Gold Coast Restaurant Review: Crema Espresso, Main Beach 1 January 2011

 The morning of 1 January is traditionally not a time when I'd get up and "seize the day", however I was keen to embrace the New Year with energy, enthusiasm and a healthy attitude.  3 months on the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation program also helped with a positive mindset and eliminating excuses not to exercise or be healthy.

JFDI was the mantra of the day. Just Friggin Do It!

So despite the wind, the rain and the special fine sand that was whipped up by the rain to land with a *sting* on ones lower legs, we walked for 40 mins in the rain before we could take no more.  We were drenched and in search of food, water & shelter.

We ducked into Crema Espresso on Tedder Avenue, Main Beach. We'd had good coffee there before  and were keen to repeat our previous, positive experience.

I ordered poached eggs, tomato, toast with a side order of spinach, whilst hubby ordered eggs benedict with smoked salmon.  It was too late in the day for coffee for me, but hubby ordered a latte.  It almost never seems to late in the day for him to drink coffee.

My eggs tasted a little like the vinegar they'd been poached in.  And a few words on the tomato.  When the menu says "Eggs poached...with tomato and toast" I had imagined my tomato being a plump little half tomato (at least), either cooked on the grill or roasted.  Even a whole, halved cooked tomato perhaps.  But a slice? Granted, it was cooked.  But what was on the plate was a stingy portion (garnish?) and certainly not enough to warrant a mention on the menu.  Pfft.  It's not like tomatoes are $20 a kilo around these parts.  I think they're $4 a kilo, retail at the moment. Double pfft.  And I know it's nit-picky, but my spinach had a slightly dodgy yellowish bit in it.  Don't the staff see that?

The toast was simply toasted multigrain with butter already on it.  I like to butter my own toast, if at all, but perhaps I should have thought of that when ordering.   The choice was white or multigrain, which is a bit ordinoire.  It would be nice to have turkish or a little sourdough to get the toast party started.

The eggs benedict was better. No complaints there.  But see in the photo?  There is a garnish of tomato.

The latte, was apparently a thumbs up.

Would we rush back?  Hmm.  The coffee is good so we may grab a take away coffee there again, however I think there are some other cafes on Tedder that we'll try first before we hurry back.  Or maybe we'll just take a flick through the Naked City Guide to the Gold Coast and discover a few more hidden gems.

Crema Espresso
27 Tedder Avenue
Ph: 07 5526 4858