Anyone who has read Eats, Shoots & Leaves will understand why my jaw fell as I approached Cafeine. I understand it is a play on words, but unfortunately, it's not clever enough for me to forgive. Bad form, bad form.
Luckily, Cafeine has it's good points. The space is fantastic. I love corner spaces, and Cafeine's main dining area is a triangular room with big windows that let lots of light through. They offer window bench seating, or your regular table situation. There's a mezzanine level above the triangular dining space which is where a large group of people would be accommodated for best. The long table that sits in the room where all the magic happens is best used for waiting for take aways. There's also an alfresco area that is quite nice to sit at too, if you can manage to block out the traffic noises.
Seeing coffee syrup patterns in my coffee throws me back to times past. It was the early 2000's when 'coffee art' was all the rage. They're still tapping into this at Cafeine, and I have to say, I'm totally ok with it. The coffee was tasty and pretty. The orange and almond cake I had this morning seductively fell apart with the approach of my fork. I just knew that it was made just a few hours ago, and it was as fresh as fresh could be.
The service could do with a little work. They did forget my coffee. I did get it in the end, but with no apology, no acknowledgement that they'd screwed up.
They have some tasty breakfast options: pesto tomatoes with fetta on turkish toast for $11.50 is something you shouldn't miss out on if you're here. The servings are wealthy, and the presentation has a modern twist.
Cafeine gets my vote because I love the space. I'll ignore the nonchalant, cold service, but will enjoy muddling the coffee art, and dismantling my food. It's a good place to come if you find yourself in Cooparoo. read more