Code Black Coffee – Black Elegance

Broccoli, Almond & Chia Fritters with Grilled Corn Salsa, Coriander, Avocado & a Poached Egg

Flat White at Code Black Coffee

Fried Eggs with Chorizo, Ham and Mushrooms

Latte at Code Black Coffee

Orange Juice at Code Black Coffee

N & I headed to Code Black Coffee on a Saturday for brunch. Code Black Coffee is one of the latest cafes to open up in the Brunswick area and is located off Sydney Road, behind Barkly Square shopping centre. Code Black Coffee is not only a cafe but a roasting house as well – with roasting equipment present on site.

Code Black Coffee comes to you thanks to Joseph Haddad who is the man behind the Cafenatics stores that can be found all around the Melbourne CBD.  The chef behind the deliciously flavoured menu is Laura Neville and makes you want to try out all of the dishes.

Code Black Coffee exudes elegance and class yet staying casual and welcoming from the moment you step inside. As the name suggests, the main colour theme is black together with an industrial metallic and stone feel.  When you walk inside the main feature you are greeted with is the large counter and barista station which in the centre of the room, which creates a division of the rooms. To the left of the counter there are tables for groups and to the right are smaller tables enough for couples or singles. As you keep walking past the kitchen – which has a glass window that allows you to peek in and see the chefs creating food magic – there are booths for a more private catch up.

As the name suggests there is a main focus on coffee and it sure doesn’t disappoint. There is a variety of coffees available – both black and milk. Code Black Coffee roasts high grade beans from international farms and growers, and there is a Code Black seasonal blend, as well as a rotating single origin which is roasted in house, signature blends and decaffeinated coffee. These different varieties of coffee can also be bought over the counter as well and staff are willing to assist to so that you walk away with the perfect coffee.

N got a house-blend expresso and I got the house-blend latte. I thoroughly enjoyed my latte with its nutty and velvety smooth flavours. The expresso comes with additional water which I think is thoughtful in order to modify the coffee if need be. Later on we also got a flat white which was just as delicious and creamy. Definitely one of the better coffees that I have tasted – and I do want to go back and try out some of their other types of beans.

Moving onto the food options – where do I start. There are plenty of dishes for people who are vegetarian, gluten free or require vegan food – which I think is really fantastic. The menu covers a variety of flavours and dishes – there is a baked egg dish that comes with polenta fingers, belgian waffles and even two different burgers – one veggie one and one meaty one. There are also a selection of Baker goods – such as breads, crossiants, toasties, Salads and Sandwiches. There is also a menu for the little peeps (as the menu states) – consisting of smaller sized dishes. I was struggling to pick a dish to have and in the end decided to try out the fritters (after all I do have a thing for fritters =p)

The fritters at Code Black Coffee had ingredients that I haven’t usually seen in a fritter dish – Broccoli, Almond & Chia Fritters with Grilled Corn Salsa, Coriander, Avocado & a Poached Egg. When the dish came out it was beautifully presented on Japanese style plates – with the fritters as a base, topped with the avocado and poached egg, with the corn salsa and coriander surrounding the elements. The fritters were absolutely delicious! They were full of broccoli, almond and chia and were flavoursome. You don’t usually think of this combination but it really did work – and coupled with the avovado and corn – there really was a party of flavours that happen in your mouth. I loved this dish!

There is also a selection of cakes and pastries which look fresh and tasty which are displayed at the front counter. Code Black Coffee is wonderful place that exudes class and style and the menu is one of my favourite cafe menu’s that I have come across – there are so many dishes that I want to come back and try – its a shame you can only do one dish a visit =p I will definitely be back to visit and try out as many dishes as I can.

Rating : 4.5 Pandas
Price: $
Menu – Refer to http://codeblackcoffee.com.au/wp-content/themes/codeblackcoffee/inc/CODE%20BLACK_MENU_18_05_13_1_0.pdf
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Elegant, Classy and Stylish yet welcoming and engaging.
Standout Dish: Broccoli, Almond & Chia Fritters with Grilled Corn Salsa, Coriander, Avocado & a Poached Egg
Service: Friendly and Knowledgable – they really do know their stuff about coffee and are always ready to help.
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
codeblackcoffee.com.au
15-17 Weston Street, Brunswick
Tel No: 9388 0005

Opening Hours:
Monday to Sunday: 7:00am – 5:00pm

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Bowery to Williamsburg – A Piece of NYC in Melbourne

How to Order

Inside Bowey to Willamsburg

Inside Bowey to Willamsburg

Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate

The Wall Menu

The Menu

Meatballs, Harissa Tomato Sugo & Mozzarella

Field Mushroom, Pomegranate Tabouli and Minted Yoghurt

Mac & Cheese & Pretzels

Field Mushroom with Pomegranate Tabouli and Minted Yoghurt with a Side of Mac & Cheese and Pretzels

Bowery to Williamsburg is new to the cobblestone laneway of Melbourne namely Oliver Lane (which also houses the famous Coda) – is known for its fantastic bagels and out of this world sandwiches.

