FOOD / NEWCASTLE : GROUND FLOOR CAFE

Years ago, when we were in high school, we always used to come to Hunter Street and order a round of Voltages from Gloria Jeans. We really did try our hardest not to get heart palpitations from the particles of crushed up coffee beans within the drink which increased the caffeine content to the nth degree. The place which has made all those happy memories resurface is Ground Floor cafe, which has brought the skeleton of what was once Gloria Jeans back to life.

The beautiful tables made from antique doors, the upright piano shadowed by an overhanging manuscript of one of Bach's Three Piece Inventions (one of my favourites to play), the coffee prayer and e=mc2 chalked onto the board are all homely touches which makes this place inviting and intriguing, making you feel like you belong and that you're welcome to stay as long as you want.

The special on the board today was the Brioche French Toast with lemon Mascarpone, Nutella, fresh fruit and Turkish fairy floss with an added side of maple bacon.. because any meal can become perfect with the addition of bacon lol. The bread was very light and not overly sweet so the combination of the fairy floss with the maple covered bacon and Nutella was just the right balance of sweet and savory for breakfast. One of the corners that was covered in Nutella was a bit on the burnt side but the rest of it was nicely golden brown. There were lines of chia seeds underneath all of the sugary goodness that made me feel like they were trying to make it feel as though you could pass it off as a "healthy" start to the day. "Oh I had Chia for breakfast today... that was covered in Nutella, Maple Syrup, Bacon, Fairy Floss... oh and fruit! I'll only have to go to bootcamp twice this week because I've been so good.. :S".

The other meal we tried was the Acai bowl with toasted muesli and banana. It has been told that the Ground Floor Cafe holds the reputation of having one of the best "bowls" in Newcastle and it did not disappoint. It was refreshing, crunchy, and the textures complimented each other well. It's no wonder why there was a never ending stream of fluttering people in and out of the building. I'll definitely have to go back again in order to work my way through the menu and discover what other gems they have to offer.

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