Cote Terra
17 Station Street, Oakleigh

9939 6805
Open Mon-Fri 7am-430pm, Sat-Sun 8am-430pm, and Wed-Sun 530-11pm for tapas

Being in the middle of university swot vac is painful – it seems to make me want to go out to cafes and restaurants more than ever (boredom will do that to you) while simultaneously guilt-tripping me into studying and reducing free time even more than usual. We did get around this today, however, visiting Cote Terra, a cafe in Oakleigh only a 10 minute drive away (time-efficient!) that we had been eyeing up for a while. Although I had been once last year  (and found it a little unimpressive), a recent change in premises with a new evening menu and bar seems to have signaled a refinement in food quality and presentation. Small but spacious with high ceilings, Cote Terra has a typical cafe ware-house style fit out with exposed bricks, original beams in the roof, metal stools, and low-hanging light bulbs, though it did seem a little bare – and a little chilly, leaving me wishing I had brought a heavier jacket!. Tables line one wall, with one a striped-cushioned bench down the side, with large bar-stool tables in the back ideal for big groups and a strip of outside bench seating. The bar is prominent behind the counter with beer taps and a wall of spirits, as Cote Terra does evening tapas Wednesday – Sunday.

An all day breakfast menu offers relatively standard cafe fare, with options including coconut milk almond porridge (with rhubarb compote, fresh raspberries and almond flake – $14), smashed avocado (with Yarra Valley persian feta, cherry tomatoes and poached eggs – $15), eggs benedict (with pulled ham hock and spinach on baguette – $18), cajun baked beans (with chorizo sausage, poached eggs and multigrain toast – $15), and French Mama bacon, fried egg, eggplant and chipotle avocado salsa on brioche bun ($14). The lunch menu has a heavy focus on burgers, sliders, wraps and sandwiches – we were tempted by the pulled pork with apple and cabbage slaw and homemade barbecue sauce on brioche bun ($12.5) and the grilled chicken sliders with crispy pancetta, beetroot relish, pea puree, carrot and smoked cheddar ($15) – though salads are also abundant, with a confit duck leg salad with wild rice, butternut pumpkin and green apple vinaigrette ($22) looking particularly intriguing.

I settled on the Shrooms ($16), veering away from my regular avocado smash choice, and was left with no regrets. The roasted portabello mushrooms were accompanied by generous smears of tangy Meredith’s goats curd and oozy soft-poached eggs on top of toasted sourdough and sprinkled with house-made almond dukkah. A classic and well-executed flavour combination, though I did question whether the abundant radish and microgreens on top was strictly necessary or just hid the beautiful components underneath.

Kate went for the make your own breakfast option, constructing hers with sourdough toast, portabello mushrooms, spinach, avocado and poached eggs. All bright, fresh and green, with perfectly poached eggs – though the same excess greens and radish was encountered.

Both having big appetites and a sweet tooth, we then shared the french toast with poached pear, creme fraiche, hazelnuts and maple syrup ($15). The french toast itself was not particularly special, but it was elevated by the accompanying flavours of fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberry coulee and almond-hazelnut sprinkle on a bed of creme fraiche and maple syrup. The poached pear half almost seemed a little redundant after all the berries, which interestingly weren’t mentioned in the menu description but were definitely needed.

The service we encountered was friendly, if a little slow, with a slightly longer than average wait for dishes. A couple of menu items (the spanish open omelette with chorizo, tomato, gruyere and multigrain, as well as the wasabi beef burger) also had written on the menu to allow an additional 10-15 minutes, assumably for cooking time, which is a little unusual – would it put you off ordering something if you were risking waiting another 15 minutes after your friends ate for your meal?

High quality ingredients, well-executed dishes and decent service and atmosphere make Cote Terra a great local cafe option. I am sure we will be back!

Rating: 6.5/10
Don’t miss: the Shrooms
Pro tip: bring a jacket on a cold day
Features: child-friendly, all day breakfast menu, evening tapas and bar

The post Cote Terra: Review appeared first on The Brick Kitchen.