The smoked trout salad … superb. Photo: Sophia Brady
Apartment living in the inner city with dogs means I am always out on a walk, and some days it feels like I pass Močan & Green Grout more than five times (we all just call it Močan from now on?)
From 7 am until the kitchen closes at 2 pm, there is a queue outside, ordering at the little window and then waiting on the other side at the pick-up area for their caffeine fix.
Public servants, office workers, tourists, and local bike riders alighting from the lake, I enjoy watching the ever-changing eclectic mix of people gathered in the corner of NewActon where the cafe sits.
There are plenty of places to perch while waiting, and plenty to look at. Handsome pot plants, a signature NewActon statue, laying it all bare. Look up at the giant paella pan hanging outside the front, which denotes a special of the day.
I can never walk past the mulled wine when it is advertised. You can smell it simmering in a pot behind where they sling coffees, and it always seems to appear on a cold, blustery day. The aroma of the spices catches you mid-walk. Oh, the aroma! Sometimes that big pot is simmering with chai doing the same job.
I can never walk past the mulled wine when it is advertised. Photo: Sophia Brady.
Walking inside it is a little offbeat, with some familiar elements from the nearby Nishi building, which makes sense since the owners designed it in conjunction with the Molonglo Group, who conceived the precinct. There is the same recycled wood on the back walls. The brass-and-gold table elements are reminiscent of the furniture in Nishi. Concrete floors run throughout.
Dining inside the small space gives the sense of being invited for a meal at your much cooler friend’s apartment. The kitchen sits in the middle of the room. You can see dishes being washed at the sink, and the chef portioning out a steaming hot pot of something that looks like the chickpea base for the baked eggs. Jars of homemade pickles sit on the counter. Eggs and bread are out, ready to go. Nothing is hidden. Everything is out in the open and done in front of you. It feels honest and wholesome. I can see everything that is happening and what is going into my meal, and that makes me feel good. It makes me feel part of the process, like watching your friend cook.
The kitchen is tiny, so unsurprisingly the menu is compact. They make everything themselves. My tip is to pay attention to what is on the counter as you walk in because it is guaranteed to be freshly made.
I have had quite a lot of takeaway coffees from there, usually in between walks. I have also worked my way through all their rolls for a quick takeaway lunch. A special shoutout to their twist on the bacon-and-egg classic and the corned beef creation with pickles.
When I eat in, I tend to order the same thing. The smoked trout salad, green beans, potato, egg, leaves, barley and dill mayonnaise. The combination delights my Eastern European sensibilities every time. It is topped with salt flakes that you can see and taste.
My husband is a staunch supporter of the baked eggs. Served in a small cast-iron fry pan, you know you are in for a good time when it hits the table, still steaming. The baked egg sits atop the aromatic chickpeas and tomato concoction, topped with goat’s cheese.
To say the burnt Basque cheesecake is creamy is an understatement. Photo: Sophia Brady.
On a recent lunch visit, we spied a burnt Basque cheesecake on the counter as we entered, so we split a serving to end our meal. It arrived unceremoniously, just a slice with no adornments because it did not need it. To say it was creamy is an understatement.
The precinct has changed a lot over the years, but the cafe still feels like part of what made it so good to begin with. Another meander through NewActon and a stop at Močan are still both worth it.
Močan & Green Grout is located at 1/19 Marcus Clarke St, NewActon. Open daily from 7 am. Kitchen closes at 2 pm. Take away coffee until 3 pm.
Original Article published by Sophia Brady on Region Canberra.
