Stop and smell the coffee: Amble café

Amble (noun): a walk at a slow, relaxed pace, especially for pleasure.

That’s exactly what brothers Marco and Joseph Assanti intended when they opened Amble café – a refuge from the fast pace of the city, a tranquil sanctuary to sip and savour, to take a step back from our busy lives and just be.

Specialty roasted coffee by Small Batch Roasting Co.

Sunlight dances through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the views are optimum for people watching. Soft edges and colours create a space for city workers to quietly enjoy their coffee and work between meetings or catch up with friends and colleagues. Apart from the lunch rush hour (everyone flocks to the daily sandwiches), Amble is a place to unwind and enjoy quality coffee and food.

One cappuccino, to have here.

If Melbourne were human, its blood would be coffee; speciality coffee, like Amble’s Small Batch Roasting Co. and their range of ethically sourced coffee blends and single origins. In the early hours you’ll find lines of workers dashing in and out for their caffeine fix, and maybe a pastry, too.

Folded eggs with orange and chorizo

Amble’s seasonal menu sources fresh produce from Queen Vic and Prahran markets, and most of their specialty ingredients and sauces are made in-house. Their breakfast dishes pull off unusual flavour combinations, like the folded ‘rose’ eggs with chorizo (from Sydney’s artisan charcuteria La Boqueria), snow pea sprouts, fresh orange slices, house-fermented chilli and dill aioli piled on charred sourdough. Orange and eggs – who would’ve thought?! We promise it’s a perfect match.

Mixed mushroom bruschetta with ricotta, egg and a smear of carrot puree

The mushroom bruschetta mixes three types of mushrooms (shimeji, field and enoki) layered with whipped ricotta and herbs, a poached egg, pine nuts and a vibrant smear of carrot puree. All the collective elements create a hearty, wholesome meal.

The EPIC Reuben

If you’re game for a solid lunch, try the Reuben with stacked corn beef (infused with garlic, spices and cloves), Provolone cheese, American mustard, thick pickle, house fermented cabbage and a side of potato crisps. It’s a beast of a sanga and Amble’s signature dish.

Ricotta crepes

The crepes are a delicious work of art, stuffed with ricotta and sweet almonds, adorned with house-made raspberry sauce, orange syrup and fairy floss from Prahran market. It took Marco and Joseph months to invent this dish as they prefer savoury foods to sweet. They nailed the balance of fruity flavours and light textures – not too sweet or rich.

As featured on Onya Magazine.