El Mirage
349 Lygon St
Brunswick East
Phone (03) 9388 0966
Modern, slick design. Even a bit daring, I think — when you walk in, or in viewing the cafe from the street, the sparse look, and often being quite busy, can be off-putting. A better explanation might be possible through comparison. This cafe, in layout, is converse to one where you might peer through a window to check it out, walk in unobtrusively and have a look.
Back to design. The photo does not reveal much of this. The caf is deep. There’s a decent expanse wooden decking at the front, two bike hoops meeting the footpath (like this bike emphasis). At the top of the decking is `bar’-type seating and a large slide-up perspex window showing through to inside. It can be a bit funny when the window is drawn down and people sit facing you on the same seating arrangement from the other side.
Inside, the coffee machine, register and whole setup runs down the right-hand wall. On the left-hand wall, bar seating, khaki type green, running the entire length. Small wooden square tables and chairs fill most of the floor space, with table spacing good — not crammed (although an initial look from the door could give the perception of tables tightly packed in).
Coffee is excellent, my only criticism would be that sometimes it’s not hot enough.
I like the menu boards — a simple light wooden board with a single sheet of paper, computer printed in a very plain font with a low-detail printer. (A funny thing to comment on, perhaps; but this place has a noticeable style to it).
The menu itself offers a good selection of food. Egg breakies, muesli, BLTs 1 to 4, fritatta, pancakes and more. There’s a selection of small pastries and slices on display. I’ve found the food to be quality, a favourite being the pancakes which is simply and elegantly presented with a dollop of rhubarb and cream at its centre.
The atmosphere is interesting. Wait staff are great, very friendly, efficient. In it’s open design, the cafe loses that intimacy and cosiness we like. What it gains however, is a cool look, and in this, it’s simply interesting to be at. A place that you’ll remember and might like to be hanging out at again, in the not-to-distant future.