Herald Rating: 4/5
Address: Shed 5, 90 Wellesley St
We came here because Leanne had already had the experience, lured to this gallery-showroom-cafe-workshop, Deus Ex Machina, and just had to go back for more.
Parking was easy. There are some dedicated Deus Ex Machina parks outside and the entire section is a pay-and-display carpark.
We walked in and immediately thought wow. The bikes to look at, the boutique section and the spacious setting vie for your attention. But first, let's eat.
The most unusual thing on the menu was that what you see is not what you get - the tomatoes on toast, for example, are much more interesting. The menu was small as were the portions - but perfectly formed, we thought.
We ordered the tomatoes on toast - which proved to be kumara and pumpkin bread - served with roast tomatoes, feta and basil ($9.50) and simply delicious; and the french toast ($14) with blueberries. Leanne was slightly jealous of the tomatoes and toast, but the french toast was saved by a generous serving of incredibly sweet blueberries. A shame they didn't use a baguette for the french toast though.
The service was friendly but laid-back to the point of slow.
The coffee was very good but on the small side. We needed seconds.
We recommend if you come here soak up the coolness. Relax in one of the sofas or sit at the big centre bench and leaf through a magazine. And then make sure you have plenty of time to browse the rest.
Overall we thought it was a cool environment for a cafe and great that it's not overly male-oriented too.
