Everyday Espresso

Shop 6, 159 Redfern Street, Redfern
facebook.com/EverydayEspressoRedfern

★★★★

THE LOWDOWN

Main attractions: A mix of healthy and heart-stopping brunch treats, with ex-hatted chef Tomislav Martinovic behind the menu

Must-try: Mushroom love. A triple-cheese toastie with truffle paste that is cut into golden, buttered brioche soldiers.

Insta-worthy dish: The Coops Benny. Think cartoonish excess in the form of fried protein (bacon, egg, buttermilk fried chicken), all tucked into a flaky croissant. It's soul food for the hungover.

Coffee: Pablo and Rusty's custom blend for milk-based coffee, $3.80. A rotating single origin for black and filter coffee, $4

Tea: Pablo and Rusty's hot tea, $4, and a rotating iced tea flavour, $5

Prices: $13.90 for avocado on toast to $16.90 for the Coops Benny. Takeaway prices are $2 off everything

If there are four words that sum up our feelings toward commitment in the internet age, it's "see how we feel". Applied to dates and overdue catch-ups, it can be morbidly frustrating. But at a weekend breakfast, where our food choices are tied to the night's misdeeds, the option for a last-minute decision can feel strangely attractive.

Enter Everyday Espresso. A new Redfern cafe with a compact, eight-dish menu that caters to most existential states you may find yourself in. Fine dining chef Tomislav Martinovic, best known for his once-beloved Tomislav restaurant in Darlinghurst, is behind the menu's design.

Martinovic came on board as a consulting chef late last year, when owner Justin Stevenson sealed the deal on the inner east venue. At the time, the pair was working on Stevenson's Haymarket cafe, Coop and Cart, and decided to extend their collaboration to the new cafe.

The pay-off is clear. Under Martinovic's creative direction, the food at Everyday Espresso has a level of finesse that stretches well beyond the all-day breakfast scene. The dishes are split roughly into two groups: unapologetically healthy and morning-after cures.

In the first veg-focused camp, are dishes such as the raw green bowl – a clean-eating bingo of avocado, kale, soft boiled egg, quinoa and grilled Chinese cabbage, held together with a nutty housemade tahini yoghurt.

For a carbohydrate hit, the soba omelette is a lighter, deconstructed take on omusoba, a Japanese fried noodle snack that's usually doused in a heady blend of mayo and barbecue sauce. Here, the buckwheat noodle is dressed in light soy and mirin, then tossed in a tangle of fresh herbs and enoki mushrooms. Topped with crisp sheets of nori, it's a welcome twist to the usual egg offering.

Not all of Martinovic's plant dishes are created equal, though. Traversing hangover food territory is a very adult iteration of mushroom toasties.

These triple-cheese soldiers are served upright and golden, fastened to the plate by a daub of melted cheddar, parmesan and gruyere. You'll get a hint of the earthy truffle paste as you tuck into this buttery mess with both hands.

When the whole thing is over, it's the perfectly toasted, slightly sweet Brasserie brioche you'll miss. Snack on the housemade pickled celery between bites – a gentle palate cleanser that slices right through the grease and keeps your stomach happy.

Any extravagance pales, however, in the face of the Coops Benny. Think of it as a stoner's vision of eggs Benedict: chunks of buttermilk-fried chicken, streaky bacon and a sunny-side-up egg topped with a citrusy yuzu hollandaise and wedged inside a Brasserie croissant. It's intense, heart-stopping, and by far the most-ordered item at the cafe.

On a breezy Sunday morning, a steady stream of locals stop by for their takeaway caffeine hits. Milky coffees are made with Pablo and Rusty's caramelly house blend espresso, while filter specials come from a regular rotation of single origin roasters.

There are plenty of reasons to linger in this bright, blond wood-clad corner cafe. A slice of house-baked banana bread to bookend the meal, for example. Or a cold brew made with a Finca Calle Lajas single-o bean, which has a bright top note and a soft, toffee apple finish.

The only challenge is the limited seating. With only two indoor tables and a handful of stools, you won't want to take up too much time or precious real estate. The good news, says Stevenson, is that more outdoor tables are on their way. Not that you'll need another excuse for spontaneous weekend visits.

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