Toby’s Estate: Killer Coffee in Robertson Quay
PUBLISHED March 10th, 2012 02:33 pm | UPDATED March 28th, 2016 12:26 am
Sometimes when there’s a good spot in your neighbourhood, you can kinda take it for granted, which is I guess what I did when Toby’s Estate popped up by the river in the Robertson Quay neighbourhood.
To be honest, like with other great joints along that stretch e.g. Kith and Em By the River, I’ve been there numerous times before but somehow because these places have ended up being so much part of the general fabric life I haven’t celebrated them here. Until now.
This time I was going to go to Toby’s Estate not with my neighbourhood hat on – but my Nomad hat on – so I could share with you all just why I’m becoming rather fond of it.
Obviously the location is a no brainer – what’s not to love about relaxing by the river on a sunny day?
And for those who prefer the refuge of an air-conned interior, you’ll be rewarded by a breezy, laid-back shrine of coffee-worship that the cafe’s namesake and founder Toby has become famed for. Take a seat at the long communal table which doubles up as a front row seat to the impressive in-house roaster busying away roasting distinctive, gourmet, high altitude arabica coffees direct from farmers around the globe as snuffled out by Toby and his team.
On a hot day like today, an Iced Latte ($6), was most certainly what was required. And it was just the trick….a smooth yet intense roast which passed my test of not needing any sugar in it because the flavour was just perfect in it’s unadulterated form.
Chatting to Head Roaster Alvaro Sanchez, we also had the chance to have a cheeky try of some liquid gold straight out of the roaster and all we can say is….WOW! In fact I think the words of The City Nomad (my partner in eating and drinking for the day) were quite unrepeatable when he smelt it/taste it because it was that good!
Toby’s Estate also has an interesting selection of drip coffees, using methods like Clover (for a single cup of coffee brewed to fit a specific flavor profile), Chemex (for a rich, strong coffee without bitterness) and Siphon (which brings out some of the most delicate coffee flavours). Oh and tea lovers will also be happy as you get to peruse and enjoy a number of loose leaf teas.
But it’s not just about the coffee. Toby’s Estate is also a great spot for some simple, fresh and wholesome food at very reasonable prices whether it be lunch or brunch.
We tucked into Scrambled Eggs and Brioche (at a extremely reasonable $8.50), a nice three-egg job with lovely, lovely brioche which made us wonder….why don’t more people serve scramble eggs with brioche? It’s such a winning combination. For an extra $3.50 it comes with salmon. By the way, the breakfast menu is available daily until 3pm.
The daily lunch menu is a new and expanding feature at Toby’s Estate, and is perfect for a lite bite which is quite Oz-inspired in that simple, fresh and good-tasting way.
The Chicken and Mango Salad ($14) is a perfect example of this with herby chicken, ripe mango and sweet, tangy mustard dressing and served with our favourite…brioche!
We couldn’t resist tucking into a plate of cute Chipolata Chicken Sausages (because it was only $4 for 3!) which were a nice comforting addition served with a fresh-tasting salsa on the side….
as well as this nice, light spinach quiche ($8)…
Keeping on the fresh and wholesome tip, their juices are rather nice – pick one flavour or a blend to suit your mood…but anything with carrot in it is very good!
Toby’s is quite clearly a fantastic place for all java lovers but apart from that, it’s also a great spot for laid-back, lunch and brunch lovers who like wholesome fair and don’t like paying through the nose. So go on…. carry your legs a little further beyond the obvious Boomerang and surely it will be worth your while.
