It's a sunny day and Speers Point Park is at its picturesque best. The lake is sparkling and the hum of chatting diners can be heard. Table 1 Espresso is open for business.
Owner George James quietly opened the cafe next to the park's popular playground earlier this year. He had to make sure it met his standards first. It had to tick every box.
"We have very high expectations when it comes to our customer service - it's what we're known for," he says.
James opened the first Table 1 Espresso on City Road, Merewether, in 2015, and the second at Warners Bay in 2017. Table 1 Espresso was named cafe of the year at the Hunter Local Business Awards for five consecutive years (2015 to 2020) and has won two Australian Small Business Awards (most outstanding new business in 2016, and most outstanding cafe in 2020).
Hospitality "is in our family DNA", James told the Newcastle Herald in 2016. He was raised working in kitchens of the cafes and restaurants his parents owned and was "taught the ropes from a very young age".
Table 1's signature yellow roses have followed James to the new cafe and take pride of place on every table. He and partner Samantha Windle are greeting diners as they arrive, stopping by tables for a laugh and a chat. Customer service is their bread and butter. Their mission is to make everyone who walks in the door feel special.
"Warners Bay attracts a slightly different demographic when it comes to customers. It's more fast-paced. People are on the move and there is a lot of hustle and bustle. They go there for the vibe," Windle says.
"At Speers Point we see lots of parents; mums with prams. It's more relaxed and people are happy to kick back. The kids can have a run around the park, and of course the playground is right next to us which is fully fenced.
"There's always so much going on at the park and it is so well maintained."
There is a takeaway window at the rear of the cafe facing the playground, and that offering has been crafted with children (and their parents) in mind.
The showstoppers remain on the menu - the jaw-dropping decadence of the brightly coloured, multi-layered waffles and pancakes - as well as all-day breakfast options, burgers and wraps, milkshakes and salads. You can just as easily order a T1 Superbowl (kale, avocado, quinoa, sweet potato mash, asparagus, haloumi and two poached eggs served with toasted sourdough) as you can a Mars Bar Pancake/Waffle (Mars Bar, strawberries or banana, ice-cream, cream and your choice of maple syrup or butterscotch sauce). There's no judgment here.
Lunch is international in flavour, with everything from The American Burger with Ranch Chips to a Moroccan Chicken Salad, a Greek Wrap with Feta Fries, a Tokyo Stir Fry and a Thai Beef Salad.
James is thrilled to have Avi Tanglao in charge of the kitchen at Speers Point.
"Avi was with me at Merewether. He has been part of the Table 1 journey from the beginning," James says.
"I saw how good he was and encouraged him to spread his wings and go overseas. He came back with all sorts of new ideas, a lot of them plant-based, which is great for us. It's added depth to the menu."
Avi has indeed put his stamp on the menu at Table 1 Espresso Speers Point. There are changes, some subtle, some more pronounced. For example, the eggs benedict isn't served with an overcooked (or undercooked) rasher of bacon or two. The bacon is instead thinly sliced and softly roasted before being piled onto the plate. It's very tasty.
Other dishes have noticeably different side salads - rather than a mere token garnish there are sprouts and raw nuts and pomegranate seeds.
"Everything has to look perfect. People are constantly taking photos of meals," Windle says as she watches James carefully arrange dishes on a table to be photographed. He moves the cutlery and napkins, steps back to examine his work, and then moves them again, making a quip about being a perfectionist "just like my Dad".
In 2015 Table 1 Espresso had about 18,000 fans on Facebook and about 3500 followers on Instagram. The cafe now has close to 53,000 followers on Instagram alone - but who's counting?
James is.
It's a pivotal part of his business strategy.
In 2019 he credited Table 1 Espresso with "basically creating the social media food scene" in Newcastle. Style and substance combine seamlessly at Speers Point, and I wonder where Table 1 Espresso will branch out to next.
