19 April 2016

Weekend Cafe Hot Spot: Kingston Grind, Kingston

| Sophia Carlini
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Last weekend we headed into Kingston for breakfast. As we approached Green Square we decided to avoid Bittersweet as it was crazy busy and we were so hungry and could not be bothered waiting.

We spotted Kingston Grind on the corner (by this fabulous sign!) and decided to give it a go. There was only one other couple in the café and to be honest, it always concerns me when a café is empty – I know shouldn’t be judgmental!

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We ordered coffees and quickly decided on our breakfast choices: a fritter stack ($17) and eggs on toast with a side of avocado and crispy bacon ($14).

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When the meals came out, I have to say that I was very surprised. I did not have outrageously high expectations for this little café but look how beautifully presented these dishes are. They are just perfect!

I did add a touch of salt to my dish but otherwise it was absolutely delicious. Between each fritter was a strip of freshly fried bacon, and to top it off, a perfectly poached egg.

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Mike (my boyfriend) enjoyed his meal but was annoyed that they hadn’t buttered his toast and when he asked for butter, he was given one of those plastic butter sachets that are always rock hard. I offered to sit on it for him, to warm it up, but he decided to persevere with the unspreadable butter instead. Oh well!

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While the service and ambience were a little lacking, I was extremely impressed with the food.

I could have just caught Kingston Grind on a slow day, so maybe it’s worth checking it out for yourself.

Kingston Grind is located on Jardine Street in Kingston, within Green Square and according to Google is open 08:30am to 05:00pm, 7 days a week. Unfortunately its listed phone number has been disconnected, so you may just have to try your luck!

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Holden Caulfield2:38 pm 02 Jun 15

I used to like the food options before it sold but haven’t been back since it changed hands. It looks like I might have to give it a go.

I discovered the fritter stack a couple of weeks ago, and it’s great. So good, in fact, that my boyfriend Matt and I went back last weekend to have it again. The coffee is a bit hit and miss (average on first visit, much better on the second), but both times the café was about half full. They’ve definitely improved from when they changed owners a few years ago, it’d be great if more people would give it a go again now.

I’m actually constantly amazed at how many cafes manage to stuff up toast. Seriously. It’s annoying to get fantastic eggs that are let down by mediocre toat, but so many of them neglect that part. It’s the little things that make or break a great brekkie!

Try their Chocolate Brownie shake! It’s crazy.

creative_canberran6:20 pm 31 May 15

Empty doesn’t always mean bad, but in this case it says a lot. Kingston Grind never used to be empty, it was busy morning to close. A real success story that wasn’t pretentious, but offered a quality product that spawned a simple formula the company expanded to four other locations. When Australian Coffee Group sold it in 2012, the new owners and staff weren’t up to it and the quality disappeared. It’s interesting that the new owners tried to be very active on Facebook at first but their presence seems to have disappeared now. The reviews on Urbanspoon, Beanhunter and Decafsucks are average at best.

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