Bowery to Williamsburg is a New-York inspired deli style venue brought to you by the team behind the ever popular Hardware Societe (Will and Di). It is aptly named after the Bowery Station of New York and comes complete with an underground style area to sit. At cobblestone street level there are communal tables where you can sit outside as well as having its own Slayer coffee machine, step through the doors (which are cleverly held open by a brass shoe) and down the stairs and you are greeted by a massive Slayer coffee machine (which sources local espresso coffee- Padre coffee beans from Brunswick) and copper trimmed sandwich counter, completed with a large sign that tells you how to order. Its simple really – 1) Choose your sandwich, 2) Select your Side and 3)Add some pretzels & pickle and Pay – $16.50 for the lot or $12.50 for the sandwich only – which would mean you only complete step 1 =)

In this downstairs area there is also a large marble communal table with interesting chairs that you need to come early during the lunch hour to secure a seat. There are also other single tables around the place. The menu (as you can see from the above picture) comes on little cards and outlines exactly what is in each sandwich and the different sides that you can choose from. There is also a wooden wall with chalk boards that have the menu on it as well.  There are 10 different sandwiches to choose from – covering all bases from – mushrooms to salmon, to corned beef to pork and almond meatballs. The combinations are fresh and ingenious! Here they also cater for people that would require gluten-free bread – this will cost $1 extra.

Breakfast time is when the bagels are available – there are several varieties of bagel on offer – both savory and sweet – all made by 5 and Dime. Options include the sour cherry bagel with a smear of lemon curd, or perhaps a beetroot and rye bagel with cream cheese. There are cooked breakfasts too, like poached eggs with maple baked beans and a bacon slab. To add to this there is your something sweet which sits in the cabinet and the counter such as Key Lime Pie and Maple Pecan Pie.

Our waitress comes over and explains the special sides that we can order and takes our drinks order. I have to say now I am not a fan of peanut butter at all, but the sound of a peanut butter hot chocolate is tempting as does the Mofo Deluxe Hot Chocolate. I decide to give the Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate a go and I am so so so glad I did! It is one of the best hot chocolates that I have had and what makes it better is that it comes with a mini Reece’s Peanut Butter cup on the side! It comes served in a faux crumpled plastic cup and is so rich and chocolately and just simply delicious. If you are game you can add your mini Reece’s Butter Cup into the hot chocolate for more gooey yumness. Another point to note – coffees come out with a Hersheys’ Treat.

For lunch I decided to go with sandwich combo and get the pretzels, dill gherkin and a side – I mean why wouldn’t you – it just sounds and looks oh so good! I go for the Field Mushroom sandwich with pomegranate tabouli and minted yoghurt – and as my side I choose the Mac ‘n’ Cheese. I came with A and she ordered the Meatballs Sandwich on its own which comes with Pork & Almond balls, Harissa Tomato Sugo and Mozzarella. My sandwich was delicious – the mushroom was juicy and fresh and the addition of the tabouli and minted yoghurt with the bursts of pomegranate provided the tanginess and the acidity. Having a bite of the pickle added another depth to the meal. The Mac ‘n’ Cheese was warm and tasty and served off to the side in its own little jar with the cheese melted messily around it. I loved this concept. The whole meal came plated out on a wooden board.

The staff are friendly, welcoming and chirpy and are always willing to help you decide on menu. I will definitely be frequenting this place even though there might be lines – I think it’s worth the wait! The food brings together interesting combination of ingredients and is fresh and tasty. I really want to come back during breakfast time and try out the bagels and check out the breakkie menu as well. Bowery to Williamsburg is a homage to the underground station that is New York and really does bring that part of the world to what is typically a Melbourne laneway and is a great cafe / takeaway place.

NOTE: Bowery to Williamsburg is a CASH ONLY venue

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Refer to the photos above for the menu – there are 10 different sandwiches to choose from. Breakfast consists of bagel, eggs etc
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: A piece of NYC in Melbourne – fresh, gritty and fun
Standout Dish: Any of the sandwiches really! Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate!
Service: Friendly, chirpy and always happy to help
Online Booking: No – seating is first in, first served. I suggest getting there at 12pm in order to get a seat during lunch hour.
Restaurant Details and Location:
16 Oliver Lane, Melbourne
Tel No: 9077 0162

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7:30am – 3:30pm

Industry Beans – Great Coffee, Great Looking Dishes & A Great Place!

