Axil Coffee Roasters, Malvern East MELB

Back in March, I have visited Axil in Hawthorn and have raved about it since then. Despite having a strong affection for that café, I am often discouraged by the thought of having to travel for an extra 25 minutes just to get my fix, especially on Sunday aka my only day off.

Upon realizing that Axil has started to operate in Chadstone, I was beyond thrilled but also feared that it may be another expanding business plan turned rotten due to overzealous expansion. Varied quality standards are the norm in this situation.

After testing the waters by purchasing a little takeaway cuppa, I relaxed a bit knowing that it still oozed a familiar roasted coffee bean aroma that is strong enough to motivate any limp soul out there. Which eventually led to a brunch moment as I was passing the area.

Latte – I tend to have lattes on Sundays due to their milder caffeine content. This cuppa had cappuccino characteristics that have been slightly toned down with the addition of full cream milk. No complains whatsoever.

Croissant – their strawberry and matcha cruffin looked too tempting to pass and boy, was it worth the extra time spent at the gym. The croissant layers were not excessively heavy on the butter component which allowed it to be quite fluffy, especially after being reheated for us. 

Potato hash with pulled pork, poached eggs, red cabbage, apple. mint and cider hollandaise - There was a generous amount of apple salad on this plate and every single ingredient married well. Hollandaise had the right balance of acidity, creaminess and provided sinful play to an otherwise healthy looking plate of food. Not that I am whining about it.

Zucchini, corn and haloumi fritters with poached eggs, avocado, spinach and relish - I was tossing between this and the lamb ragu gnocchi. Wished I had the latter but hey, this is a pretty good feed for any vegetarians out there. Flavour was evident although would have liked a little more crunch from the fritter for that added textural dimension.