Campos is the blend of choice for this little café, which could easily be an espresso bar in Rome – if you focus squarely on the counter filled with ricotta cannoli and Nutella-filled bomboloni doughnuts and appreciate their deft hand with the espresso machine. Breakfast pulls a crowd here, and the folks at Vesbar are mad on panini.
The Italian breakfast roll is pretty simple with two poached eggs, a slice or two of San Danielle prosciutto and a vinegary tomato chutney. The Florentine panino is also a winner with creamy hollandaise squiggled over a fried egg, crisp bacon and spinach.
We must admit though, the panini are pretty carb-heavy. The list of bruschetta, especially the smoked Norwegian salmon, ricotta, avocado and cherry tomato option, are all eggless, a little lighter and terrific value.
Check out the Mediterranean breakfast board, as well: two poached eggs with tangy natural yogurt, Persian feta, olives, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers both with a heavy (and we mean heavy) dusting of dried Mediterranean herbs is refreshing in its crispness and sourness. It’s the standard breakfast plate in Turkey and Greece and a nice change to find a similar offering here.
The espresso machine backs onto an open window, which looks out over the collection of tables dotted about on the pavement. Inside the walls are pinned with coffee-bean sacks. Don’t try to resist the giant doughnuts, they’re only $4 and are the perfect espresso partner. It’s probably best to buy a second for the ride home, just in case.