19 April 2016

Cheap eats - Red Brick Espresso (Curtin)

| Amy M
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red brick espresso coffee

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.

red brick espresso lunch

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).

red brick espresso curtin

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/

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Amy Birchall1:57 pm 07 May 15

rubaiyat said :

If you are in Curtin, go to Beyond Q downstairs from the courtyard.

The Bookshop is one of Canberra’s great hidden gems and the Café is fantastic! The food is really really good and I love the fact they GRATE dark chocolate on their cappuccinos! A real treat!!

Red Brick is OK and out in the sunshine but I think they don’t quite cut it where it counts, the coffee and food.

Beyond Q is great! Such a lovely place, particularly when the weather is cold.

Another plus for Q Bookshop is that it is quiet. The Red Brick is so noisy, not only with the music.

If you are in Curtin, go to Beyond Q downstairs from the courtyard.

The Bookshop is one of Canberra’s great hidden gems and the Café is fantastic! The food is really really good and I love the fact they GRATE dark chocolate on their cappuccinos! A real treat!!

Red Brick is OK and out in the sunshine but I think they don’t quite cut it where it counts, the coffee and food.

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