Bunny bloggers: Cafe Centro, Eastwood

Recently refurbished, Café Centro has returned with some simple but neat interior décor, a greater seating plan and some quality food. Located in the heart of Eastwood's bustling shopping district, Café Centro (139 Rowe Street, Eastwood) uses 'Mecca' coffee beans for their coffees and serves up a variety of all day breakfast meals with a number of cakes and tarts to complete the experience. From the outside, it looks like a hole in the wall type of café, standing out compared to the adjacent storefronts surrounding it. Once inside however, friendly staff are waiting to meet and greet whilst you suddenly become part of the atmosphere.

From the Outside

Red Doors

Bike on Wall

Bottles of Water

Andrew and I usually have our usual debate about the pros and cons of 'Mecca' beans, Patty and I aren't really big fans of it to be honest but Andrew is all for it and usually gets his morning coffees at Café Centro before work. Chris Almeida, another Mecca lover, will also have something to say about it if he reads this. Anyhow, we begin our weekend family breakfast with some coffees around the table:

Flat White

Mocha

Latte

Piccolo 1

Piccolo 2

Everything on the menu actually looks very appealing. Any place with hollandaise sauce is always a winner really. With such a variety of breakfast choices, it will definitely accommodate for anyone.

The Breakfast Menu

The Family + Henry the Waiter

Our meals arrived together and Dad's corn fritters look amazing. The corn kernels are busting out of their fritter patties, along with a large roasted tomato, bacon, avocado salsa and some lemon crème fraiche piled on top. Dad was definitely satisfied.

Corn Fritters
Bacon, Roast Tomato, Lemon Crème Fraiche, Avocado Salsa

Mum's 'Blate' (Blat with an egg). Looked really good when Mum eventually worked her way into it by means of deconstructing the breakfast tower, but the touch of aioli makes it that much more unique.

'Blate'
on Sourdough, with Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato, Aioli, Fried Egg

Andrew's salmon benedict which he enjoyed very much. Simple, but full of flavour especially from the smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce. Eggs were oozing with golden yolk.

Salmon Benedict
Poached Eggs, Smoked Salmon, Spinach, Hollandaise

My normal benedict, Andrew and I didn't want to have the same dish so I elected for the vastly different version. ~~Haha.~~ I really enjoyed eating this, hollandaise sauce is a rare commodity these days since it requires some time to make but it is definitely well worth it. The sauce was smooth and silky with just enough flavour.

Benedict
Poached Eggs, Bacon, Spinach, Hollandaise

Last, but definitely not the least (literally, as you can tell by the photos), is Patty's 'Smashed Peas'. Patty enjoyed her pea mash and this was such a great breakfast option. The peas were given flavour with the help of some chicken stock which was just a tad too overpowering but besides that it was delightful to devour. The tower of peas look daunting.

Smashed Peas
on Italian Rustic Bread, Poached Eggs, Crispy Parma Ham, Parmesan

Just some more photos of inside the place

Also on the menu that we didn't try;

Ricotta Hotcakes

with caramelised banana and maple syrup

Eggs on Toast

scrambled, fried or poached

Veggie Toastie

with fetta, avocado, rocket and balsamic roasted tomatoes topped with poached egg

Big Breakfast

with egg, bacon, roast tomato, mushrooms, spinach and sausage on sourdough

Sujuk (dry, spicy sausage)

with fried eggs with roast tomatoes and side of toast

Bircher Muesli

topped with seasonal fruit and yoghurt

Banana Bread

toasted with butter

Organic Sourdough

with hank's jam, vegemite or honey

Sour Cherry Loaf

toasted with butter

Overall, a great breakfast. Was tempted to try an iced coffee afterwards too but I'll have to get it next time. They definitely know how to make their coffee well and food is definitely as good as it looks so it's easy to see why they are by far the most popular café in Eastwood.

UPDATE:

Café Centro has introduced an additional few things on their menu much to my delight. Last weekend the family visited again for some hearty breakfast.

It was a given that dad would pick anything with bacon on it, however his bacon French toast was definitely something out of the blue. A display of the sweet and savoury flavours, the French toast was nice and moist with the bacon on top adding a playful little touch.

French Toast
with Bacon & Maple Syrup

Mum's not too hungry and opts for the bacon and egg roll.

Bacon & Egg Roll

Andrew's bacon and eggs.

Bacon & Eggs
on Toast

Along with the French toast, the smoked salmon, zucchini and dill fritters are an addition to the breakfast specials. Patty is overly excited and you can't blame her, with smoked salmon packed into the fritter and also generously on top as well. A great combination of flavours and a wonderful way to show off some culinary expertise with some refined cooking.

Smoked Salmon, Zucchini & Dill Fritters
topped with a Poach Egg & Aioli

Another exciting addition is the brekkie burger! A wonderfully toasted brioche bun smeared with basil mayo and topped with a BLAT (Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, Tomato), some cheese and a fried egg. The description alone is enough to make you drool ... which is exactly what happened. Anyhow, another more refined dish on the menu at Café Centro with loads of flavour. Hopefully even more dishes will pop up onto the breakfast special menu soon enough!