While in Canberra for Eat Drink Blog, The Australian Food + Drink Bloggers Conference, I had some time for sight-seeing – food sight-seeing!

Staying with friends, I was told we must have breakfast at The Cupping Room. Who was I to say no?!

The Cupping Room is a very busy place and luckily we managed to grab a table. There’s seating inside and out, and unfortunately they don’t take bookings, but there’s plenty of room to wait for a table.

When first visiting The Cupping Room, it’s advisable to hear the explanation as to what they are about, and the coffee they serve. Not the cappuccino, latte type of coffee. But the blends of coffee – served either black or flat white.

We ordered one each of the milk coffees; espresso shot with textured milk. The first was a house blend: 60% Brazil Santa Lucia, 20% Honduras El Puente, 20% El Salvador Supersonic. The second was a seasonal blend: 80% Ethiopian Beloya, 20% Ethiopia Kochere.

Both coffees were strong and not too bitter. For breakfast I ordered the Coconut French Toast, strawberries, ewe’s curd, citrus gel, sherbet meringue pistachio praline and basil. Wow, there was certainly a lot on the plate with lots of sugar, flavours and texture! The toast was thick with coconut clearly visible on the outside. The citrus gel was tangy and the meringue sweet and crunchy. The strawberries were an excellent addition as they cut through the richness and sweetness. A very filling dish.

My friend had the Huevos Divorciados; two fried eggs, salsa verde and salsa roja, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, greens, charred peppers and toasted sourdough. He says it was a pretty good dish with the sunny side eggs highlighted by the two different contrasting salsas; the red salsa having a sweetness from its tomatoes, and the pickled chillies bringing this out even more, whilst the green tomatillo slightly more piquant. He says he’ll have it again, and being a local, I bet he will! And if you really enjoyed you coffee, you can pick up a bag of beans while you’re there! The Cupping Room is open for breakfast and lunch every day. I loved the atmosphere, the food, the coffee and the friendly staff, and I’m looking forward to a return visit already!