Cafe Momo

I was recently down in Canberra for a work trip and the office I was visiting had only a handful of lunch options within walking distance. Café Momo was one of them and was recommended as the better option. I walked in to the bright and open café and was faced with a cabinet full of sandwiches. As a person intolerant to wheat, I was somewhat concerned that there would be nothing I could eat. However I spied a bowl of ‘Roasted Vegetable and Brown Rice salad’ which looked appetisingly colourful with brown rice, pumpkin, capsicum, carrot and rocket and I was sold. Priced at $ 6 for a small container or $ 8 for a large, I was impressed by how cheap it was — or perhaps Canberra food prices are just cheaper than what I’m used to in Brisbane? Either way, while I would have been happy to pay $ 8, the container size was huge and I felt that the small would easily fill me up. The ready-​made sandwiches and wraps actually looked very tasty and there was a large selection of them which can be toasted for you and all seemed to be around the $ 7 – 9 mark. I ordered my container of salad and was asked if I wanted additional dressing (a lemon vinaigrette) which I wasn’t sure about so my server very obligingly fetched a container to fill up so I could have it on the side! The chalkboard behind the counter listed a number of healthy sounding juices and smoothies and the Green Smoothie (Spinach, Mango, Banana, Strawberries, Coconut Juice) for $ 8.50 sounded excellent so I ordered that too. A little on the expensive side but really, that’s how much these green smoothies seem to set you back anywhere. After a short wait for my smoothie, I was handed it in a giant Styrofoam cup and was impressed by the size — no complaints on value for money here! Both the salad (which I didn’t think needed the additional dressing after tasting it) and the smoothie were delicious and kept me full for ages.
The next day we needed breakfast before our first meeting and ended up at Café Momo again after working out that the other nearby café had only gluten-​filled items. This time I discovered they actually had a menu for when eating in and had the usual muesli, pancakes, eggs, bacon etc options. After ordering our drinks (long black for me, apple and orange juices for the others) we perused the menu. One of my dining companions was tempted by the pancakes but felt the addition of ice cream was a little too much for him so went with the basic poached eggs on toast ($ 9.50). The other and I both opted for the Toasted Muesli with Berry Coulis and Yoghurt ($ 9). Now I’m a big muesli fan but I’m very picky about how I like it (WARNING: I am SUPER fussy). I know that Toasted Muesli dishes tend to be mostly muesli with a dab of yoghurt on top, which is the opposite to what I like. Plus I really like fresh fruit. Like, I’m basically addicted to it. So, incredibly difficult customer that I am, I asked if they could do it with fresh fruit and with more yoghurt, less muesli. The waitress was a bit confused by the fresh fruit request and asked me what I wanted so I suggested banana, strawberries or whatever they had really. Meanwhile our drinks arrived and I inhaled my long black (first coffee of the day) but did manage to note that it was strong and really good. The apple juices were freshly squeezed and made from green apples and looked excellent.
Our meals didn’t take too long to arrive and my altered muesli appeared identical to the other but with chopped up banana and green apple instead of the berry coulis. It was quite a large bowl of the toasted muesli (which included golden toasted oats, nuts, coconut and dried fruit) and a large jug of milk was served with it. I admit, I had massive berry envy as the coulis was actually a really good looking selection of (I assume) defrosted frozen mixed berries. My request for more yoghurt and less muesli didn’t appear to have filtered through but when I requested additional yoghurt, the smiling waiter happily immediately fetched me some more. The yoghurt was a very thick Greek yoghurt and was deliciously tart with the sweet toasted muesli. I appreciated the fruit but envy got the better of me and so I asked if it would be possible to get some of the berries. I know — MOST DIFFICULT CUSTOMER EVER *shameface*. But again, the waiter happily obliged me and brought me a bowl of the berries a little while later. And I proceeded to have a very happy breakfast time.
I really enjoyed the food I had at Café Momo but what really stood out to me was the exceptional service — they handled and obliged me my fussy requests and did so each time with a smile. Quite honestly, it’s the best service I’ve had anywhere in a long time and in a small café in Canberra out of all places. And three decent breakfasts including drinks for under $ 45? Bargain. I wasn’t even charged extra for my additions…