Bay Ten Espresso, Lavender Bay – Rating: 15.5/25

Bay Ten Espresso

Bay Ten is sneakily located between the Warringah Freeway and Middlemiss Street. Despite the proximity to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it’s no louder than most other cafés that I visit. The interior is dressed up like a bicycle workshop in an industrial setting with virtual offices for rent on the second floor.

Despite the large number of tables, we had to wait a while for one. The subsequent cleanup of it took some time but ordering is done at the counter so we were able to dictate the speed of that ourselves. Delivery of the food and accuracy of the order didn’t improve things; there’s a lot that Bay Ten could do to add to the friendliness and speed of the service.

Flat white

Cappuccino

English breakfast tea

Our coffees ($3.50) were prepared well. The flavours were bold without being overpowering. Batch brew ($4) and cold drip ($5) are also available along with teas by Té ($4).

Berry smoothie

There’s only one smoothie of the month ($8.50) available which you can add whey protein to for $1. The berry smoothie was small for the price but it had good consistency and my guest thought that there was enough berry flavour.

Roast beetroot hummus

The roast beetroot hummus ($12) is served on sourdough and topped with avocado and feta. The herb salad on the side was a nice touch. The hummus itself had a reasonably smooth texture and wasn’t overpowering. It worked well with the avocado and feta but there was nothing that really won me over.

Brekkie roll

The brekkie roll ($9.50) in its most basic form comes with a poached egg, rocket, mushrooms and tomato relish. To this you can add leg ham ($4), avocado ($4), feta ($3) or Swiss cheese ($2). The roll itself was very thick and dense. The mushrooms which had been lightly sauteed, tasted good but everything else seemed to be haphazardly thrown into place. At least there was plenty of avocado!

Corn fritters

Things didn’t improve much when my corn fritters ($16) arrived. The grilled tomato and avocado made suitable sides and the fritters had a light, fluffy consistency but they tasted quite bland. I found myself sampling other people’s plates more than my own.

So even though the food options are reasonably basic, there’s nothing outstanding about the way that the dishes are prepared. The interior design of Bay Ten Espresso and the atmosphere are quite inviting but there wasn’t anything that encouraged me to eagerly return.

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