Ad-hoc brunch
Every now and then I’m spontaneous. Oh who am I kidding, I often engage in off-the-cuff behaviour, rarely do I drag others along with my madness. This particular day I saw a mate that lives over three hours away had checked in, in my ‘hood. I quickly responded with ‘time for a coffee before you head back?’
The answer was “Yes!”
I had to think of somewhere easy to find and not too far out of the way of track.
Canberra is laid out in lots of tiny suburbs with a few ‘Town Centres’, Civic, Tuggernong (South) Belconnon (North), Woden (West), and Majura (East). Gungahlin is also gaining traction in the North West (no relation to Kimmy and Ye). As my friend, Paula*, I told her to meet me at a place I thought she might like. If nothing else, I knew they had good coffee, and I knew that was the most important thing. Paula, likes her coffee.
Also, I had completely missed an item on their specials menu a few days earlier and had to try it before it wasn’t special anymore.
I arrived a few minutes before her, which frankly was a miracle, because I was in bed reading AITA on Buzzfeed when I saw her check-in. Thank goodness for showering before bed on clean sheet day. I’ve always been able t get ready in a hurry, but even Fe was caught by surprise on the speed of this up and out turnaround, twenty-five minutes from sheets to table.
As I had fried like bacon the day before I opted for an inside table. I like this cafe, I have been here a few times, but I prefer sitting outside generally, simply because of the noise. It’s a concrete and brick building with very little sound insulation so it can be very loud. Voices, kitchen sounds, dropped crockery. Also, the metal chairs are narrow and dig into my wide butt, which is why the wooden chair and benches outside are a general preference.
I ordered a large latte and the special Swedish Hash Benedict. Which is described on the menu as:
“with roasted potatoes, swiss chard, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce”
Knowing what I know about this place, everything, with the possible exception of the eggs, was grown onsite. They have an urban garden and grow everything, including their own mushrooms (not in this meal, but I can highly recommend their ‘Shrooms on Toast’). I knew I would be rewarded.
And I was. I always am here.
Paula and I drank our coffees, chatted about the audacity of men on the dating scene, the cheek of people wanting things made free and completely under appreciating the effort it takes to make something (she made a birthday cake that took twelve hours and then delivered to Canberra, a six-hour round trip and they didn’t even offer fuel money), dogs, and movies.
Food arrived.
What was delivered was exactly what was on the menu. And the sauce was…
drum roll please…
HOMEMADE.
It was on the thinner, more fluid side of sauces, but the rich lemon freshness was detectable just from the aroma rising from the plate. No doubt the juice was freshly squeezed from a lemon picked that morning. It was piquant.
Overall the dish was delightful and completely what I would have expected. If I had to find any fault at all, it would be the eggs where slightly overcooked. While the centre of the yolk was liquid, it had no run. it had the jelly like texture that happens to yolks just before they turn hard. It definitely wasn’t a deal breaker though. A delightful combination of herbs and homegrown produce with not a slice of toasted sourdough in sight.
Would I go back. Totally, it’s my local now :)
Location: Two Before Ten
Address: 68 Bandjalong Crescent, Aranda ACT 2614
Website: TBT
EB Price: $25
*Name changed to protect the caring, helpful, giveing and easily taken advantage of :)
