Brighton.

a beautiful seaside suburb where there are plenty of eateries, a great view on offer and relaxing vibe. home to some of my favourite places like Copenhagen Icecream and The Edge cafe, it’s been a while since a new place popped up.

until Juniper & Pine moved in.

Juniper and Pine is a trendy new cafe with clean lines and copper tones. the mood is bright, the interior is fresh and you will no doubt be in awe over the exquisite wooden pendant lights. to match the uplifting interior were some extra friendly staff who on this occasion quickly seated us by a window where we could take it all in.

there is plenty of seating at this cafe with room for prams and big groups. the menu is also very adaptable, with options for everyone including vegos and those with gluten intolerances. as I waited for my dirty chai (a little bit spicy but a whole lot of delicious) I was caught becoming distracted the paintings on the walls and the posys that sat on each table.

the menu here is long enough to have all your bases covered. for those who have a sweet tooth then your in for a treat- you will want to get your hands on the buttermilk pancakes with toppings such as lemon curd, torched meringue, raspberry coulis and cream as well as pan fried banana, salted caramel, walnut and vanilla bean icecream.

for those who are more savoury inclined then the possibilities are endless. if your after more of a breakfast then look no further than the “breakfast burger”- highly recommended by friends of mine. they also have other options such as eggs on toast, big breakfasts and a old time favourite bacon & eggs. if your more of a lunch kinda person then your also spoilt for choice with an array of salads and burgers, with the inclusions of stews and pastas.

if your after a drink with your meal then there is plenty of options in terms of alcohol (wines, beers, cider and spirits) as well as a range of coffee, tea, kombucha and smoothies.

I was feeling lunchy so I chose the Lemongrass Chicken salad ($18) with fresh asian herbs, pickled radish, bean sprouts, carrot, mesculin, cellophane noodles and peanut and lime dressing.
My other half is always down for breakfast so he chose The Vegan ($18)- rye toast, avocado with walnut dukkah and fresh herbs, mushrooms and spinach with house made baked beans.

the lemongrass chicken was packed full of flavour and took me back to backpacking through Vietnam. the flavours were authentic, the freshness of the herbs brought life to the dish and the crunch of the carrot and peanut dressing made for the perfect combination. the sauce on the salad was not to heavy and the chicken was cooked perfectly.  I am not one for cellophane noodles (the texture freaks me out) but these were thin and flavoured nicely by the sauce.

the vegan breakfast was large and got eaten rather quickly by the other half. the dukkah was a great touch to the ample amount of avo, the housemade beans were flavoursome in a rich sauce and the mushrooms were well cooked.

juniper and pine also has a cake cabinet that is stocked to brim full of tempting treats including cheesecake in a jar, jaffa cake and brownies to name a few. they have a permanent dessert menu in addition to the cake cabinet so you can go wild (i’m secretly eyeing off the Woodside ‘edith’ chevre with honeycomb and lavosh)

you can find Juniper & Pine at 2, 450 Brighton Road, Brighton. 
open 7 days for breakfast and lunch and thursday to sunday for dinner.