Saluna

JaTo on Saluna,

Saluna is at 137 King St, Newcastle.

On COFFEE

To got there early and got herself a soy piccolo, which she particularity enjoyed. I ordered a cappuccino which was beautiful. It was strong and smooth, the more I drank the more I enjoyed it. Can't say much more it was really nice coffee. Great coffee deserves a great rating of a solid 8/10 for coffee.


On FOOD
As I am sure you are all aware my reviews are just a snapshot in time. We did wait a long time for food (roughly 45min) which was disappointing. When the food came out they were on really cool retro stone like plates. To got the half serve Saluna benedict on poppyseed bagel which she very much enjoyed. I got the hash brown with poaches eggs on tomato kasundi and added sourdough bread. I was a little disappointed it didn't already come with bread, however that is a personal preference. I really loved the hashbrown, it was big and had a unique flavour which I really loved. Other brunch/ breakfast options from Saluna include: poppyseed bagel, bircher museil, roasted mushroom on toasted ciabatta with goats cheese, big breakkie and more, not to mention the specials menu!! Lots of awesome options for your weekend brunch/ breakfast! Food rating is a good 7/10.

On ATMOSPHERE

I really enjoyed the retro feel of Saluna which had it's own hipster vibe about it. It has a really chilled vibe about it. Staff were lovely, extremely friendly which contributed to the welcoming relaxed feel about the place. There are different furniture from normal seating to funky stuffed potato sacks acting as cushions for you to sit on. Apart from how long breakfast took to come out this place ticked all my boxes on atmosphere. A great 4/5 rating for atmosphere.


BRUNCH BREAKDOWN
Overall we can easily say Saluna had great coffee, good food and that cool hipster vibe I love. Easily an all rounder, definitely a place to try out for your next brunch/ breakfast adventure in Newcastle. You can walk to the shops on King St and right around the corner check out the shops in the mall. Overall Saluna gets a good rating of 19/25.

Brunch on Newcastle,
Ja and Company xoxo.

Honey

JaTo on Honey

Honey is situated in the mall, 111 Hunter Street Newcastle. 
It is the shop where One Penny Black used to be.

On COFFEE
I got my usual cappuccino and it was a good cappuccino. It satisfied my snob standards for coffee. I was extremely happy with it, it was smooth and a good strength. To decided to go for a berry frappe and she really enjoyed it. It was nice to have a refreshing frappe in the morning sun in Newcastle's beautiful mall. Overall we rate the coffee 7/10, very good coffee.

On FOOD
Honey serves a brunch style menu with a few classics and some with added flare. I choose to go with something different: corn balls with mint cucumber yogurt and side of corn, cucumber and tomato. When I saw it I was wowed. Very well impressed with the presentation and how much was on the plate, also it was amazing. To got a very yummy breakfast bruschetta off the menu. Really nice and accommodating waitstaff. I couldn't help myself and got a small sweet for myself after brunch, an amazing friand! The raspberry friand was all heated up and it was amazing. We gave the food rating a solid 8/10.

On ATMOSPHERE
We really loved Honey's atmosphere. It was a beautiful autumn day, there's plenty of seating outside in the mall in the sun, was divine. As you may suspect honey is the theme of the cafe. The outside is painted to look like honeycomb. The beautiful fresh flowers on the table added to the sweet feel of the cafe, you feel happy to be there. The lovely waitstaff also contributed to this feeling. Easy rating of 5/5 for atmosphere for us.


BRUNCH BREAKDOWN
Honey is an all-rounder brunch spot right in the middle of the mall. It has good coffee, great brunch food and an amazing atmosphere. We recommend for your brunch needs to try Honey in the mall. Overall we give Honey a rating of 20/25.

Brunch on Newcastle,
Ja and Company xoxo.

The Locale

JaTo on The Locale,

The Locale is in New Lambton, 28 Alma Rd, can't miss it!

On COFFEE
I initially bought a cappuccino and To bought a piccolo. I hate to say it and maybe we were a once off but we had quite average coffee. This was disappointing, however the juice and smoothie we got afterwards made up for it!! To got the Cappuccino Smoothie and it was AMAZING! I got the Super Healthy juice, AMAZING. Even though this section rates coffee the other beverages bumped up our coffee rating for The Locale to 7/10.

On FOOD
The Locale had a really great diverse breakfast and brunch menu. We were pretty hungry so we got our food we were really happy. It was big and looked delicious, and oh it was! I got the Shakshouka: eggs poaches in sauce of tomato with a hint of chilli with sourdough on the side, DELISH! To got a breakfast platter, nice assortment of food with sourdough. When we went to pay we also say a sizable cabinet with delicious looking small sweets. A must try later! Overall easy 9/10 for food.

On ATMOSPHERE

The Locale had it own hipster feel to it. It had a funky antique shop turned cafe vibe. A mixture of high tables, casual seating out the front and tables and chairs. Sitting outside you got to soak in the Autumn sun, or if you needed some shade you could sit under cover. We really enjoyed The Locale's style. We rate their atmosphere 5/5.

BRUNCH BREAKDOWN

Overall we highly recommend breakfast at The Locale. We are looking forward to going back there soon for their amazing juices, smoothies and their DELICIOUS breakfast. We enjoyed the whole vibe it had going on. Overall we give The Locale a rating of 21/25.

Brunch on Newcastle,

Ja and Company xoxo.

The Social

JaTo on The Social

The Social is in Newcastle West on 774 Hunter St

On COFFEE

I had high expectations for The Social's coffee, it being the 'sister cafe' to Sprocket near the mall on Hunter St. Great coffee, great coffee. To got her usual piccolo which had a lovely aroma, it was very smooth and strong. I got my usual cappuccino. It was a great coffee however mine was slightly weak for my liking. It is better to order a double shot cappuccino to really enjoy their amazing smooth coffee. Great coffee overall. We give an overall rating of 8/10.

On FOOD

The Social's morning menu is a good mixture of brunch and breakfast options. I got the tortilla with beef and chorizo. I did not want to stop eating when I was full. It was very big and very tasty. I must say one of the best breakfast burrito/ tortilla I have had in Newcastle. I definitely recommend this to everyone who loves a good breakfast burrito. To was quite boring with her brunch choice and got toast and Vegemite. She enjoyed it, nice bread good amount of Vegemite. Overall food was 9/10 easy. I can not wait to go try other breakfast options!

On ATMOSPHERE

From everywhere I have had brunch or breakfast I must say The Social had it's own unique feel about it. It successfully gives you a taste of hipstered Cuban flavour. Almost all the booth like tables with the 'bus seats' have dominoes. It had a really relaxed cool feel about the place. I recommend going for a chilled chat with a friend over dominoes or go for a casual coffee and something extra over the paper. Must give The Social's atmosphere a rating of 5/5 easy.

The BRUNCH BREAKDOWN

All in all the breakfast, the coffee and the atmosphere comes together beautifully. The Social's breakfast tortilla I am still drooling over; their smooth coffee aroma and unique atmosphere is a must go for Novocastrians who love to brunch. The Social's overall rating is a solid 22/25.

Brunch on Newcastle,

Ja and Company xoxo.