Two Before Ten Cafe and Roasters is located in Canberra House in the city (opposite Muddle Bar). It’s a cute little cafe that provides an all day menu and its own roasted coffee beans. They provide courses in brewing and drinking coffee on Saturday mornings, titled ‘The Ultimate Coffee Experience’.
The inside is very open, almost loft-like, with a mixture of long and small tables, seats and stools. I like how they’ve added a bit of greenery to the place with plants and baskets of fruit on the table. It also has a slight homey feel to it with magazines and newspapers lying around on tables for people to read. There is outside seating available on long benches and stools – I can see it being popular in the summer time.
I was the first to arrive at the table and was immediately asked by the waiter whether I’d like anything to drink. I got my usual – a soy mocha which promptly arrived a few minutes later. It was velvety smooth. I don’t drink any other type of ‘real’ coffee but my coffee-loving friends tell me the coffee here is pretty awesome. When my friends all arrived, they had to wait for their coffees for a while, and when we asked about them, they apologised for the delay and provided them free of charge.
I ordered the braised cannellini beans, sage, pork hock on sourdough ($7). This hit the spot and I was impressed with the flavour. Not overly rich and filled me up. It doesn’t look like much in the photo but the pork hock really made it stand out as something different. Yum!
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| Braised cannellini beans, sage, pork hock |
My friend ordered the poached eggs with cherry tomatoes, pesto, herb salad on sourdough. A decent normal breakfast but nothing spectacular.
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| Poached eggs with cherry tomatoes, pesto, herb salad |
The other thing on the menu I would’ve liked to try was the grilled black pudding. Mainly because I’ve never had black pudding before and am curious to taste what its like. The menu changes regularly so I’m not sure if the black pudding is still available.
The good thing about this place is that the most expensive item for breakfast is only $15. Freshly squeezed fruit juice in large glasses are also available. A nice cafe that I’d go back to. Nice staff, relaxed atmosphere, decent food at affordable prices. Can’t really complain about that!
A joint Two Before Ten venture A. Baker is opening up soon in New Acton. An artisan bakery and speakeasy bar. Can’t wait!
