The Copper Mill

Alexandria seems to be the new hotspot for cafes, home to places like The Grounds, Bread and Circus, I introduce to you a hidden gem after the name of The Copper Mill. Tucked among residential apartments and industrial buildings, The Copper Mill has quite a large and open space with a large communal table to the right of the entrance and smaller tables behind it. I feel that this large space could have been utilised a little bit better. We arrived just before 10am and the place was already full of people and the only seats available was the bench seats in front of the coffee machines. The bench seats were extremely uncomfortable but it did fit very well with the rustic decor.

The biggest disappointment of the experience at The Copper Mill was the long wait for our food. I think we waited around 20-30 minutes for our food, even though it was full of people I noticed they already had their food, so I'm not too sure what was the problem that caused the long wait. Since we were seated looking directly at the kitchen, I noticed when our dishes were ready they were sitting on the counter for a good 5-10 minutes before being brought to us. But hey it is all about the food...can they redeem themselves?

My friend and I were extremely hungry and we decided quite quickly, which is a first, we ended up ordering a bacon and egg roll, we actually wanted the peruvian version of the bacon and egg roll but obviously the waiter did not hear us. We also ordered the portobello mushies, which tasted absolutely amazing- I have never eaten such tasty mushrooms before!

Bacon & Egg Roll | Smoked bacon, sunnyside egg, capsicum relish w/ gruyere | $9.50

As mentioned before, this was not the version of bacon and egg roll that we ordered but since we were too hungry we decided not to tell them. This bacon and egg roll had a different twist from the classic bacon and egg roll, this is due to the capsicum relish and gruyere. The capsicum relish gave the roll a nice kick and complimented very well with the bacon and sunnyside egg. However, the gruyere was a little bit overpowering and it was clumped all onto one side of the roll because my friend said she couldn't even taste it in the side of the roll that she got but I got a whole mouthful of it!

Portobello mushies | Pear barley, poached egg, kale, sheep's fetta | $14

The portobello mushies has got to be one of the best mushroom/ vegetarian dishes I have ever eaten! The pearl barley, which took my friend and I awhile to identify, had a nice acidic taste to it which lifted up the flavor of the mushroom and kale. The poached egg was cooked to perfection, it oozed nicely over the dish.
Overall, the experience at The Copper Mill had its pros and cons, I have read that it is a fairly new cafe so I think they are still finding their ground but basic things like cooking and waiting time was very disappointing. However, the food was pretty on point so I was very pleased with that. It was a pleasant experience, in terms of food, but nothing spectacular that would make me want to go back.

Any dishes that wowed you at The Copper Mill? Let me know!

Happy eating x
Disclaimer: This review is only my personal opinion and experience of/at the restaurant, this review is not intended to damage the reputation of the restaurant.