In Short: Little touches, including embroidered napkins and plush velvet pink chairs, suggest that you are in for something a little more sophisticated at Baby Coffee Co. Have someone on your table order up the bacon and egg roll and load up Uber, so that you can splash out on the bottomless mimosas!
If you watched the just completed 2018 Australian Open tennis, you may have noticed splashes of pink throughout the apparel on the men’s side of the draw as they slugged it out in on Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Rafa and Roger sporting pink was refreshing, surprising, and perhaps even inspiring. What has this got to do with Baby Coffee Co. you may wonder? Well guys, it’s worth embracing pink and enjoying a morning or afternoon at Baby Coffee Co. There are lashings of pink throughout; from the pink velvet seats, pink neon signs, to the napkins and menu, it’s everywhere! The pink though, really works well to soften up the modern concrete shell of where the cafe is housed.
For me, it was hard to pigeon-hole Baby Coffee Co. It comes across smarter than the run-of-the-mill cafe, yet stops short of being bistro. There’s alcohol as early as you want, alongside hot cups of coffee, and smashed avocado. From families (like the Coco & Vine gang) through to hens parties, Baby Coffee Co., while predominantly catering to the millennial crowd, is welcoming of everyone.
Speaking of alcohol, our designated drinker was Mavis. For $20 it’s a bottomless helping of mimosas. By the time we had our seat, orange mimosas had been exhausted so Mavis spent the afternoon slurping through watermelon mimosas. She was all too happy to relay that it was refreshing with a unmistakable texture of crushed watermelon and a hit of booziness with every sip. Summer breeze definitely made her feel fine after a couple of those mimosas.
Before being totally overcome with alcohol, the food arrived. Mavis helped herself to a cheekily named Big Man Ting. It’s a double up on the main ingredients; double beef patties, double cheese with lettuce, tomato, a house sauce, and pickles. Biting through the soft milk bun revealed juicy chunks of meat, lathered with cheese. One bite was enough to convince me that this was the real deal. Baby Coffee’s burger sauce was mighty fine and needs to be on burgers across the city!
I couldn’t come to Baby Coffee Co. and not sample a coffee, and it was a perfect day to sample a cold brew. A Costa Rican single origin delivers mild citrus notes and settles to reveal lush red berry flavours with hints of almond nuttiness in the finish. It’s refined and smooth to the palate and served cold, delightfully refreshing. For a coffee lover it’s my equivalent of a mimosa!
I was won over by the sound of cinnamon hotcake. Placed in front of me, the love continued. A puffy deep dish styled pancake, with a crown of berries and fruit. Berry marscapone and almond praline completed this stunning looking brunch dish. It was puffy, airy and not the least bit dense. Summer berries cut through the richness of the dish. Almond praline provided a contrasting crunch, and the marscapone was smooth and fruity. If you’re a sharer, this is perfect for two, but I didn’t have any issue demolishing it myself.
If you’re looking for Sydney’s premier bacon and egg roll, from a visual perspective, it’s hard to go past Baby Coffee’s offering. Fellow Coco and Viner Steven’s order incited massive food envy. Two perfectly fried eggs sit on top of lashings of pork belly with a lining of capsicum jam and aioli. That pork belly was memorable; slow cooked so that it melts in the mouth. Eggs run all over the pork belly, like a bacon and egg roll should. It’s accomplished and purely delicious.
The cavalcade of beautifully presented food continues with an avo pesto toast. It’s a beautiful palette of colours with cherry tomatoes, purple asparagus, thinly sliced radish, blood orange, roasted cauliflower and the lime green of avocado. Well seasoned, it’s fresh with nice touches of acidity from the tomatoes and blood orange.
We stayed the afternoon, and to reward little Sammi for putting up with us while we chatted away, she was treated to soft serve with almond praline and 100’s and 1000’s. Soft, velvety smooth and sweet with the yummy crunch of the praline, what’s not to love?!
Baby Coffee Co. delivers beautifully presented food with something for everyone. It goes beyond the traditional cafe with cocktails and mimosas adding a layer of sophistication. Staff are approachable and looked after us as our brunch extended into lunch. You won’t be disappointed if you head to Waterloo’s newest, and coolest, spot.
Bianca@forfoodssake says
This place is just too pretty for words!! Burgers and pancakes. That’s the match made in heaven!