Walking through Braddon to grab some take away dinner, I noticed an ‘Opening Soon’ sign for Eighty/Twenty Food. Doing a little bit of research into the place, the focus is 80% on healthy good food and 20% on indulgence. Officially opening earlier this week, sister duo and owners of Eighty/Twenty, Klarisa and Tihana have brought a much needed concept to Canberra – fresh, healthy, great tasting food at reasonable prices. Stepping inside, I notice the beautiful copper-like pendant lights, the brightly coloured cups and saucers on top of the coffee machine, blackboards describing healthy smoothies, and sweet treats such as raw balls (representing the 20% indulgence), as well as salads and sandwiches.
The decor is polished and modern, with glossy black tiles along the back wall contrasting against white walls. The glow from the pendant lamps along with the natural light shining through the floor to ceiling windows provides a warmth to break up the black and white. Soup cauldrons are at the ready along the counter for the lunch time service.
Some funky looking pots filled with herbs are displayed diagonally on one wall.
A mix of long communal tables and smaller intimate tables and stools make up the rest of the space. I love the personalised denim cushions on the chairs.
A combination of bi-fold doors and windows allows the cafe to open up in the warmer months. The small outdoor area will undoubtedly be popular.
There’s a large glass tank filled with green liquid chlorophyll on the front counter. Klarisa describes this as tasting like listerine as they’ve put some spearmint into the mix. It actually does taste a little like minty listerine mixed with water. Chlorophyll is a natural alkaliser and helps you digest and break down acids in the stomach.
The breakfast menu looks fantastic with plenty of healthy options available suiting those that are gluten intolerant, vegetarians and vegans. I notice that Pialligo Farm (ACT) smoked bacon is on the menu – this year’s winner of Australia’s Best Artisan Bacon!
Orders are taken at the front counter where you will receive a number on a stand to place on your table. At this stage there are no eftpos facilities (they’re still setting this up) so take cash with you. I ordered a soy mocha ($3.50 + 50c soy).
I decided to go try The ’80’ bowl of kale, watercress, rainbow chard, radish, cauliflower crumb, soft poached egg and grilled king trout ($17.50). There were beautiful vivid colours on the plate and great textures from the perfectly poached egg, silky smooth fresh trout, crunchy rainbow chard, leafy kale and the soft crumbs. The lemon wedge squeezed over the top of everything added a lovely zestiness to the dish. What a great start to the day! I really enjoyed this and could easily order it again.
I love the assortment of smoothies available (all smoothies are $8) and ordered the ‘Matcha Immunitea’ smoothie consisting of matcha green tea powder, mango, almond milk, coconut flesh and coconut nectar.
I liked Eighty/Twenty so much that I went back for another breakfast before work. This time I had the kale and sweet potato rosti with poached egg, pesto oil and blistered cherry tomatoes ($14.50). The rosti comes out compacted into a square with a poached egg sitting on top. I happily let the egg yolk ooze down into the rosti. I really loved the sweet potato and kale combination. The rosti isn’t fried and has so much natural sweet flavour. Yum!
It was a tea kind of morning and I chose the peppermint, liquorice and fennel tea ($4). Served on a wooden board, the used tea leaves are placed in a small dish to the side as the tea has already been brewed for you. Klarisa and Tihana take serving tea at Eighty/Twenty seriously, attending tea cupping sessions to learn how to properly brew a perfect cup of tea. You can expect an Earl Grey to be brewed at 95 degrees for 4.5 minutes. Or a green tea at 75 degrees for 2 minutes. It may take slightly longer than usual to come out but you’re guaranteed the perfect brew. I do love the liquorice hit that remains on the tongue with this tea.
I couldn’t resist trying another smoothie. The Glow Pro ($8) of acai, blueberries, raspberries, coconut flesh, ice and honey was refreshing and filling! I love my berry smoothies and highly recommend this one.
The lunch menu looks super tasty as well with 5 items that I understand will be changed each week along with soups and salads.
Service is friendly and you’ll see both Klarisa and Tihana out on the floor. If you enjoy clean, healthy, wholesome and fresh food, you should definitely check this place out. Can’t wait to go back for more!
Eighty/Twenty Food is located on the corner of Lonsdale Street and Elouera Street in Braddon (next door to the new Sweet Bones Cafe which is opening soon). See the Eighty/Twenty Facebook page for updates.
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Foodgasm 8/10
