The Espresso Room
410 High Street, Northcote
03 9489 4000
Cafe
$$
Food
- Flat White
- Pumpkin and Halloumi Fritter
- Seafood Paella
- Linguini Marinara
The Good
It was a fantastic start to our lunch thanks to a solid cup of Flat White. The elegant latte art, filled to the brim, made way for a strong, dark roast. Exceptionally bold and full of flavour, the creamy and smooth texture
We dug into the stunning Pumpkin and Halloumi Fritter. The tall stack was topped with a perfectly poached egg, cutting open revealed an amazing runny yolk that dribbled down onto the fritters. The crisp outer of the fritters enclosed a soft, pillowy inner with just a hint of sweetness thanks to the pumpkin. This combined with fresh smashed avo, sweet and juicy salsa, and contested by plentiful, lean bacon, made for a very scrumptious dish.
We also enjoyed the Seafood Paella. The saffron infused broth created a vibrant yellow, and the soft, pillowy rice inherited much flavour from the beautiful stock it was cooked in. The same fresh seafood from our pasta was liberally applied to our paella too, and with a generous helping of grilled chorizo creating an appetising, savoury sensation, this dish was
The Linguini Marinara certainly wasn’t bad either. The pasta was cooked just right, lightly coated in olive oil. Topping the dish were the giant green lip mussels that were so amazingly fresh, meaty and absolutely stunning. Alongside were plenty of soft, tender scallops as well as calamari, all incredibly fresh and cooked to perfection. With just a hint of lemon drizzled through and a tad of chilli to spice things up,
The Mediocre
Nothing.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Verdict
It’s not hard to understand why Espresso Room was bustling with the locals of Northcote.
With a seemingly endless, internationally inspired menu that’s bound to satisfy any craving. We found their more than generous portion sizes coupled with quality, top notch ingredients made it a very satisfying feed, and top it off with top notch coffee, its a great stop for some comfort food for sure!
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Sure!
Penguineats would like to thank The Espresso Room for inviting us.