The Thousands

I was predisposed to like this place on name alone. Fernside, with all its references, ranks as my favourite moniker for the local hood. It’d also come recommended by a reader (hi Laura!) and a professional breakfaster (hi Wilfred!). Neither my inherent bias nor the recommendation were challenged: Fernside Coffee Shoppe has got stuff right.

This was pleasantly relieving, as I was a bit mopey about feeling obliged to keep shtum on a new place serving beer deeper in the hood. The vision for Fernside is coherent: appealingly retrograded typography decorates an uncluttered space, furnished in woods. Pillows lend some softness, crates topped with brushed concrete serve as tables. A few tables out front sit in shaded sun. Though many try, only sometimes does a place make hard surfaces feel warm, and Fernside is one.

The menu doesn’t deviate far from cafe standard (eggs, bacon, muesli). The bircher muesli is big and good, generous with the berries. The coffee is Campos, handled well – so the inherent claim in the business name is lived up to. And, as coffee edges towards US prices per cup, it’s nice to see a place keeping it near $3. The staff can’t go unmentioned: perfectly friendly without the stifling over-familiarity recent places have decided is the way to go.

I dreaded the name Fernside being taken by an ordinary business, and luckily it hasn’t been. When Cleveland St can seem impossible to ford – especially in a delicate state on a weekend morning - it’ll be a relief to have this south bank outpost.