everyone was a fan. My dad thought it wasn’t chocolatey enough (“if it didn’t have that sauce on it, you wouldn’t know it was chocolate” – I think he was being a tad harsh there …) while my mum thought it was very rich. Make of that what you will.

As I said – the visit was brief. I had time to scoff my brownie and coffee before it was time to pack up everyone and head back out onto the street. My impressions, therefore, are very much first impressions. So yes, I would go back for a more leisurely coffee but I note that the service can be a little slow and it is quite noisy in the downstairs area (there is also an upstairs). Prices seemed a touch high – for the brownie, macaron and two coffees it came to about $18 (the Entertainment Book does have a voucher for 25% discount) but without paying more attention I don’t really want to commit myself to that.

One to visit again. Indeed, the return visit will be in preference to Europa Espresso.

 

 

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 …