Collective Espresso

By Gerard and Marg | Published: July 8, 2011

Collective Espresso

3 Cookson St, Camberwell (opposite Camberwell station)

She says:
Recently Collective Espresso has become one of my favourite weekend spots.  Collective is one of a growing number of cafes proving that you don’t have to leave my beloved inner eastern suburbs to find somewhere to have a good meal while enjoying eclectic decor and some hipster watching. Collective has a fresh modern look with a few small tables out the front, a couch, a couple of seats at a bar running along the kitchen and then a big, high communal table running down the centre of the room.  It’s the sort of place with interesting art and water served in salvaged brown glass or old vodka bottles. The fit out works and gives the place a really relaxed, young feel.
But now, to the important stuff, the food. Gerard and I headed there last Sunday morning (ok, by the time we managed to drag ourselves out of bed it was probably more like afternoon) for brunch. Being the boring couple we are we both accidentally ordered the same meal (after the waitress spent a while shamelessly flirting with my boy) – avocado and feta mash on organic sourdough with scrambled eggs ($14.50) and a side of Kaiser flesh bacon ($4).

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The avocado and feta, which also included a little shredded mint and came served with a wedge of lime, had the ratios just right. The texture was great (not too smooth) and a big squeeze of lemon definitely added value. The avocado and feta (also available with fried eggs or as a stand alone sans-eggs) compares very favourably to the similar dish at one of my favourite brunch spots, Porgie & Mr Jones. I’m also a sucker for scrabbled eggs and really enjoyed these, although they were probably a little heavy on the cream . The bacon was a real highlight of this dish. The strips (2 in a side serve) were a particularly thick cut and were tender and full of flavour. Definitely the best side of bacon I’ve had in quite a while.

Being a non-coffee drinker I can’t comment on that side of things but am reliably informed that it’s Five Senses and some of the best (and most consistent) in Camberwell.

Dateability wise Collective rates pretty well. I’m a huge fan of it as a brunch date venue for an established couple. I say an established couple because I always feel like a communal table is a bit of an intimidating no go for an early date, I think it’s one of those things where you need to be comfortable enough with someone to have a conversation that you don’t mind other people hearing or just munch in silence with a paper.

He says:
Stepping into Collective Espresso is surreal. You feel like you’ve just been stumbling along High Street in Northcote, and you find this café that you’ve never been to before. Except, you’re not in Northcote anymore, Toto, you’re in Camberwell. It’s not that I dislike stubbornly suburban Camberwell, it’s just generally not the kind of place you’d find a rather trendy café, full of equally trending looking staff and patrons; granted, Bar None is also in Camberwell, but that’s always felt like a locational anachronism to me.

I’ve been a couple of times before this visit (mainly for coffee), but I’d never had the opportunity to try the food. After some playful banter with the waitress, I ended up ordering scrambled eggs with avocado on toast, with a side of Kaiser Flesh Bacon. I generally don’t order scrambled eggs, but the generous amount of avocado offset that. It was also quite large, especially with the Bacon; those with less of an appetite might struggle to finish their meals. The menu itself isn’t overbearing, with a short list of breakfast favourites with a couple of sides (the mysterious block of toast-like consistency in the photo below is a side of potato rosti ordered by N).

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I like Collective Expresso; the long communal table, the funky lights, the generous sprinking of Frankie magazines throughout the shop. The staff are friendly, the atmosphere is hectic and the coffee is good. What more can you ask for on a Sunday morning?

Collective Espresso on Urbanspoon

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