Code Black Coffee, Brunswick

We all know that there are now too many cafes opening up every week in Melbourne than we have time to try them all. So which one do you pick when you want that perfectly poached egg or perfectly brewed coffee? The answer is – ask the experts.

I had the privilege of meeting the brains behind the blog Brunch Addict and of course I just had to ask the question “what is your favourite brunch spot?” I was told Code Black Coffee.

So I just HAD to visit them that weekend. I was not disappointed.

My first impression of the place was how black it really was inside. Although very suitable for the name of the cafe, it didn’t do very much for my photos. Thankfully my 5D MarkIII held its head high and managed to get some decent shots for me.

I was impressed with the spacious and industrial feel of the cafe. It was busting with people of all ages and was a great environment for a social catch up and a good bite to eat, not to mention a great coffee.

Although I love my coffees as most of you would know, black coffee is still not really my thing. Sorry! While I waited for my friends to arrive, I managed to fit in two lattes. Both were fantastic.

Code Black Coffee roasts their own beans and range from single origin, signature blends and de-caf.

My seasonal blend cappuccino of 60% Costa Rican and 40% Kenyan was buttery and fruity with hints of cherry.

I wanted to order the Costa Rican single origin but they had run out so I went with the Kenyan instead. It was rich and full bodied with blackcurrant and apple shining through. It didn’t have much bitterness and was quite easy to drink.

Yuye didn’t feel like a coffee that day (I know, he’s crazy) so he ordered a Banana and Cocoa Jackson Smoothie with peanut butter ($6). I wasn’t too sure about this drink (I think I’m just biased towards coffees) because it was quite light in flavour and wasn’t sure if banana really went that well with the peanut butter.

This was followed by a house made hot lemonade ($5.50). I liked this drink a lot more, although I’m not sure what Yuye thought. It was very sour. Even after you pour in all the honey, the drink was still quite sour, but being an avid lover of sour things, I quite enjoyed the acidity and refreshingness.

An hour wait for my friend later and stomach growling like there’s no tomorrow, I was seriously ready to devour a whole pig. The zucchini, artichoke, almond and chia fritters, corn salsa, avocado, coriander and poached egg ($17.90) appealed to me and I also added chorizo to this otherwise vegetarian dish (+4.50). It came out with an unexpected mountain of corn.

Helloooooooo corn. I wasn’t complaining.

The dish was everything I loved and more. It had so much taste from the chorizo, freshness from the avocado and of course sweet and tangy pops of awesome corn salsa which kept me smiling bite after bite. It had taste and texture, but I do think the chorizo is necessary or else the dish is not salty enough. The corn fritters were not oily or soggy either which is always the downfall of bad fritters.

And what perfectly poached egg is this? Can’t write a brunch post without some egg porn.

Yuye and Racheese both ordered the leek and goats cheese croquettes, carrot puree, snow peas, crisp pancetta, baby carrots, toasted almonds and poached egg ($17.90). It was quite a sweet dish obviously from all the carrot puree and baby carrots. I did think that it was quite tasty and I loved the textures on the dish. Perhaps a little bit more crispy pancetta (which was actually quite crispy) would have cut through that sweetness a bit better.

Sat ordered the pork, duck and white bean cassoulet, poached egg, gremolata & toasted sourdough ($20). It was not as beany as I thought but instead quite meaty. Mixing two of my favourite meats together in one dish can’t be bad and Sat seemed to enjoy it.

As we were waiting for our food, we couldn’t help but stare at the dessert cabinet.

Racheese decided to order the pistachio and rosewater cake. It was quite sticky and slightly dense but quite delicious. It wasn’t as sweet as I thought it would be.

Overall I fully enjoyed my experience at Code Black Coffee. It lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Coffees were great, food was even better and service was superb. I can see why Brunch Addicts deemed it their favourite brunch spot.

Code Black Coffee

Phone: (03) 9381 2330
Address: 15-17 Weston St Brunswick, VIC 3056
Website: http://www.codeblackcoffee.com.au/
Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 7am – 5pm (apparently open 8 days a week)