61 Armadale St
Armadale, VIC 3143
03 9500 1888
www.coinlaundrycafe.com.au
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Lachlan told me I had to check out Coin Laundry because not only was the food great, but the waiters were cute. I didn’t believe him. But when we arrived at the café, he had to pick my jaw off from the ground. Oh dear, somebody bring me a bucket to salivate in please?
But anyway… biological scenery aside, I really loved the café itself! A corner laundrette has been converted into a brunch spot. Cradled in suburban peace, Coin Laundry sits quietly at the end of a residential street, next to the train line. That corner just sits so romantically with me, I could sit there and write stories about the lives of the waiterspeople. I loved how bright the place was, with floor to ceiling windows. Where I was seated, I could see the twisted wisps of leafless winter trees outside, quivering ever so slightly from the half-hearted breeze on that bleak cloudy day, beautiful.
Amongst other things, Lachy passed me back a book I lent him. Cyril Wong’s ‘Strange Tales’. I remember nearly fainting when Lachy told me he could finish a book in half a day, I’d normally take ages! But with this book of short stories, he took longer to finish.
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We also had an interesting discussion about how the publications that a customer carries into a café can have different effects on how its staff looks at (and treats) the customer. Ha ha, maybe I should bring along a copy of Broadsheet and Financial Review to whichever café I visit… make them sweat a bit. What other scary things can I bring to my future brunches? Help me here, people! ;)
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I have only heard about espresso butters recently and was excited when Lachlan ordered this. I didn’t try the bread but stole a nibble of the butter. Wow… it was sweet, creamy rich with a definite taste of coffee. Probably would have gone wonderfully with the walnut bread.
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As we ate, I discovered how the life of a business entrepreneur can be so different from the life of a salaried employee. Lachlan asked to meet me at 11am because he had a 1pm appointment. Later on in the meal, I asked him where was his meeting going to be held, he replied “which one?”. Lol, he had three meetings that day, while all I’d planned to do later was go home and cook.
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This was hands down one of the best ‘big breakfasts’ I have ever eaten. I even enjoyed the tomatoes, which I’d normally eat with disdain on most brunch platters. I liked how the breakfast components featured more veggies in the dish. The bacon was cooked crisp but not overdone, and the farm fresh eggs were perfectly poached. To add some colour, you got light buttery spinach, sweet cool beetroot and mashed avocado with a twist of lime. Everything went really well together and as I ate into it, my plate started to form a rainbow of colours, mirroring my satisfaction.
I had a very pleasurable brunch experience here. Love the space and where it’s located. While the coffees may not be the best, I really enjoyed the food! I’ll also be cheeky now and say, here is one café where you’ll find the food is just as yummy as the staff.
I revisited (of course!) a year later. Interestingly, there were more girls than boys on staff now. Read about it here. And in late 2012, they’ve sold the business and have moved their operations to Port Melbourne, called Station St Trading Co. However, food has remained pretty good at Coin Laundry despite the change in owners.
