L’Americano Espresso Bar

There's much more than coffee at this new Alexandria café. By Freya Herring It’s not every day that a great café opens up in a homewares store, but that day has come, and it’s at Coco Republic in Alexandria. You don’t need to be in the market for a fancy ottoman: just a terrific lunch.

L’Americano Espresso Bar is a misleading name for a café offering such great food, but then maybe it’s a better-kept secret that way (all the more for you and me). Order the provolone tostato (Italian toasted sandwich) with proscuitto and sweet and sour onions. Its centre is melty and rich, with a crisp, buttery exterior that only comes from some quality time in a fry pan. The finocchiona salami, tomato and mozzarella tostado is good, too: heady with fennel, it melts onto the plate. Go on, order one, they’re only tiny.

There’s crostini too – the Thorough Bread-made slices are fresh and toasted, not dry and stale like many others. Try the braised capsicum crostini with pancetta and burrata, a bargain at only $7 and it would do for a light lunch. Skipping bread? Then the poached eggs with avocado, feta, tomato and basil is for you. They’re generous with the avo, which is mashed and seasoned to a tee (and bread is an optional extra if you feel like amping up the carbs).

The signature salad is like the chop salad of your dreams – with such a variety of ingredients tossed together, every mouthful is a surprise. On the day we visited, there were ripe, juicy figs in there along with ultra-smoky fried pancetta, pecorino, finely sliced fennel and bitter radicchio, tonnes of herbs, walnuts and sweet cherry tomatoes.

The provolone tostato is melty and rich

The interior is as chic as Coco Republic would demand, with an Italian Riviera theme running throughout: miniature boats line one wall and decorative rope, white marble and darkly stained timber feature extensively. The coffee is good too, and it’s offered to you as soon as you come in. It’s toasty and clean tasting, and not overly caramelly. Come for the coffee as the name intends – but you’ll be staying for the food.

L’Americano Espresso Bar 34 O'Riordan St, Alexandria 2015. 0475 838 106. lamericano.com.au. Mon-Sat 7.30am3pm; Sun 9am-3pm.