Gather

Occupying a sunny corner in Braddon, Gather is a colourful player in Canberra’s cafe scene, with pale pink walls and trailing greenery that speak to the healthy, seasonal dishes on the menu.

A Waldorf salad-inspired avo toast is a lighter brunch option, topped with verjus grapes, slices of apple, toasted walnuts and a poached egg. Hungrier? Go for something like the Mt Kosciusko trout hash brown, a dark-golden tower of crisp potato served with flaked smoked trout and a poached egg.

An international approach to cafe food sees dishes such as okonomiyaki (a savoury Japanese pancake) hit the menu, to which you can add haloumi and bacon for a salty punch. Likewise, the mushroom and black garlic banh mi is a fun twist on the Vietnamese street food, with a mushroom and black garlic pate, pickled carrots, puffed tofu and herbs stuffed into a trad white roll.

Co-owner William Fisher was selling kombucha long before he opened Gather, so naturally there are seasonal flavours on tap, including a tropical combo of apple, blueberry, mango and passionfruit. Coffee, smoothies, cold-pressed juices and a tight selection of booze (wine, beer and cocktail carafes) fill out the drinks offering.

Waiting for a cafe table on a Saturday is a given, but the weekday trade at Gather is just as busy. Luckily, there’s a selection of sandwiches and wraps in the fridge ready to takeaway. Gluten-free treats from Munja Bakehouse in Sydney make for a healthy snack on the run.