Eat. @ Collective Espresso

3 Cookson St, Camberwell 3124 ph (03) 9882 8995

Collective Espresso is one of my new favourite places.  Friends who know I blog (I try to keep the blog a bit of a "secret identity" hehehe) often ask me to recommend them places to go and I've found myself suggesting Collective Espresso on more than one occasion.  This lovely little coffee and brunch spot has been around for a few years and I'm kicking myself for not having tried it out earlier!

On the first visit I went with Bubs and we perched on high stools at the large communal table inside.  It's cosy and fun and we shared the Miso cured Salmon, with potato rosti, kim chi and sesame fried eggs. ($18)   To be honest this has been my favourite breakfast/brunch dish so far this year!  The salmon was tasty, the rosti was beatifully crispy, and those eggs were to die for.  The were not what I expected fried eggs to be, but turns out they are poached eggs which are then quickly fried to give a slightly crispy bite before you get into the runny but oh-so-slightly thickened yolk.  Genius!

The mocha ($4) was excellent and much enjoyed with a copy of Epicure (love Tuesdays!)

Of course I had to bring Hubby back and this time we had to come on the weekend which means super busy crowds.  Luckily we were quickly seated,  but decided to move to one of the outside tables as we were a bit worried that Bubs was getting a bit keen climbing up and down on the stools and disturbing all the other cool young diners at the communal table.   Again I ordered the same dish but this time it came with miso cured kingfish.  I preferred the salmon but the kingfish was quite delicious too.

Hubby ordered the "Collective Sigh of Relief", oh how I love dishes with quirky clever funny names! The dish is made up of scrambled or poached eggs, native spinach, 3 types of mushrooms (we could only find 2 but not too fussed), baked beans and kaiser bacon ($22)  The big breakfast did not disappoint, the thick cut bacon was flavoursome and the beans were perfect for a chilly but sunny saturday morning. 

As you can tell I love this place!  The staff are young and super busy with customers but were still very friendly and helpful with our requests.  The chef took time to answer my questions about the eggs.  The downside is that limited seating means that on the weekend it can get very busy and there's no room for prams or highchairs.  Nonetheless I've always enjoyed our visits and I look forward to enjoying future visits with the kids seated outside as the weather warms up!