(Outdoor dining area)
(Interior)
(Interior)
(Outdoor dining area)
(Outdoor dining area)
(Almond Crusted French Toast)
(Coriander Hoe Cakes)
(Fried Creole Chicken)
'Sunday morning rain is fallinggggggggg'
Literally.
The moody weather took its swing at Melbourne again, surprise surprise.
In between the sun and the rain we stumbled to Industry Beans. Having heard of it before, it never peaked our interest, as we unconsciously labelled it as just another brunch spot in Melbourne. However, looking at the recent 2013-2014 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards in the UK and International section, Industry Bean's has won against other Melbourne cafe's such as the much hyped Top Paddock. How can we not pay a visit after the announcement? (albeit the reason is a tiiiiny biiiiiiiiit shallow)
The cafe is situated just a street away from two different tram stops, making it fairly easy to reach. The wait was around 15 minutes for a table on a late Sunday morning which wasn't bad at all. There might even be a shorter wait if some outdoor tables weren't soaked due to the morning rain.
The black pallets were the main focus of the cafe's interior and like the name suggested, it is used to create an industrial look along with the help of the concrete walls. The open space outdoors and the polycarbonate roofing allows maximum natural light to reach in without exposing customers directly to the sun. If the weather is mellow and you're looking to avoid the busy buzzing of the cafe, sit outside where it is much more peaceful in comparison and some greenery as company.
The food and drinks were all very thoughtful and the presentation was top-notch. Their specialty coffees were presented in a separate menu, offering a wide variety from espresso coffee's to cold-drip coffee's. The menu choices catered to the generic can't-go-wrong-with-this meals to the more adventurous I'll-try-something-different-today meals.
The Almond Crusted French Toast with coffee custard, roasted apples, rhubarb, lemon curd and coffee caviar was probably one of the safest choice on the menu. The toast was actually crunchy but did not taste oily, it was also not soggy as it sometimes happens with over indulging the bread with the egg mixture. The sour taste of rhubarb cut through the sweetness of the curd and the apple compote. As it was a fruity combination that cannot fail, it was not drenched in mounts of syrup like most french toast would. It helps that there was no feelings of guilt after gobbling down the whole dish that was normally filled with sugary evilness.
The Coriander Hoe Cake with pickled carrot salad, a poached egg, chilli caramel sauce and wasabi aioli probably taste just as it sounds. Probably not on your everyday brunch menu either. The taste of the dish is heavier and not catered to everyone's liking. My friend chose the eggplant to go with the dish and although it went well with all the other elements, as a Chinese, I can say it reminds me the taste of our food culture.
The Fried Creole Chicken tastes special, obviously not your everyday KFC or Korean fried chicken. It was very crunchy, a bit dry but it could be because they have used chicken breast instead of chicken thighs. It also has a spiced and herbal taste to it, overall very flavoursome. There was nothing new about the salad, as they all say, you can't really go wrong with a bit of raisins in a salad. The meal was generally worth a try but won't make a particular lasting impression.
