This probably should be the best contemporary cafe in this area. There's the makings but it's not there yet on what I experienced today.
Merchant and Maker looks deceptively humble from the street nestled in a small shopping strip. It's actually a spacious cafe with ample inside and outside seating. And, it's located directly across from the breach. It's nicely fitted out in a contemporary way with brightness coming from the predominant white decor. There was lovely music on today. Someone has a really good playlist. Overall there's a lovely atmosphere at this cafe and it's a very nice place to sit a spell.
I received a lovely greeting on arrival. Good menu here, but things are a little expensive, $2-3 above city prices in some cases. $6 to add extras to my brekkie eggs seemed a bit OTT to me.
I had a gorgeous long black with cold milk on the side and it was very nicely presented on a board. Very very good coffee. Best coffee in the immediate area on the peninsula.
I chose poached eggs on sourdough with beans and bacon. The toasted sourdough was too dry, the eggs not quite runny enough to offset the dryness. Another earlier reviewer had mentioned the dryness of the bread and they were right. The bread needs to softened in another way as parts of it were tough to eat. The dish was unseasoned too. I had to ask for salt and pepper which wasn't available on any table. Absolutely beautiful bacon, and superbly cooked. Best bacon I've tasted for a while, with gorgeous crisp edges. It was the best part of the dish. The beans were over sweetened. Like seriously too too sweet. It was a shame as they otherwise had good flavour. It was also a tiny serve for $6. So, overall the meal was not quite there for me.
Service was lovely throughout. It has the makings but overall this cafe can do better. read more