Cappuccino at Industry Beans


Poached Eggs crumbed in Panko, served with Charred Asparagus, Raisins, Capsicum Curls & a Parsnip & Jeruselum Artichoke Puree

Brioche French Toast – Served with Cold-Drip Coffee Maple Pearls, Pure Maple Syrup, Blueberry Molasses & Double Whipped Cream

Industry Beans is a new coffee roaster / cafe opened up by the owners of Penny Farthing Expresso – Trevor and Steve Simmons. The most talked about aspect – aside from the delicious and variety filled coffee and great tasting food of course – is the location and the space of this place. The brothers have transformed a former warehouse space into a bright, chic, high ceiling-ed, lively and enjoyable cafe. Industry Beans has a funky, friendly and energetic vibe as soon as you set foot into the place.

C and I arrive at around 10am on a Sunday morning for breakfast and are seated immediately and are given the menus. One of the menus is a coffee bible – a 15 page coffee menu!!! – which features single origins from literally all over the world – places like El Salvador, Honduras, the Sumatran Hills and the plantations of Panama. You can select from various techniques such as Expresso, Blends, Pour-Over, AeroPress and Cold Drip. C needed to have decaf coffee and the waitress was very informative and telling her that here they prepare decaf by running it through water, whereas most other coffee places use harsh chemicals. She also gave her some other advice about decaf coffee too – so informative!

The food menu, from the Penny Farthing chef Shaun Landman, is just as good as the coffee menu – one side is the lunch menu and the other side is the breakfast menu. There are the normal dishes such as Bircher Muesli and Smashed Avocado Eggs, but there are some creative dishes. There were many dishes on the list that I wanted to try but I just had to select one (I chose the Poached Crumbed Eggs in Panko). C and I then shared the Brioche French Toast as well. There are dishes like Beetroot Rosti topped with Smoked Eel to Cold Drip Cured Salmon and Cornbread (yes, the Salmon is actually cooked with their quality coffee!).

When my dish – Poached Eggs crumbed in Panko, served with Charred Asparagus, Raisins, Capsicum Curls & a Parsnip & Jeruselum Artichoke Puree – came out I was super impressed! The dish was colorful and presented beautifully. If you have seen my previous posts I have a little obsession with crumbed poached eggs so was really keen on trying what the ones here were like. These poached eggs – which were perfectly poached and just had the right amount of gooey-ness – were crumbed with Panko and tasted fantastic! The combination of the asparagus and the sweetness of the raisins together with the crunch of the almonds was delicious! A definite must try dish! The Brioche French Toast was another hit of a dish! However I would have liked a bit more cream and more strawberries. The Cold-Drip Coffee Maple Pearls were ingenious and the additional coffee flavour mixed with other elements really made the dish! I want to go back and try out items from the Coffee Chemistry list.

Industry Beans has a strong philosophy of keeping everything in-house and serve homemade bread, butter and even chocolate! They aren’t just specialists in coffee but with food as well. There is a Coffee Chemistry list as well where you can sample things from their “Coffee-Lab” – such as Cold Drop Caviar, Latte Pearls, Aeropress Jelly and Coffee Toffee!

There is also a viewing platform at the back where you watch the baristas loading the beans in and out of the roaster. There is also a coffee cupping area upstairs. There are muffins and other sweet selections at the front counter – all of which are made in house as well.

Industry Beans is just one of those places that everyone has to visit at least once, and once they do they will keep coming back. This place is a definite must try for all the coffee lovers out there – you WILL NOT be disappointed. The staff are friendly without being over the top, the venue is fresh and refreshing and makes you feel really comfortable. All I have to say is CHECK OUT THIS PLACE! GO GO GO! =p

Rating : 5 Pandas
Price: $$
Menu – Breakfast and Lunch Menu with a twist! Check on the menu at http://industrybeans.com/cafe/menu/
Fullness: 100%
Atmosphere / Ambience: Casual, Relaxed and Friendly – great for a weekend catch up!
Standout Dish: Brioche French Toast
Service: Super Friendly and attentive! Happy to give out suggestions and always have a smile on their face =)
Online Booking: No
Restaurant Details and Location:
http://industrybeans.com/
Warehouse 3
Cnr Fitzroy & Rose St
Fitzroy
Tel No: 9417 1037

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 7am to 5pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am to 5pm