I’ve got a simple, sure fire real estate tip for you. Buy in an area that I used to live in 5 years ago. I lived in Northcote in the 80s, and Brunswick in the 90s, and both times, shortly after I moved on gentrification set in and house prices skyrocketed.
Wide Open Road is located on the very same street that I used to live in the early noughties, although back then it was a NQR supermarket, and the nearest decent cafe was in Fitzroy.
It’s run by a couple of the pioneers of the Brunswick cafe scene, so it’s no surprise that it ticks certain boxes. Tasteful interior – check; well made coffee – check; friendly service – check; good food – check; house-roasted coffee; reclaimed timber furniture – check; single-speed bikes parked out front – check.
Nice filling, shame about the 'bread'
The menu is somewhat limited, and features some smaller offerings, such as the BLT. It’s only $6, which is a fair price, even given its diminutive size.
The mayonnaise they use is particularly good, although I was less impressed by the pide bread used. I’m not overly fond of pide at the best of times, but this was also a bit stale. I’d much prefer the casa linga used at Babka for their sensational BLTs.
My coffee looked terrible, the overly dark crema a tell-tale sign of over extraction. Surprisingly though, it tasted very good, so no complaints there.
274 Barkly St
Brunswick
phone: 9387 6079
Update (02/04/11): The price of the BLT has increased to $8, without an increase in size, which takes it into rip-off territory. The coffee was great today though.