Red Brick Espresso at Curtin shops is one of my favourite neighbourhood coffee haunts. It’s been around for a few years now, and on weekend mornings the line for coffee can snake out the door and around the side of the building.
I’m a regular Red Brick Espresso coffee drinker, and often forget that it has an all day, eat-in menu too. With items such as bacon and egg rolls ($9.90); muesli with yoghurt and seasonal fruit compote ($13.90); and baked eggs with spinach, yogurt and chilli dressing ($14.90), most dishes lean more towards breakfast than lunch – which suits me just fine.
If you can’t stand the thought of eating eggs and toast later in the day, however, you can order a pressed sourdough sandwich ($10.90 to $12.90), a cheeseburger ($15.90, includes a side of chips) or a spiced chickpea salad ($15.90). While not technically a cheap eat, I have friends who are convinced that the Red Brick Espresso cheeseburger is one of Canberra’s best.
On this visit, I settled on the sliced avocado on toasted rye with lemon and herb dukkah for $12.90. After placing my order at the counter, I chose a table outside. Red Brick has plenty of outdoor seating, and on sunny Autumn mornings it’s a great place for relaxing with a coffee and newspaper while soaking up some vitamin D. The nearby Bendigo Bank also offers free Wi-Fi, so you can catch up on emails, study or knock over work while you’re there.
My meal arrived ten minutes later, exactly as described on the menu. It was fresh, really simple and though I would have liked it even better with a poached egg on top (particularly for $12.90), I satisfied by the time I was finished.
Red Brick Espresso isn’t the sort of grungy café you’d visit when you’re flat broke, starving and need a decent feed in exchange for a handful of gold and silver coins. It’s better suited to meeting friends for lunch when you want to eat somewhere with a nice atmosphere without spending megabucks on food (broke uni students, first home buyers and people saving for international holidays, take note).
What: Red Brick Espresso
Where: Curtin shops (behind the vet), 3/35 Curtin Place, Curtin
Opening hours: 7.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday; 7.30am to 4pm Saturday and 8am to 2pm Sunday
Website: http://redbrickespresso.com.au/