Axil Coffee Roasters

Coffee crusaders rejoice: Axil Coffee Roasters in Hawthorn has your every single origin and cold drip cravings covered. And they do it with serious style. Think a cavernous space with a sleek mix of soaring ceilings, black walls, shiny concrete floors and succulents suspended from a build-site inspired metal frame.

It can be tricky breaking habits, especially the kind that typically involved lusting after sugary and rich breakfasts. Happily, I did just that at Axil, opting to bypass the waffles with peanut butter parfait and gingerbread French toast – hello willpower – and rather honed my sights on the house smoked trout and potato rosti. Beware: the portion size is deceptive; what looked like a neat – if somewhat small – pile, once dismantled, became enough to sate a grumbling tum. An inch thick potato rosti, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle, was the bed for layers of pickled baby veg, lashings of fleshy trout, a poached egg and a handful of green herbs; a coral-tinted saffron emulsion pooled around the rosti. Every mouthful was lip-smackingly beautiful. The dainty trout was delicate and fresh, giving the dish subtle tones of the ocean; the vinegar from the pickled vegetables – purple-stained slices of radish and carrot – offered a hit of acidity to contrast the rich textures of the rosti, egg and trout. It was the saffron emulsion that tied each element to another; it was smooth, light and creamy. Delicious.

‘If you squint, it almost looks like an open lasagne,’ said Mother, peering down at her breakfast. Mother encouraged (read: elbowed me) to do like her; I hinted she should see an optometrist. One more solid elbow to the ribs later and a wide-eyed Mother was tucking into her plate: zucchini, corn and haloumi fritters, avocado, relish and a poached egg. Much like me, Mother found herself doubting the portion size, until she toppled the egg from its high perch and unearthed enough spinach to make Popeye kick his heels in glee. Mother dug past the creamy avocado and lashings of relish to find the fritter, a corn-studded slab that boasted plenty of crunch but not much flavour. Mother couldn’t detect the haloumi or the zucchini, and was disappointed that the fritter seemed a smidge doughy in the middle. Another few minutes in a sizzling pan would have given the fritter a golden crisp caramelisation that would have contrasted the soft avocado and velvety poached egg. It was the relish that made the dish, saving the plate from bordering-on-bland territory. The chunky relish was rich, punchy and had just enough of a kick; it bought the individual components together.

With Dave Makin – a three-time Australian barista champion, don’t you know – at the helm of Axil roasting and brewing, the coffee operation here is one seriously impressive business. A sprawling counter houses every piece of coffee kit budding brewers could want; an off-to-the-side nook is lined with shelves laden with keep cups, coffee tampers, storage bric-a-brac and other pieces of whizzbang wizardry. My strong café latte was lovely and creamy. Mother’s long black featured floral notes and not a hint of a bitter aftertaste.

Straight from the Mother It only took two steps through Axil’s front door for us to be welcomed with more than one smile: a cracking start to our lovely experience. For those, like me, who aren’t that well-versed in coffee gobbledygook, Axil may be intimidating: there are oodles of choices and variations. I’d be floored if someone couldn’t find something they’d like. I had to have a chuckle at everyone at the tables around us taking snaps of their meals – we didn’t stand out so much! – and with such beautifully presented fare it wasn’t hard to understand why.

Axil Coffee Roasters
322 Burwood Road, Hawthorn 3122
(03) 9819 0091