Court Jester Brunswick, Melbourne

Court Jester is a cafe that seems to be coupled with an art gallery which makes for a really unique place to have breakfast. There are dozens of pieces on the walls around the huge table in the centre of the room. But all of that is totally unimportant because the Court Jester has the best coffee I've ever had in Melbourne and it ain't like there's no competition! Also, the breakfast was incredible, none of the tired flavours you get in most cafes these days. Go the Malvern Red eggs, although the scramble with potato kugel is fantastic too!

User Reviews of Court Jester, Brunswick

Displaying: 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 10 Service 10 Value 10

Wow that sounds terrible. Sounds like you caught them on an off day. I have been going there for the past 5 months religiously every weekend. I have found that Court Jester is the only cafe in brunswick with true consistency. Its the only place I've been to that does a decent long black that isn't burnt, over watered or luke warm.

The food is always consistently impressive. i love how they have taken traditional meals like I used to eat when I was a kid and given it their own contemporary stamp. As far as the owners and staff, I have always found them to be one of the few places in brunswick that isn't run and operated by the 'too cool to talk' hospitality crowd. I feel like I am going to a friends place for a bite when I go there.

I just cant say I agree with your statement that Court Jester should be confined to the 'idle hipster'. The beauty of the place is that you share one massive table with families, the elderly, young professionals among the local art and warehouse community. This is great because you have the opportunity to meet and chat with people you wouldn't usually associate with.

I reckon you should maybe give them another chance, not for their sake, just because I think you are missing out on a truly unique cafe experience due to an unfortunate series of events. All I know is that I will never again go to places like Green or a Minor Place where you are lucky to have your meal in under an hour on the weekend. I have never waited longer than around 25 minutes or so on a fully packed weekend there.

Ten points to Court Jester for bringing a truly unique eatery to Brunswick (a place that is so diverse to begin with), me and my wife will see you on the weekend! haha.

Apr 16, 2010

Kombinezon
1

6.3 Average

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 4 Value 6

A cafe for unhurried idle hipsters. It looked promising on entry. A long wooden communal table, friendly staff, great looking menu, just the thing you look for in a Saturday morning breakfast spot. Unfortunately, the overall experience just wasn't great.

Menus came quickly and we ordered orange juice expecting the staff to return quickly to take our breakfast order. A good 10-15 minutes wait later we got an apology, the orange juice and were able to order our food. We chose the Brunswick Green (Marinated avocado, asparagus w/mushrooms, tomato, poached eggs on rye bread), and Cheese Blintzes (Polish crepes filled with lemon zest infused ricotta in a moat of apple and berry compote topped with roasted almonds and fresh mint), which, when we finally got them, were great meals.

The problem was the wait and the attitude of one member of staff, who we now know to be one of the senior staffs. When we enquired after our meals, around 25 minutes after we ordered, we were told that the meals were on their way and that we had only ordered '10 minutes ago'. Perhaps, a little heavily worded given that by that stage we had been seated at Court Jester for over 45 minutes. He was, however, somewhat humble upon delivering our delayed order after having dispatched the wrong plate in the first instance.

As mentioned, the meals were great when they arrived. The Brunswick Green's poached eggs were perfectly done and marinated avocado had just the right amount of tang to complement without overpowering the other flavours. The blintzes, slightly crisp crepe parcels, gave way to luscious ricotta which subtly complimented sweet fruit compote on top, delicious!

Sadly that was where the positive experience ended. The coffee reflected a similar theme to the senior staff's earlier retort, hot, bitter and over done. Two sips was enough of this charred and over-extracted brew.

In light of this cafe's proximity to the bustling quality cafes of Victoria Street and Sydney Road surrounds, the Court Jester simply cannot afford to compromise on the basics. In its attempt to find a point of difference, the lofted ceilings and bohemian artworks just don't make up for the fact that this cafe doesn't deliver where it counts. 90 minutes is fine for a leisurely breakfast but way too long if you have to be somewhere else.

Mar 20, 2010

Peas
1

0 of 1 reader found the following review helpful

10 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 10 Service 10 Value 10

Such a lovely place! Staff were so friendly and attentive. The food was great and speedily provided. Excellent coffee. Relaxed atmosphere where concerns about being cooler than the next guy did not give me indigestion, unlike so many other prohibitively hip Brunswick cafes.

Sep 06, 2009