I received a very gracious invite last week from Patrick, the manager of Mocha Monkees, situated along Wickham Street of Fortitude Valley. Being within walking distance to work, I took the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing weekday lunch with my colleague Spiderman, whilst Iron Fist was away. The brisk walk was very enjoyable, and we reached our destination at our agreed time of 11.45am, as usual, before the lunch rush.
The cafe was small and cosy, very well lit with large windows. We found a comfy corner seat. Patrick came to greet us and advised that they had recently transitioned from being a branch of Stellarossa last April.
The menu was provided to us, and comprised of fairly standard cafe fare. We were particularly interested in the all day breakfast, but other than this, there were also a selection of hot subs, soups, burgers and pizza. Compared to the prices of cafes in the city though, these were exceptionally good value.
Of course the pastry cabinet added to our list of temptations, but we stuck to our decision and settled for the all day breakfast options.
Ordering at the counter, we got a number and awaited our meals.
Having successfully beaten the lunch rush, our meals came fairly quickly, just as the cafe started to get very busy.
Our drinks were the Berry Smoothie and the Mango Smoothie. Both were very smooth, creamy and had a strong yoghurt taste without being too icy and significant hints of fruitiness. With their large portion sizes, these were definitely very good value.
For food, Spiderman ordered the Verdura Benedict, comprising of poached eggs, spinach and mushroom on sourdough with hollandaise, and a side of chorizo. Again, we found it to be very good value and portion for the price. Although the eggs weren't completely runny, they were fairly gelatinous on the inside, and the hollondaise gave it considerable moisture. The chorizo was very meaty and the faint spice added considerable depth to the meal.
I opted for the Mediterrani, which contained Fried eggs, bacon, haloumi, tomato, red onion and avocado on sourdough with a balsamic vinegarette with an add on side of hash brown. The breakfast was massive. I found the sourdough to be quite dense and filling, the bacon was fairly thin cut but could have been a little crispier and the eggs had a nice crispy exterior. The avocado was ripe and delicious and the tomatoes were well caramelised. I especially liked the fact that the dish had just the right amount of balsamic, generous without drowning the plate.
Espresso and Matcha were invited guests of Mocha Monkees, but as always our opinions are solely our own.
Price Range: $ 15 - $25pp
Taste: 7/10
Value: 9/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 8/10
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