Espresso Bar Food

beangroundanddrunk

Folks,

Bottom line is I need a bit of help!

Never really been a 'foodie' type person... my passion is in the coffee, but I guess I have hit the realisation that I need to do some nice food items in the cafe to complement the coffee... unfortunately ham and cheese croissants and basic option sandwiches are just not cutting it!!

We dont have a full kitchen, but do have enough space to prep, toast, grill and microwave etc...

Anyone got any ideas on what we can rustle up quickly that goes down well for either breakfast or lunch. I guess I am looking for options that can be prep'd up in our quiet times and then just plated up when ordered...

cheers...

askthecoffeeguy

What area are you in? I'm in a similar position in that I don't have a kitchen, cool room. or any cooking facilities to speak of, so I get the majority of my stuff from a reputable supplier. "Heat and eat items" such as mini pizzas and fritatta are good, and you can dress them up with some salad for added value. I've seen a number of successful, high volume places, that have a cold cabinet full of oven bakes, wholemeal pizza and pastries, plus wheat free options, which they then heat and serve with salad. Wraps such as tuna and spinach are good, and sushi rolls, if you have the know how to make them, are hugely popular! Rice balls are another option, as are Vietnamese rice paper rolls, and making panini on Turkish bread is a smart way to dress up a tried and tested option. Lastly, if you have the space to do a good grilled chicken burger, beef burger, and a vege option, with plenty of salad in between, and dress it up with some good thin chips, you probably wont end up making much of anything else! Fresh juices are also an option for summer I'm Melbourne based, feel free to drop me a private line if you want any supplier recommendations in this area. Cheers, ACG

Unknown

There are so many things that you can do - dont over think it!! Simple but fresh, quality ingredients in a sandwich work really well. My espresso bar has no kitchen just a couple of grills and toasters but we hand make everything. Haloumi, Roast Pumkin, spinach and Rocket in a Toasted Wrap - Yum!! Italian Salami, Artichoke, Capsicum, Spinach toasted on Focaccia. You can't go past a BLT on yummy toasted multigrain bread with Avocado. Good Luck!

sketchy

Hi try the following www.helens-european-cuisine.com They have a great range and deliver all over australia . LE

Corretted

A good quality fruit toast will go a long way to pleasing many - simple to prepare also. Poached eggs are another easy to prepare simple food - as long as you have the time to do them. Yogurt with a little muesli sprinkled on top and fruit salads, and all of a sudden you have a breakfast menu!

chefrob

Hi Tamper Toast, Grill and Microwave - sounds like you don't have a flume, but that's not a problem. By Grill, I take it that you mean a Salamander (not the amphibian! although it is very tasty when filleted, roasted, then served with a lime and macadamia sambal), which is  gas powered - or alas, electric, which takes forever to heat up. Assuming that you have a Toaster, a Sandwich Press, a Salamander and a Microwave, here are a few quick ideas. I also assume that you don't have a flume, so all kitchen appliances must be smoke free. These ideas are what you can make yourself, not what you can buy in. You can easily expand these ideas with bought Cookies and Cakes. After making many assumptions, I've  kept these ideas easy. If you employed a Chef, then you'll have access to many great ideas. As Cafes open in the morning, a Breakfast menu is a good place to start - Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Yoghurt and Toasted Slivered Almonds Toasted Museli with Honey Yoghurt Thick Cut Fruit Toast with Cinnamon Sugar (buy Restaurant Loaves - unsliced) Classic Ham, Cheese and Tomato Omellete with Spring Onions (buy 3 Omellete Makers and you are only limited by your imagination) Smoked Salmon, Pecorino Cheese and Caper Omellete Not Just Toast - a selection of Breads, White, Wholegrain and Rye with Butter and Spreads Baked Beans or Spaghetti on Toast ( you will be surprised how popular this may be) Tex-Mex Crossiant - Guacomale with Sweet Chilli Chicken and Cheese, then Grilled to Perfection Savoury French Toast with Bacon and Avocado - (you can cook this in an open Sandwich Press) Sweet French Toast with Fresh Fruit Salad Pancake Tower with Fresh Banana, Butterscotch Sauce and Icecream Pancake Tower with Fresh Fruit, Honey Yoghurt and Toasted Almonds Scambled Eggs on Toast Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs on Toast Curried Prawn Scambled Eggs on Toast Anywho, these are just a few breakfast ideas, I don't know your clientele or location. Drop me a line if your interested in exanding on these quick thoughts. thanks for me, Rob