Gattica - 223 Carlisle St, Balaclava

My experience with Gattica this time around was slightly more extensive than the last, where I stopped to order a takeaway skim latte (a good one at that) on my way back from breakfast at Las Chicas. Upon reading on the popularity of balaclava cafes and the potential bad experience with efficiency/quality, I chose to sample out Gattica during the week.

I arrived at just after 11am and was greeted warmly as soon as I stepped into the grungy art-deco venue with a hint of middle-easter/asian flair; I was encouraged to seat myself and the waitress promptly brought over the menus, taking my coffee order at the same time.

My skim latte came straight away, it was slightly lacking in density compared to my takeaway last time, but was good nevertheless (I heard a rumour that only a selected few baristas are allowed near the coffee machine). Excellent presentation!

I ordered the eggs florentine ($10.90 - two poached eggs on toasted bagle with spinach and hollandaise sauce) with a side of mushrooms ($2.50) and house made hash browns ($3 or $3.50, couldn't remember).

The meal arrived, again, promptly; the eggs were almost just right, there were still some liquidity at the centre. The mushrooms had a wonderful flavour, and the hashbrowns were simply divine - crunchy on the outside, with just the right balance of potato and herbs. And it wasn't mushy. Simply delicious! Cutlery was also fantastic, I had no trouble cutting through my bagle, or anything else for that matter.

The waitress even made time for a little chit-chat, extracting contents from my copy of 'eat pray love' to recommendations on must read literature 'sugar babes', available for purchase at your local Target. The barista was on first name basis with almost everyone, which could seem a little intimidating before I stepped into the venue, however the great service made me feel right at ease.

The only thing to be mindful is that there is a min $20 for card transactions.



Food: 8.5/10 - the hashbrowns pushed it up by 0.5
Coffee: 7/10 (hovers between 7 and 7.5)
Service: Excellent, efficient and friendly - 9/10
Value: Good value food at reasonable prices, my meal came to $19.70 - 8/10
Ambiance: upbeat - 7/10

Overall: 39.5/50
Encore: Definitely!