14 July 2011

Brother Albert: Cafe, Newport (26 June 2011)

Shop 7, Newport Village Arcade
331-335 Barrenjoey Road,
Newport NSW 2106
http://brotheralbertespresso.com


Passionate about their coffee

Thanks to Agnesa Simcic from The Ink Tank for inviting me as a guest with my family to try the recently opened Brother Albert with Alex Simcic (owner) as our host on arrival. It’s so new they’re still waiting for their signage to arrive. Not being a Newport local I had a bit of trouble finding the place since it was tucked away inside the Newport Village Arcade so some sort of signage at the street entrance would have been helpful. The café takes advantage of a nice courtyard for available sun. They pride themselves on their coffee with all baristas trained by Paul Basset. The Mocha ($3.20?), Cappuccino ($3.20?) and Hot Chocolate ($3.20?) were all pretty good although next time I’ll have to try the more pure form of an espresso and the reasonably priced Affogato ($4.50).

The menu isn’t extensive but they seem to cover all the usual suspects except for pancakes, fritters and hash browns to keep you happy. Tempting specials add a few extra choices like the Fresh Homemade Tagliatelle with king prawns ($16.50) which has a bit of a chilli kick and an abundance of decent sized prawns. My mum is happy with the Roast Beetroot Salad ($14.50) which probably gets a carb friendly tick although I wish it had a bit more salad dressing. The Grain Fed Angus Steak Sandwich ($16.50) is tender and juicy and the cornichons are a great hit for the taste buds. It perhaps got a little messy with the oversupply of caramelized onion but the flavoursome crispy chips were very good. Garlic prawns with chorizo ($16.50) was nicely presented with decent sized prawns. One or two more slices of sourdough would have been appreciated to help soak up the flavoursome sauce.

To satisfy the sweet cravings the specials board of Italian doughnut with orange zest, Cointreau & ricotta ($6.50 for 3) was too intriguing to ignore. They weren’t too sweet and had a nice flavouring. Being slightly dense I wasn’t sure if they could have been a bit more softer in texture. Would have gone very nicely with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or perhaps even topped with some jam and whipped cream like a scone. Newport certainly seems to have a new decent café and time will tell if it hits the caffeine spot to satisfy the locals and those further afar willing to make the trip. Apparently their Tempura Flathead Fillets ($17.50) are quite popular.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Serious about their coffee so expect it to be decent, Interesting menu, Reasonably priced for the quality, Nice courtyard seating
CONS: Was a bit hard to find for a non-local, Apparently quite busy on Saturdays when shops are all open so could be hard to get a seat
MUST TRY: An espresso and affogato next time plus also the Double Double Roll just for the name alone
WORTH TRYING: Anything on the menu that tickles your fancy, it was all pretty good and better than I was expecting

Charlie's Honest Squeezed Orange Juice ($4), Smoothie: Berries, yoghurt, ice-cream and milk ($7)

Cappuccino ($3.20?), Mocha ($3.20?)

Hot Chocolate ($3.20?), Coffee beans

Serious coffee machine — Mirage Idrocompresso

Loose Leaf Chai with soy milk ($4), Peppermint tea ($4), Drinks on offer, Sun shade when needed

Roast Beetroot Salad with orange, walnut, goats curd, green beans and walnut dressing ($14.50)


Grain Fed Angus Steak Sandwich with caramelized onion, cornichon, vintage cheddar, rocket, house BBQ relish, house mayo & chips ($16.50)

Fresh Homemade Tagliatelle with king prawns, roast garlic, cherry tomato, chilli & basil ($16.50)

Garlic prawns with chorizo and martini bianco, chilli & sourdough ($16.50)

Sour cherry and raisin toast ($4)


Italian doughnut with orange zest, Cointreau & ricotta - made fresh to order ($6.50 for 3)


Coffee menu


Specials menu

Beer on tap or wine by the glass

Smoothies

Breakfast and Lunch Menu

Alex Simcic (owner)

Courtyard seating


Blankets for the colder weather — nice touch

Inside the cafe

Dog friendly

Lounge area and toilet key for customers

Licenced and magazines for reading

Newport Village Arcade council car park around the back. Newport beach across the road.


View Larger Map
Brother Albert on Urbanspoon

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The coffees, chocolate and chips look lovely. I doubt I'll ever go to Newport but good to know just in case.

Madam Wu said...

That is a serious beetroot salad - the chunks are huge! Pricey fare certainly has gone up in price though hasn't it with burgers and pastas being $16.50.

gummi baby said...

Love the look of the coffee (even though I don't drink coffee) and that Angus sandwich too! Yum!

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