Best New Venue for a Breakfast Meeting
There’s no time for a lie-in when there are important deals to be done so don’t sleep in on the latest crop of cafés that mix business with pleasure. First-class coffee and food are a given but the checklist of essentials also includes space to spread out with your spreadsheets, excellent service and the all-important bookings policy – you should be able to reserve a table. After all, modern corporates make hay as soon as the sun starts shining.
Morning Glory, Canberra morning-glory.com.au
Morning Glory boasts a smart fitout and a menu featuring Oz and pan-Asian flavours (try the char siu bacon-and-egg roll). It also takes its Toby’s Estate coffee seriously. The look and feel Warm and woody, it has retro charm with marble tables, quilted leather banquettes and room enough to negotiate without worrying about corporate espionage.
The crowd Politicians and public servants.
The wow factor Notch-above fresh juices (think dragon fruit).
QT Café at QT Perth qthotelsandresorts.com
The personality-plus QT hotel seals the deal with a café that heads the pack. Start the day with a Brain Food Bowl and coffee from the Margaret River Roasting Co.
The look and feel Over-the-top style is mixed with its trademark quirk. Glam touches include modern chandeliers and a terrazzo floor. The crowd Techies and jet-setters. The wow factor Coffee with hemp milk, the dairy alternative du jour.
Hellenika at The Calile Hotel, Brisbane
hellenika.com.au
Do business breakfast Brisbanestyle in a cabana on the pool deck at The Calile Hotel. Its signature restaurant, Hellenika, serves Greekinfluenced dishes such as sardines on toast, spanakopita and The Onassis, a full cooked brekkie.
The look and feel A vision of marble and 1960s light fittings, Hellenika spills onto the pool deck, where striped umbrellas and your curtained cabana await.
The crowd People who know how to have fun while they parlay.
The wow factor A small lounge and library for use as a workspace.
Bentwood Fitzroy, Melbourne
bentwoodfitzroy.com.au
Just a five-minute taxi ride (or easy 15-minute walk) from the CBD, this converted Fitzroy warehouse is a place with room to move (and schmooze) and the menu deftly balances the Yin of super-green breakfast bowls with the Yang of raspberry-curd hotcakes.
The look and feel A brick floor and rust-red steel on the ceiling bring warmth, as do the affable staff. This is a slick café dressed in the ambience of a local favourite.
The crowd Designers and tech entrepreneurs.
The wow factor Coffee comes from the owner’s Inglewood Coffee Roasters.
A1 Canteen, Sydney a1canteen.com.au
Chef Clayton Wells’ early-hours offshoot of Automata (across the road) is the hottest breakfast ticket in town. It marries good looks with a menu that includes a grilled mortadella-and-fried-egg sanger and an XO-and-crab omelette. The look and feel A pared-back industrial elegance helps this multitasker transition from breakfast to dinner service with insouciant ease. The crowd Sydney’s corporate cool cats.
The wow factor The liquor licence kicks off from 10am.