Michael makes an M&M version of his Candy Bar crepe. Photos: Michelle Taylor.
Crepe-lovers of Canberra, get excited! A new café dedicated to churning out crepe perfection has landed!
Not all crepes are created equal, and before opening the Crepe Stop in May, owners Michael and Amany wanted to ensure that their crepes were going to be first-class. This led to a great Australian crepe crawl, a journey that inspired and galvanised their dream.
Down a little side alley off Mort St, Crepe Stop’s intimate space has a Parisian air to it. Or maybe that’s just the steam rising from the crepe machines. Michael deftly spreads the batter around the hot pan, producing large, perfectly round discs every time.
Crepe Stop is just past Sushi Fresh on Mort St.
Why crepes?
“We just love them,” says Amany. “You can put anything in a crepe, even falafel. We used to eat them in Egypt all the time, but there are not a lot of places here in Canberra that make crepes.”
Michael makes Australia’s only rainbow crepe. He uses the rainbow crepe in both savoury and sweet dishes. Watching Michael create his rainbow crepe is hypnotic.
Let’s be real, I could just eat these crepes as they come, with no toppings. Their texture is silken, smooth, tender and delicately thin. But my salmon rainbow crepe is scrum-diddly-umptious. Smeared in secret avocado spread, with layers of pink smoked salmon and fresh salad, every mouthful is delicious.
Creating my rainbow Smoked Salmon crepe.
What goes hand-in-hand with crepes? Coffee!
Michael demonstrates how to make a cappuccino using the cafe’s “controversial coffee machine” – a Topbrewer. As the first café to have a Topbrewer on the eastern side of Australia, it is drawing a lot of attention, and opinions.
“You get people who like it so much and those who don’t,” says Michael.
“The Topbrewer does what a barista does, but instead of making a coffee manually, it makes it automatically. And unlike other automatic coffee machines at service stations, this one runs on actual milk. It allows you to adjust your coffee, via the app. You can choose the strength, you can choose the beans, the strength for the second shot, how much milk, etcetera. It allows you to play with it. Use the iPad set up next to it or download the app and do it yourself, contactless.”
The Topbrewer making a delicious cappuccino.
For Michael and Amany, with their first baby on the way and in this climate of uncertainty, being able to make a coffee of uncompromised quality at the touch of a button is a blessing. The locals seem to agree. Michael says that many residents in the apartments above even come downstairs in their pajamas for a morning coffee.
But how does a cup of Topbrewer coffee taste?
Being a demi coffee snob, I am skeptical as I watch my drink being made. It is the moment of truth. Skimming the top with my spoon, my cappuccino boasts a soft dense froth. A couple of hot sips. This is a good cup of coffee. If I hadn’t seen it happen, I would never guess that a machine created my satisfying cappuccino.
Crepe Stop is open for dine-in customers from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm weekdays, (open until 8:00 pm on Fridays), 9:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturday, and 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday at 32 Mort St in Braddon.
Deliveries are also available, and they can create exquisite crepe cake stacks to order! Find out more by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
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