Chatterbox Espresso Bar

Editor’s note: This post – while reflective of the experience at this point in time – is outdated. See Chatterbox Espresso Bar – Redux for a more relevant review.

There’s a lot of activity in my beloved Belco recently. On one of Belconnen Town Centre’s corners has been the arrival of a whole heap of yellow to announce the opening of Chatterbox Espresso Bar (sister of Mingle Espresso Bar in Civic).

A lot of the cafes in the Belconnen Town Centre are only open during the week, so I’m excited to learn that in addition to being open from 6.30am to 5pm during the week, it’s open 8am to 2pm on the weekend for breakfast and brunch.

We’re warmly welcomed and offered any of the available bright yellow seats outside. We sit in a corner. There’s not a great deal of people watching on the corner of Cameron Avenue and Chandler Street on a Saturday morning, but it’s pleasant all the same. It’s opposite where the proposed new Labor Club Hotel is expected to pop up.

I can confirm this sign is correct!

Most of the chairs are bright yellow

We sit for a while before menus are produced (but not as long as at A Baker!), and we’re asked for our coffee order. I search the menu for drinks, and on enquiring am told they don’t have anything else except for bottled blackcurrant, apple or orange juices – yet. Given that they’re an espresso bar, I can hardly blame them, but it surprises me all the same that the coffees aren’t featured at all on the menu, either.

The menu is a food menu only at this stage

It’s a long wait before our coffees are served, and our food orders haven’t been taken. When our coffees arrive, they’re excellent, but, regrettably, luke warm – perhaps they were sitting a while, which would explain the time taken, and their temperature.

It’s a shorter wait between the coffees and the food.

Truffled eggs on potato rosti with pecorino cheese (very similar to the potato rosti menu item which also includes eggs but a choice of salmon or other meat)

Smashed avocado with poached eggs (very similar to the truffled eggs, which is similar to… you get the picture)

I’ve ordered the truffled eggs, and Boyfriend has ordered the smashed avocado, but we agree to split our dishes and share.

Running yolks = tick

The smashed avocado is yum, and works perfectly with the yolks. However, we’ve been spoilt with the generous avocado servings at Elk & Pea, and this is a little on the small side. I expect the potato rosti to be crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, but it’s very stodgy – there’s a helluva lot of potato.

I’m being very critical of what is turns out to be a rather cheap and largely tasty meal. I get a chance to take in the decor inside when we pay, and it’s really quite trendy, although the display cabinet is a little bare. As we leave, I note all the table outside are full, and a few of the tables inside – not bad for its second weekend.

Display cabinet and a little of the decor inside

I’ll be very interested to see how this little cafe develops.

Date: Saturday, 30 November

Where: Corner of Chandler Street and Cameron Avenue, Belconnen Town Centre

Cost: $34.40 ($13.50 for each of our meals, between $3.50 and $4.50 for our coffees)

Worthwhile factor: Worthwhile

Want more? The website is here and the food menu is here.

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