Finally made it to Express Cafe at New Town Station Nursery yesterday.
Yes - Rita is well and truly on top of what is happening round town!
So the universe was conspiring to align all things necessary for me to be able to eat there - they were open, it was Saturday morning, I had all the time in the world, I had a few friends who wanted to meet up & chat and that was a convenient place to go - so off we went.
First impressions - clean, modern, fresh, bigger than it looks from the outside.
Second impressions - noisy when filled with more than 4 tables of customers (especially if they're big tables), 'basic' service (by which I mean that the service was there, but it was given as if it were a chore).
On the whole I liked it there. The over-riding feeling there is of the cafe being an intrinsic part of the nursery. It feels lovely and light, and serene - until the tables get filled. I'm not knocking Steve and Rebecca for wanting/needing to make a living, but for me, the beauty is in the peacefulness of such a beautiful cafe setting, so next time I go, I'll make sure it's at the start of service, not round the popular dining times.
The food was fine. I noticed Emily (ex-Trout) cooking in the kitchen. I sampled the polenta, savoury muffin and their famous banana & choc bread.
For cafe food, it was fine. If it was closer to my place, I'd go more often and be more than happy with it. As it was, from my place to get there I pass countless cafes, so it'd have to be really stand-out, which it's not.
On a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being fabulous) I'd rate it 7.
I was pleased to note that private hire of the cafe is available. I'll add that to my list of recommended venues for functions with a difference. They also provide a mobile espresso bar for events. Great initiative guys.
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
20 comments:
FINALLY Rita!
I tend to agree that it does get quite loud inside at the busy times.
Service can be variable depending who is on. Did you see the mention of express in todays Sunday Tasmanian?
Food is always good though. I had the most amazing Risotto cakes there a couple of weeks ago. Really lovely.
Hi Zelda - yes - I saw GP's mention in todays Sunday Tas. Also saw he gave the new Mummys, 1815, a good wrap too. Must get along there & check it out soon, along with Onba.
Salt is my final venue from my list of a few months ago, then I'll assemble the new list of 'to go to' venues which will obviously include Mummys & Onba.
Does anyone believe what GP says. Or is it payola that talks. The more you pay the better the review.
GP get paid to put in a good word for particular restaurants? Yes the same happens everywhere thats why food critics drive in flash cars, wear gold jewellery and live in penthouses! Little bit green eyed anonomous 9:19?
Food Nazi!
It is remarkable Rita that there aren't more nursery cafes in the State.
Every friggin' nursery in Melb has a cafe attached these days, some are actually very good.
I wonder if we could sustain a 'Petersham Nursery' styled one here in Tassie?
Gobbler - I'd love it if we COULD sustain a cafe like the Petersham one. But - currently we've got Express, (and I've heard whisperings about a cafe at Lauderdale nursery too) and for what it offers & delivers, it's OK - till a Petersham equivalent comes along!
Food Nazi - as ever, you're back to give the reality check to some poor unsuspecting commenter!
Anon - it doesn't do to speculate. How GP selects or writes his pieces is unknown to me. One day I might feel bold enough to ask him!
Rita- last I heard the whisper of a cafe at lauderdale (am assuming its Harmony) was essentially a coffee cart that was ocassionally staffed. Besides Harmony has apparently being sold to Coles/Woolworths to build a supermarket on. (It was either that or an old age home, I cant actually remember).
Actually, Zelda, supermarket-old folks home....they are often the same.
Try getting through the checkout at lunchtime when you're in a hurry...dozens of elderly people will be in front of you, and often TRYING TO ENGAGE the staff in CONVERSATION.
Then they will delve into the purse or wallet and FISH OUT EVERY 5C coin in the KNOWN UNIVERSE to Pay for their groceries.
Meanwhile, the rest of us weep,wail, thrash the air and throw ourselves on the ground kicking and screaming.
And that's before the checkout fails to scan an item, (usually clothing) and they try for HOURS to get someone to come and check the price on the shelf.
Arrrrgh.
Only kidding cos its me and the misus at the front of the queue and we love holding everybody up.
Sir Grumpy
By the way, there used to be a cafe at Mite 10 Kingston which was good.
