Six Feet Under Newstead

Pretty nice vibe for a brunch here. The cafe is large, dog friendly and the staff are friendly and attentive. The coffee I had was very nice and the food was quite large for the price. Only complaint might be a silly one, but the tables are extremely small, so if you end up ordering a few plates be prepared to play Tetris to get it all to fit easily. Otherwise a lovely experience, will definitely go once more. Though maybe I'll try and out two tables together next time!

Nice interior, a bit of green, polish concrete floor and industrial feeling. Ordered the go green smoothie, more like a juice, is ok. Greens was ok, bunch of veggies, an egg and cream cheese, it was yummy but some of the green bits were tough. Chillies eggs was nice, lots of eggs and good flavours. Service was the usual aussie lay back easy going style. I put my hand up at one of the staff to order and she just looked at me and kept walking without informing our waitress. Probably just tired from the long morning. I interrupted our table waitress in her chat with another staff and she came and was friendly to take our order. Overall the energy of the place was a bit funky

What a surprise to find this, tucked away discreetly tucked away down a side street in hip inner city Newstead, serving up some innovative, delicious food. It had come highly recommended by several ‘in-the-know’ people, so one weekend we decided to check it out. Open everyday, starting at 5.45am weekdays, the kitchen closes around 2pm. The midday peak had finished when we arrived last Saturday. First appearances are of a nondescript brick building, and the basement level entrance on a side street off Commercial Street. Understated. Refined. And inside, a huge space, said to seat 150 people, with different flexible configurations for groups of any size. Friendly, helpful staff, who know the menu well - it changes each season - and service is quite fast, no sooner than we ordered coffees and looked around the interior of polished concrete floors, high ceilings, substantial cement pillars, exposed air-con ducting, wooden furniture and dashes of greenery, our coffees arrived. Despite its vast size, it still manages to feel intimate and cosy. The menu isn’t large, but is has some inventive dishes and quirky takes on familiar items. While 'eggs your way' and smash avo toast are on the menu, we were tempted by other delights such as coconut oats (with caramelised banana, pumpkin custard and sesame crunch) or the breakfast burger. For the sweet tooth, there’s tiramisu french toast (chocolate mousse, vanilla mascarpone on brioche with cherry compote), but I had the generous-sized Fricassee Mushrooms, served with wilted greens, smoked Jerusalem artichoke puree, salsa verde, manchego cheese on sourdough. Very good. So good I would return again just for that. My friend rated as one of the best breakfasts ever the Falafel Bowl, which perfectly blended the flavours of harissa falafel, with roasted pumpkin and charred zucchini, the cauliflower hummus and lemon mint labne adding a zesty finish to the dish. There are many vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options available. The meals were well-presented without being overly pretentious. The perfect start to a weekend was rounded off with excellent coffee (they also serve Tour de Tea loose tea blends). The mixed berry, dark chocolate, Greek yoghurt and almond milk smoothie was spot-on - there are also freshly squeezed juices available. Prices are reasonable, starting at AU$12, with most large meals around $20. Music was unobtrusive. Toilets were clean. Emerged from that full, content and happy. If it is any indication of how good the experience was, am thinking about it again now.

The layout and vibe of this place is top shelf and is ideal for a weekend catch up with friends. But my Eggs Bendict was a serious disappointment. I get that everyone in this game is pushing the envelope to bring in the crowd, but putting a small dollop of hollandaise does not a bennie make. And what's with the crispy kale? It didn't break down in my mouth, like some sort of grassy everlasting gobstopper - I looked like a cow chewing cud. Despite this, I'm actually willing to give Six Feet under another shot as other dishes look far more promising.