If Bedford Street was a twenty-something bacon and waffles-loving slacker who liked to drink and talk deep into the night, then Terror Twilight, the new café on the old Bedford site, is the more sensible older brother who gets heady on his home-brewed kombucha and early-morning yoga sessions.
The addition to Collingwood’s breakfast rotation is courtesy of the gang who brought us Wide Open Road and Heartattack and Vine, and they’re all about championing the healthy stuff – think three-grain porridge, Brussels sprout fritters and pikelets with coconut yoghurt. They also supply nifty broth and grain bowls that let you curate your own meal from a list of gut-friendly, immunity-boosting superfoods.
The broth bowl is an enticing cooler-weather meal. The culture-crossing chicken, thyme and star anise broth is a bold flavour base (vegetarians can opt for shiitake and kombu broth) to which we add fiery house-made carrot and cabbage kimchi, cubes of crisp tempura eggplant and a fillet of blushing-pink salmon. By the time your soup spoon scrapes the bottom of the bowl, your gut microbiome will be doing high kicks for joy.
A chicken sandwich sounds pedestrian but here thick-cut sourdough grain bread is spread with a lemony mayonnaise, layered with lean chicken breast punctuated with sweet and savoury prune-and-bacon stuffing for density. Frilly lettuce lightens the weight and shavings of roasted sweet potato are both the garnish and the final touch for what is essentially a roast-dinner-in-sandwich-form.
Their coffees – espresso (blends and single origin) and filter – are a stimulus package for your nervous system, and there’s the option of a $2 supplement containing Alpha GPC, L-theanine, taurine and MCT Oil to your chocolately-smooth filter coffee. Cold press juices, smoothies, herbal teas and kombucha round out the drinks menu.
If you accept that what’s bad for the bod can be good for the soul, the big, buttery peanut butter cookie studded with white chocolate chips delivers a deeply spiritual experience, while the bliss ball earns its name – a bauble nutty with bashed pistachios and sweet with cranberries.
Considering the genre of food here, you might be expecting a pastel colour scheme and framed affirmations. Instead, TT’s décor is refreshingly downbeat. True to its northside location you’ve got terracotta-brown floor tiles, wood panelling and concrete walls that conjure a grungy vibe; however, long windows, interior arches and good spacing ensure things never get gloomy.
Thoughtful and efficient staff work the floor, and among the clientele there’s not a pink lycra legging in sight – just a bunch of 30-somethings keen to eat well without all the #fitspo nonsense. Whether your body’s a temple or a den of sin, it pays to fuel it properly. And Terror Twilight makes doing so a pleasure to be savoured not a horror to be endured.
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Time Out Awards
Time Out Awards2017Best Café