We used it regularly for a sit-in feed and takeawy too.
Alas, it's gone, but we heard some locals objected to it on the grounds it didn't fit into the planning remit.
That is, there was no provision for a food-licenced business in approval of the nursery-hardware store.
I wonder if other nursery-cafes have faced this issue?
We still miss sitting in the leafy surrounds there with a good feed, or just a cuppa and cake.
Sir grumpy
Hey Rita, just thought I'd tell you that I'm back from the land of the $12 coffee, and boy its nice to be back here, food & service in Australia kick ass, make no mistake. As for the minor gripes leveled at places in Hobart, I would take the worst of some of these places over a lot of places in the UK.
I wondered where you'd been cartouche. Did you bring any fish and chips or bakewell tarts back with you to share?
I know what you mean about the UK. Unless you are a local person (league of gentlemen?) the response in shops and cafes can be COLD, COLD, COLD.
Last time I was there I got the use of a friend's spare car.
Before handing it back i cleaned it up and got oil and a full tank of petrol for him.
It was 50 pounds to fill up then...a few years ago (what, about $120).
I just went over the 50-quid mark on the bowser.
The attendant said ``That'll be fifty pounds and a penny''.
Shit...wouldn't even round it down for a penny.
Sir grumpy
98p per ltr, or £61 to fill up a ford focus ($140 ish ).
And yes I did have a bakewell tart or two plus a few Mr Kipplings. Good to hear from you old bean.
Yay - you're back Cartouche. I have been thinking of you. Did all go as anticipated?
Anyway - it's great to have you back here with us, even tho you've obviously shelled out an arm and a leg to survive in the old country. Glad you had a couple of Mr Kiplings and the odd Bakewell tart. I miss those.
Anyway - give us a couple of months and here in good old Tassie we'll be paying your $140 to fill our petrol tanks too, just to make you feel at home properly!
Sir G - yes - I also frequented that cafe that used to be in Mitre 10 at Kingston. It was OK, from memory.
I read ages ago about (the article claimed) women who habitually held up the checkout line by taking forever to find their Frequent Shoppers cards or credit cards, when, as the point was strongly being made, they were there, in the queue, knowing full well that they'd eventually reach the head of the line at which time they'd be required to produce either or both cards, and WHY THE F... DIDN'T THEY GET THE BLOODY THING OUT BEFORE THEY REACHED THE COUNTER INSTEAD OF APPEARING TOTALLY CONFUSED WHEN ASKED FOR IT AT THE CHECKOUT! THEN HAVING TO DELVE AROUND FOR THE SUPERMARKET-TIME-EQUIVALENT OF 2 YEARS LOOKING THRU THEIR BAGS FOR IT.
Same people as you Sir G!
Same people, different universe, Rita.
Ask my wife about customers who line-up and wait to fish out their store card, credit card or money....she'll go BALLISTIC.
Sir Grumpy
Thank god it's not you Sir G!
Rita we went to Onba yesterday just for a squiz and a coffee. Was lovely inside very sleek and modern nice sounding tapas menu other half said coffee ok my hot choc wasnt hot but lukewarm tasted nice though. Whats happeneing these days wherever we go for coffee its never HOT!!!
Sir G - I hear you! My mum in Brisbane refuses to go to the local shopping centre at certain times as the OAP's all decend in the OAH mini van and go shopping - or as mum calls it "aisle gossiping".
Niceglassofred - I think it's this modern day phenomena about the hype of coffee needing to be at a specific temperature in order for ones palate to be able to get the full benefits of the coffee flavour!
Once again, I personally believe it comes right back to who you are and what you yourself like/prefer. If you like your coffee scalding hot, well, have it that way! If you prefer it luke-warm, once again, have it that way.
Whatever! The coffee police shouldn't dictate to all. But - it seems that the temperature is critical, so we all get it that way!
I bought my missus one of those double-walled (vacuum) coffee plungers for Christmas and she loves it.
None of this lukewarm tosh for her. Piping hot or else.
I have been following the assorted blogs that you people tend to contribute to and can not help but ask what it is you are trying to achieve.
Turkish
Post a Comment