The menu is made up of seven items, all costing $17. A bit steep for croque monsieur (add $2 if you want an egg to make it a croque madame), but fairly standard for other brunch fare such as bacon and eggs or the classic eggs bene, Nomad style. Admittedly,the meals were massive when they arrived, so perhaps it's bang for buck.
The look we liked - large and lofty. The exposed brick whitewashed wall is a hip feature and the brown leather bench running the length looked cosy. There was also a cute nook by the fireplace that we imagined would suit wine time later in the day. However, for most of the hour we brunched this Saturday morning my partner and I were the only patrons, making it feel rather empty and a little sad.
The food was dreamt up by chef Bryan McGruer (ex Sale St and Jervois Steak House). The baked beans with chorizo and poached egg were good, but lacked the punch that we'd expect from our favourite spicy sausage. We also ordered the awkwardly named "That delicious thing we had for lunch" - scrambled egg, red salsa, goats cheese, chimichurri and rocket atop a sesame seed Best Ugly Bagel. The scramble was a little soggy, but the condiment combo of salsa and chimichurri was enjoyable.
The coffee came served in unique Steelite crockery from England. However, on our first visit, mid-week, our coffees were served lukewarm and had to be sent back. The second time, on the weekend, they were better.
The service was welcoming, with a bit of banter to take the edge off the obvious fact that the 5-month-old cafe was empty. The waiter kept a smile on his dial, cherishing his chilled-out day due to lack of customers.
Overall the experience was a little bleak. The only noise aside from the clacking of our cutlery was a bit of kitchen banter and the same Black Seeds song on repeat the whole time, grinding my gears.
