Located next to a school sits a little cafe on the corner called Darling St Espresso. There’s ample of parking so you shouldn’t fret if you drop by here. Outside it looks quite ordinary but inside it’s real cosy with friendly staff. Walking in we could smell freshly made coffee and it smells so damn good.

Mr D started his morning with a latte AND his eyes lit up as he drank his coffee. It was smooth, it was creamy, it was rich, it made him sigh as he took a sip. Definitely serves up great coffee.

Latte – $4

I needed a pick me up and got the immune booster which was a juice with orange, carrot, lemon, ginger and tumeric. I’m not a fan of ginger BUT this was so yummy. It was so refreshing and oh saaaah good.

Immune Booster – $8.50
Orange, Carrot, Lemon, Ginger, Tumeric

Mr D got the buttermilk chicken burger and it was quite a decent size. The buttermilk chicken breast was juicy and so delish. The cucumber slaw was refreshing. The shoestring fries were crunchy and needed a touch more seasoning. One thing about the burger though, it had sticky chili sauce and it was very overpowering which is a shame because the burger was good. Perhaps if the sauce was placed on the side and we could adjust how much we wanted in the burger, it would be great.

Buttermilk Chicken Burger – $22
24 Hour marinated buttermilk chicken breast, cucumer slaw, sticky chili sauce, chipotle mayo, old bay shoestring fries

Since moving out I always try get fish when we go out and it was no exception here. I got the confit salmon with poached eggs, dill labne and rosemary roesti. Holy moly it was TOTES AMAZEBALLS! The salmon, the roesti and I love the dill labne. The poached egg was cooked perfectly where the yolk oozed out. The one thing I wasn’t a fan of was the pesto. It was way too strong for the dish but other than that, I love this dish.

Salmon – $22
Beetroot and horseradish confit salmon, poached eggs, pepito pesto, dill labne, orange and fennel salad, rosemary roesti

We got the mandarin waffle to end our brunch date and it was so photogenic when it came out. It screamed “EAT ME”! So we got our forks ready and dug in. The waffle itself wasn’t crispy and the lemon cream cheese was very lemony, even for me. The passionfruit curd was way too citrusy. The peanut praline though, Mr D went to town on that and smashed it.

Mandarin Waffle – $21
Passionfruit curd, poached fruits, chocolate fairy floss, peanut praline, lemon cream cheese, palm sugar syrup

With friendly staff, great coffee and juice and awesome salmon, this place is quite popular with the locals and we can see why. Do come early if you want a seat because it does get busy and in this winter, you’d want to get a seat asap.

Disclaimer: I was invited to dine by Darling Street Espresso and Feed Blog Spot and all opinions expressed are my own.

Verdict: 🍷🍷🍷
Food: 🍷🍷🍷
Service: 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Value: 🍷🍷🍷

146 Athol St, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
Tel: (03) 9326 2212
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