In Short: Bread, Espresso & is everything a local café should be, friendly and welcoming with an owner that really cares about his customers and delivering quality coffee experience. Tip: Definitely indulge in the amazing sweet treats available here from artisans like Wellness By Tess and Raw Obsession.
Local is knowing most of your customers by name and just how they take their favourite cup. As food bloggers, we’ve sipped from cups in some of the country’s most highly regarded cafes, but to me, there’s nothing quite like finding a comfy seat in a real local café where the pace is a little more human and the smiles are a little more genuine. Today, that smile is on the face of Bread, Espresso &’s owner Norby, and it’s as genuine as they come.
Bread, Espresso & warmly welcomes those just passing through, as much as it does its loyal locals that pop in and out on their daily caffeine pilgrimage. With a “G’day Mike!” and a “how’s it going Bill?” from Norby, we settle into a front row seat along the open window bar to watch the world slowly slip by on a stunningly sunny weekday afternoon.
Allpress is the bean of choice at Bread, Espresso &, and the roast today is the Brown’s Mill Organic. With chocolatey and stone fruit notes, we sip our way to the bottom of this super smooth mocha cup and remark how refreshingly unique the flavour profile of this Allpress blend is. Not to mention how expertly it’s been extracted in Norby’s skilled hands.
It’s a late Friday afternoon, and after a very long and tiring week, we figure we deserve to be just a little naughty, so it’s time to get stuck into the first of our decadent trio of treats. The chocolate soufflé beams with richness and darkly divine indulgence in a little parcel that is smooth and moist, but never too sweet. You can tell the artisan behind this sophisticated gem has that magic touch for restrained sweetness that sets creations like this apart.
Next up is the delightfully delicate strawberry cheesecake. Smooth and creamy are the modus operandi of this handcrafted killer. I’d have to say that it is probably one of the most authentic preservations of true strawberry flavour in a dessert I’ve had to date. It’s somehow subtle and intense at the same moment as each bite sits on the tongue and lingers in a floral aftertaste; brilliant.
Taking another bevy break to cleanse the palate between bites, the chai latte brims with spice and all things nice, as the creamy combination of real tea leaves, cinnamon, and a hint of honey warms us as the afternoon sun slowly sets over the south coast.
Now, we were given an inside tip on this next treat from the amazingly friendly staff at Bread, Espresso &, and you just know it’s got to be good if it’s one of their favourites. The Triple Salt Layered Stack is once again perfectly balanced in sweetness as the salt and caramel play off each other in a dance that speaks to yet another sophisticated symphony in a sublime slice.
Bread, Espresso & is everything you’d want in an authentic local café, genuinely welcoming, unrushed atmosphere, friendly conversation, and truly top-notch coffee and food. Norby has done Thirroul proud by providing it with a Sydney or Melbourne level of café experience but with that all important human touch that makes every sip that much more satisfying.
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