Collective Espresso

Now I know that Camberwell, as a local myself, hasn’t been well known for good cafes and coffee. This view was certainly with good reason in the past. BUT now Collective Espresso team smash that outdated tale out of the park with their Melbourne style café. The people behind Collective also run My Other Brother, Legacy and 30 Mill Espresso and let’s just say… they have got the formula for a great café down to a tee or tea shall I say. The staff are guns, the coffee is silky smooth and made with love and the food is fab. Definitely worth a try but beware… Collective is now a very well discovered Camberwell hang out, so it can get crowded with diehards, so my advice to you is go at non peak brunching hours to avoid an overcrowded experience

This place was rammed late morning on a rainy Sunday and the boy and I assumed that although we had nabbed a seat on the large communal table, service was going to be an issue. Turns out it was actually not too bad.
It only took about two minutes for one of the waiters to spot us and bring over menus and a bottle of water. He took our coffee order right away while we checked out the menu.
Only another few minutes passed and another waiter came to take the food order. We then had to wait about ¹⁰⁄₁₅ minutes but I’m addicted to people watching so that was fine.
Food came but no sign of coffee… first waiter chased it up but still took too long to come — we had pretty much finished our brunch by the time the average cup hit the table.
Food itself was fine — cauliflower fritters were probably a bit too rich for my liking for that time of day but were still pretty decent.
I liked it and I’ll be interested in trying it again but might try and wait for it to be a bit quieter…

For some reason I’ve always had the impression that Camberwell didn’t have very good cafes, until I tried Collective Espresso.
It’s quite a cute little café, small but not very cramped. Great coffee, good variety in their breakfast and lunch menus and the service is speedy and friendly. I would say that this is a very solid café that ticks all the boxes.

While the coffee was great, the food was cold when it came out and even though I was starving, I couldn’t stomach eating more than half.
We ordered coffees when we sat down and were then ignored by staff for 20 minutes before we went in to place our order.
It was ok overall but I wouldn’t go back.

2pm in the afternoon and I was absolutely starving. I ordered the smashed avo and feta mash on sourdough (again, it’s no surprise — I’m an avocado lover!) but decided to treat myself by adding on poached eggs and cherry tomatoes. This was a brillant decision by me. The cherry tomatoes had been slow cooked to perfection, so full of flavour. My iced coffee was a real treat with ice cream, yum!
It was such a satisfying brunch that I can already tell next time I’ll be tempted to order the same again. However if I’m feeling like something more indulgent next time, I’d try the banana pancakes or even the ‘collective sigh of relief’, the Collective Espresso’s version of a big breaky (with an adorable name). Another plus to Collective Espresso was the presentation of the food, everything looked superb arranged on the plate.
After the meal, we sat and chatted for longer than expected. I really appreciated that the staff were happy to let us linger and at no stage, did we feel rushed out the door. This to me, is great service that encourages me to return.
It was a splendid lazy Saturday brunch.

I think their serving sizes are getting smaller. The pikelet plate had 4 tiny pikelets on it… no amount of poached fruit is going to fill you up after a plate of these itsy-​bitsy morsels.
Unless you’re on some kind of calorie-​restricted yet open-​wallet kind of diet, you maybe should just come for a coffee here and search for grub elsewhere.

Some places just get it all right. It’s a struggle to find memorable coffee and more than a run-​of-​the-​mill all day breakfast in the inner East, but once you discover this café down by Camberwell station you’ll realise you’ve struck gold. On first glance, you could argue the target market is younger, more hip, less suburban but you’ll actually find an eclectic mix of customers lapping up the energy and vibe of Collective Espresso & Kitchen.
The cohesive little team pumps out consistently good coffee, juices, meals and service. Their name reflects the collective minds and efforts of the owners, barista Mark Jacobson and chef Duncan McCance (both ex Las Chicas). They opened in mid 2009, continually enhancing the fit out, managing and running it together seven days a week. The efficient wait staff are never without a warm welcome, striking a perfect balance of the social and professional aspects of why they’re there. They ensure you’re hydrated and provided a menu within moments of getting comfortable. And if you come back, which you will, you can almost guarantee they’ll remember you and how you take your coffee. They don’t have nor need a loyalty program, there is clearly an established, strong local following.
On weekday mornings the distracted train commuters hover while Mark takes the time to impart his worldly knowledge and opinions from behind the Synesso as he prepares their coffee — regularly varied Five Senses single-​origin and house blends. They know what they’re doing with chai too, without a doubt the best around. Truly decadent muffins, cupcakes, slices and brownies are all made onsite, cleverly positioned right under your nose as you wait for your takeaway, which never seems to be too long.
Get there early on the weekend to avoid the ever-​increasing rush, take a seat outside the charming old shop front, inside join the huge communal bench or kitchen bar, or relax feeling right at home on the couch as the morning sun streams through the window. Take a friend (probably not a large group), catch up on your reading from the pile of Gourmet Traveller, Frankie mags and newspapers, or simply sit and people watch as the crowd grows.
An architecturally intelligent use of a relatively small space, the aesthetics are simple, fresh, bright, minimalist, and humble (until recently the name of the café could only be found on the environmentally friendly takeaway cups), and take inspiration from the owners’ love and respect for art, music and of course, food.
The menu spans breakfast, brunch and lunch and caters for all tastes, levels of hunger and dietary requirements. Every few months the main menu is seasonally adjusted. A serious and inventive chef, Duncan’s chalkboard of daily specials is a testament to his passion for beautiful, quality food and experimentation. Think quail eggs, pickled cauliflower and goat’s cheese with a pancetta and rocket salad, or rhubarb French toast with blueberries, chamomile yoghurt and honeycomb. The creative variations on porridge never cease to amaze. Staples include hearty Bircher, avocado and feta mash, perfectly poached free-​range eggs, four types of mushrooms in truffle oil, and Kaiser flesh bacon with thick sourdough or multigrain toast. Then a tiny lemon wedge, micro herbs, and experimental Blumenthal-​esque additions remind you it’s the attention to detail that differentiates and makes this place special. Lunch specials are normally soups, salads, sandwiches and pides but by no means your typical fare, and portions here are generous.
As the Irish proverb goes, «Laughter is brightest where food is best», I challenge you to spot a customer who doesn’t walk out at least smiling.

Chic, cool and does great coffee (for those of you coffee review app users — it is rated 4 beans so.). This joint also serves great food and sweet treats — the duck sandwich will always have a special place in my heart (although sadly it’s not on the menu much anymore) and the chocolate & pear danish is brilliant. If you’re in Camberwell for whatever one arvo, you definitely have to visit this place.
Who knows, you might bump into Megan Gale while you’re there (still the highlight of all my trips there).

Great food, amazing coffee and really excellent staff. I love that you can sit and enjoy your eggs and coffee to a soundtrack of Minor Threat, with mums, gym junkies and business types alike enjoying it equally as much.
Clearly a lot of love went into this place, and you’ll love it too.