Laneway Cafe – Devonport
The next few posts will focus on the culinary experiences on the little trip we took to Tasmania recently with good friends Rambunctuous R and Talkative Techie T – we headed over for a few days and took in the sights from Devonport to Launceston and through to Bicheno.
The Spirit of Tasmania was due to arrive in Devonport at 6:00am!! 6:00am!! Goodness me… surely our first stop would be breakfast. I checked out the ever trusty Urbanspoon to see what my options were. I have to confess – I didn’t have the fondest memories of my last breakfast in Devonport a few years ago. Searching… searching…
The foodie cataglog presented me with Laneway Café – it sounds too Melbourne to be true! It had 100% likes on Urbanspoon (8 votes – but let’s not quibble). There was only one downside – it opened at 7:30am. As it happened – it took 30-40 minutes to actually get off the ship and go through quarantine. So, with that and a little walk around the block, we could see that they opened their doors, so we eagerly popped in and grabbed a table for breakfast.
First up – coffee. The coffee is good. They use a brand I’ve never heard of: Bristot. It was good – and very welcome after a Bass Strait crossing.
Next up, breakfast. There were ricotta pancakes on the menu – so my choice was made. Rambunctuous R was up for them as well. The interesting thing about the ricotta pancakes was that the ricotta was not actually in the pancakes (that we could tell anyway) – but rather on top. This meant that the pancakes were a bit more middle of the road than they could have been. However, full points for the triple topping of lemon curd, ricotta, and blueberry compote. It was a great combo that saved the dish.
Andrew ordered his regular poached eggs and bacon on toast – alas the eggs were overcooked. So, while it was a functional breakfast, he wasn’t raving about it.
One thing I can rave about, however, is the setting and the ambience. This is a great little café in Devonport – it has a really funky vibe, and the morning we were there – it was the pit stop for a bunch of cyclists (who tend to go for the best coffee in town – so they were a good reference point). The cafe also sold a lot of Tasmanian produce and quality dry goods – doubling as a bit of a providore. Including sausages and cured meats in the deli counter!
I love the little finishing touches they have made around the place, the great hanging lampshades, and the quirky features all over the place. Overall, Laneway Café is worth a stop if you’re in Devonport – it certainly was one of the best cafés we experienced on our jaunt around the island state.
Wow it looks beautiful there! And the food…yum!
Hi Rachelynne, It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area! Great coffee! Cheers, Helen.
Laneway is owned by a lovely guy by the name of Alex who was the barrista at Pantry which Ted and I frequent Helen. Small world!