X74, Coogee – Rating: 16.5/25

X74

With winter approaching, I find myself seeking out even more coastal cafés (as they’re more likely to be bathed in sunshine) so Coogee seemed liked a logical suburb. Joining me today were some friends who have a one year old baby; why not test out the child friendliness? Well not only does X74 have high chairs but most drinks are available in child-friendly sizes, news that anyone with young family members would be excited to hear.

The waitstaff were hospitable throughout our visit, always on hand and willing to meet all of our demands. It can get loud inside but it’s definitely bearable and even on a weekend, you shouldn’t have much trouble grabbing a table either inside or out.

Freshly squeezed juice

Strawberry smoothie

Nope, no coffee this week. I can tell you that X74 uses Allpress though and the coffees are $4. Some of my guests had cups before I arrived which they were very happy with.

Freshly squeezed juice ($7.50) is available in any combination of orange, apple, pineapple, celery, carrot, beetroot, ginger, lemon, lime and passionfruit. They got our mix of orange and pineapple just right with ice to chill it.

My strawberry smoothie ($6.50) was very thick with what seemed to be frozen fruit. It didn’t blow me away in the flavour stakes but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Other options are mango, banana and mixed berry. Milkshakes ($6.50) are on offer as well as soft drinks, spiders ($7.50) and a muscle shake (30 gram protein powder, wheatgerm, banana, honey, skim milk, ice cream, $10.50).

Home made muesli

The home made muesli ($12) features a nut-packed crunchy muesli with a decent serving of in-season fruit, vanilla yoghurt and a drizzle of honey. I enjoyed every bite of this and polished it off with some milk that I requested on the side.

X74 breakfast

Two guests ordered the X74 breakfast ($21) which typically comes with eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, baked beans, mushrooms, hash browns and slow roasted tomatoes. My guests requested some slight alterations which X74 was happy to accommodate. The poached eggs were executed well whereas the scrambled version required a bit more seasoning. The bacon was plentiful and arrived mainly soft (but you can always request it crispy if that’s what you prefer). The beans on the other hand were slightly too salty but contained some nice pieces of hock. The pork sausages were a pleasant surprise; dense and full of flavour. The hash browns were a bit of a letdown as a few had some thickness to them while others were very thin so just ended up being deep fried through to the centre. Overall a competent big breakfast though.

Eggs Benedict

The eggs Benedict ($19.50) is served on sourdough and for me the best part was thick slices of off the bone ham. The hollandaise was tasty but a a bit thin in consistency. It also includes spinach so it’s a reasonably sized plate.

Brekky burger

Even though I didn’t order it, the brekky burger ($17.50) contained the sort of savoury flavours that I really enjoy. It houses bacon, egg, sausage, hash brown and tomato relish. Everything worked together well with the exception of the bun that lost all structural integrity and the hash browns which once again didn’t contain enough fluffy potato.

X74 has a reasonably concise menu but you’ll also find bircher muesli ($16), ricotta and buttermilk flapjax with maple syrup and macerated berries ($16) and sourdough French toast (grilled banana, lemon mascapone and honeycomb butter ($16).

While none of the dishes at X74 blew me away, everyone at the table had positive comments and I found the service to be especially good. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely a friendly spot with enough space to always be a reliable bet.

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