Elbow Room Espresso, Chatswood

It's hard to miss a cafe like Elbow Room Espresso with its large glass windows opening into an airy place with lots of natural light and a mean silver coffee machine which resides at the very centre of the cafe. The decor is all about simplicity - black walls, wooden tables and pops of green succulents dotted throughout the cafe.

It was too early for the lunch menu, so we opted for the all day breakfast items. Options included many standard items including bacon and egg rolls, banana bread, granola and bircher muesli but my eyes were drawn to the french toast! I'm such a sucker for sweet items. I really liked the brioche made as a french toast as it was like eating a nice soft sponge cake with decadent maple syrup and berry drizzle. The house made cinnamon ricotta was lovely and creamy and paired well with the grilled bananas. I wish the banana was not as ripe though as I felt that it was way too mushy for me and that there was more pistachio, to give the dish a bit more crunchy texture to break through the all the softness.

French Toast with grilled banana on brioche $18

My friend ordered the grilled asparagus and prosciutto bruschetta and poached eggs. Call me boring but I still prefer the usual avocado on my sourdough than the broad bean and pea mash on this dish. Perhaps it was because I found it the mash a bit tasteless I was craving the creaminess of the avocado. But the prosciutto wrapped asparagus was particularly tasty - simply fresh, crispy, grilled asparagus spears firmly wrapped with salty meaty goodness...mmmm! And can't say no to the poached eggs which were cooked beautifully with perfectly runny yolks and fluffy whites.

Grilled asparagus and prosciutto bruschetta $18

Elbow Room offered plenty of gourmet drinks to suit all tastes from cold pressed juices, teas and their special house blend coffee. But because it was a warm day, I decided to order the Green Freak smoothie which sounded like a refreshing clean drink. And indeed it wasn't bad - the avocado and almond milk made the drink rather creamy with the perfect balance of sweetness from the honey.

Green Freak - spinach, chia seeds, avocado, lemon, mint, almond milk, honey $8

If you're a peanut butter fan, you'll probably love the chocolate, pretzel and peanut butter milkshake offered here. Imagine a Reeses bar but made into an incredibly smooth and creamy drink with crunchy pretzel bits. Mmm...!

Chocolate, Pretzel & Peanut Butter Milkshake $7

All in all, Elbow Room does tick all the boxes for what customers want at a cafe - comfortable seating areas perfect for catchups with friends and lots of gourmet food and drink options. I can't say the food tastes extraordinarily amazing but definitely is fresh and honest.

Elbow Room Espresso
6a Spring St, Chatswood
Mon - Fri: 6:00am - 4:00pm
Sat - Sun: 7:30am - 4:00pm