Money talks at Abbotsford's new power cafe

I'll be the first to admit that food writers use the term "shiny" too frequently but this time I actually mean it. AU79, the Abbotsford power-cafe/bakery/coffee roaster that's named for the symbol and atomic number of gold, is a prime example of what you can accomplish by throwing money around.

General manager Robin Shepherd won't say how much the hospitality-focused CCC Group spent on hand-crafted Italian furniture, brass floor trim and a couple hundred indoor plants, which give the former garage a zen-vibe, despite its size. But he hints that it's a substantial amount that runs into millions.

There are 200 seats across three dining rooms (we've a soft spot for the pastel-green New York bistro-style booths) and at weekends roughly 800 people wait up to an hour for a table. With this many bodies in the house it makes sense to have coffee stations at either end, both equipped with custom-built Black Eagle espresso machines, batch brew made hourly, V60 and cold brew.

They roast about 400 kilograms of beans a week on site (currently from Rwanda and Colombia) for AU79 and sister venues that include Addict, Liar Liar, St Edmonds and Sir Charles.

Keeping with the bigger-is-better theme, there are two head chefs. Eddie Noble and Ryan Lynch share that distinction, both brought over from other CCC Group venues to knock up a modern Melbourne brunch menu.

Never say no to breakfast croquettes is my motto. I was hoping their smoked bonito version would be of the bechamel variety. Instead, these have a potato base with a jet-black panko and activated charcoal crumb, more for visual impact than a health effect.

They were on the dry side, more like a fish cake, but it's not too serious if you mix it all together with the accompanying poached egg, pickled red cabbage, char-grilled corn and avocado.

The Korean vegie benedict proves two points. One: breakfast can be a complete meal without bacon; two: gochujang (Korean chilli paste) makes everything taste better – especially hollandaise. Add to the equation meaty whole portobello mushrooms and fermented wombok and you have a winner.