“It’s early days for this community hub at Kingsborough Village, but its reputation is growing quickly,” writes dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.

THE highly popular Eighty/Twenty in Braddon has branched out with a second café in the innovative Kingsborough Village, Kingston.

Just across from the increasingly popular Warehouse Roast Tap Brew, Eighty/Twenty has only a few seats indoors (around 10) but plenty outdoors in the communal courtyards, with tables surrounded by flowering plants, citrus trees, lawn area and other greenery. There’s a real community vibe to this “urban village”, which suits Eighty/Twenty’s personality to a tee. 

It was lunch and a gorgeous spring day for sitting outside.

Eighty/Twenty’s menu features all-day meals, snacks, salads, Acai bowls and more. To be honest, it was a tough pick. The menu is impressively extensive for a small cafe, but the two of us got there in the end. 

My friend opted for the vegan burrito bowl, which arrived bursting with colour and flavour ($23). The chipotle beans were beautifully spicy and the dish loaded with other healthy ingredients, including mushroom, cauliflower hummus, spinach, brown rice (great fibre!), salsa and a nest of taco pickle. We feast with the eyes, and the greens, reds, pinks and oranges in the dish were tantalising.

I was in for lamb (it’s spring!) and the chermoula-pulled lamb dish was just as packed with yum ingredients as the vegan burrito bowl ($24). I adore a great chermoula and this version had lovely flavours. Eighty/Twenty is into healthy food and this dish was no exception – pumpkin, quinoa, cherry tomato, hummus, pine nuts and sweet currants.

The lamb was tender, and the combination of other ingredients worked incredibly well together. I gave it a good go but couldn’t finish the generous serve (Eighty/Twenty offers good value for its dishes).

Also on the all-day menu is a vegan buckwheat waffle ($19), green nourish bowl with a whopping 10 ingredients ($19), scrambled green eggs with beans ($19), a risotto ($19), a grilled lime fish ($29) and some chicken dishes. If you’re into something smaller, Eighty/Twenty has a large range of breads available for toasting, which can be enjoyed with just butter, or peanut butter, house-made jam or honey ($8). 

The range of smoothies is also extensive (all $9.90) and the hot-drink range includes your regular suite of coffees, a Belgian hot chocolate, Prana sticky chai, 100 per cent matcha/turmeric latte and a range of organic teas. As we ate, we could see people stopping to order takeaway at Eighty/Twenty. It will serve the area well.

It’s early days for this community hub at Kingsborough, but its reputation is growing quickly. The area is an easy walk from the Foreshore and old Kingston and there’s a fair amount of parking around the place.

At Eighty/Twenty you order at the counter and are served at your table.