Greetings fellow cafe lovers!
Welcome back to Cards and Cafés! After four months of not seeing my Uni girls Flick and Maddy we thought that it would be a great idea that we all catch up and have a good chat. So we thought that we would move away from Hawthorn and look for something in Camberwell.
We all had a fantastic time at this café and actually ended up spending four hours sitting there eating our breakfast and drinking coffee. We sat at one of the tables outside, which was fantastic just being able to sit in the fresh air and enjoy your meal.
This café is located right next to Camberwell train station so it’s very easy to get to and there is also plenty of parking in the area unless it’s the Camberwell Sunday market. This market happens every Sunday and has lots to see and buy.
FOOD & DRINKS
This cafe also has an interesting menu, they have a range of both sweet and savoury options for all taste buds. Menu is from March 2016 and may have changed since this photo was taken.
Once again I ordered a latte, it was great and came out very quickly. Maddy ordered the Prana chai latte; it was so tasty that she ordered two of them. She said that it was one of the best chai latte’s she’s ever had.
Coffee rating: 3/5 
After looking at the menu I decided to order the buttermilk coconut and lime hotcakes served with vanilla mascarpone, strawberries and praline popcorn. Firstly I have to say that it was plated up so beautifully, everything was placed with such care and every element had its spot on the plate. It looked like a piece of artwork! So thank you to the people in the kitchen who put so much effort into making the food look amazing!
The hotcakes were delightful! So light and fluffy! Unlike other hotcakes that I had in the past, these didn’t make you feel all heavy and bloated after eating them, but instead light and ready to take in the day. The praline popcorn was very different. I had never seen anything like it with hotcakes or pancakes before and I thought that it added an extra special element. The crunch of the praline against the softness of the hotcakes was fabulous, leaving your tastebuds excited to see what would be coming next. The only negative about the praline was that some of it was slightly overcooked so it had a slight burnt taste. Also I was so paranoid that I would crack or chip one of my teeth, as it was rather hard and crunchy.
Flick decided to order the Insanity brioche burger served with bacon, pickles, lettuce, tomato, cheese and sauce with a side of rosemary sweet potato fries and espresso sauce. She said that it was a very scrumptious burger and it had a very juicy patty that just had your mouth water. She loved the fact that the café served sweet potato fries instead of regular ones as it made you feel like you were being healthy. The rosemary added an amazing taste and help to bring out the natural flavour of the sweet potato. She also said that the espresso sauce tasted amazing! She was a little worried when she saw that on the menu, but was surprised how great it tasted and well it accompanied the sweet potato fries.
Finally Maddy ordered Huevos benedictos served on potato hash with avocado, chorizo, poached eggs and chipotle hollandaise. This caught her eye as soon as she looked at the menu. She had never seen anything like this before and knew she had to try it. She said that it tasted fabulous! With such a wide range of random components and ingredients she was surprised how well everything worked together and how incredible it actually tasted. The hollandaise sauce was rich and creamy, while the potato hash was perfectly seasoned and added an extra crunch to the dish. All I can say is that Maddy finished everything on her plate and had a big smile on her face by the end.
ENVIRONMENT & SERVICE
The service was fantastic! As soon as I sat down I was greeted with a warm smile and offered a coffee and with that the coffee came out so quickly. The food also came out very quickly, which was great as we were so hungry and usually on the weekends everything takes so much longer.
As this café is located off one of the busiest roads in Camberwell (Burke) there are lots people around and it was enjoyable just watching the people go about their day.
There are also a number of tables at this café, quite a few inside and a number outside. I would recommended sitting outside, we found it very enjoyable to be outside in the sunshine and fresh air.
OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT COLLECTIVE ESPRESSO
Address: 3 Cookson Street, Camberwell, Melbourne, (Vic)
Phone: (03) 9882 8995
Operating Hours:
Monday –Friday –7:00 am- 4:00 pm
Saturday –Sunday – 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Collective-Espresso-167296334728/
CAFÉ RATING = 7.5/10
Have you visited Collective Espresso before? Tell me what you thought of it. Do you have any suggestions of cafe’s to visit?
Comment down below, I’m always looking for somewhere new to try.
Until next time,
Happy eating
– Kim
