Coffee Mill

Coffee Mill
Shop 1, 225 Wickham Tce, Brisbane City



Coffee Mill is located right behind our school. Literally. We just have to pop out the back entrance, climb a small hill and hey presto, there it is. This makes it ideal for those days where we're running late in clinic and need lunch to be quick yet satisfying.

I've noticed that the term 'cafe' can have several meanings. There are places that have elaborate sit-down menus and are called 'cafes' because they are small, open for lunch and serve coffee. There is also the odd restaurant that calls itself a cafe and I'm not really sure why (for example, Ottoman Cafe). Finally, there are these types of cafes that predominantly serve coffee but also have light meal options available - perfect for the working (or studying) individual on their limited lunch break.


Cool Beans is one such place... Coffee Mill is another. We usually order healthy items for lunch so that means sandwiches, wraps and so on. Coffee Mill has a customizable sandwich bar. This is appealing to most people but it means panic for me because I'm so indecisive and never know what to put in my sandwich.

One time at a customizable salad bar, I got so carried away I ended up with such incompatible salad ingredients as: anchovies, feta cheese, corn, beetroot, peas, roast pumpkin and avocado all tossed in a Thai soy dressing that did nothing for bringing the flavors together. Absolute disaster.

After that incident, I've learnt to keep it simple. On this occasion at Coffee Mill, I chose an egg salad sandwich with basic salad ingredients. One friend ordered a ham sandwich and hot lamb pie. Another went for a turkey wrap and cheesecake slice.

By the way, there are also pre-made sandwiches and wraps if you're REALLY struggling.

The sandwiches don't take long to come out. When they do, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the presentation - they even cut off the crust for you. I thought the price was very reasonable and recalled that my sandwich was cheaper than pre-made sandwiches elsewhere. However, the friend with the ham sandwich was not happy with the price of his - which was $1-$2 more than mine. Weird... I guess it depends on what meat/add-ins you choose. I didn't ask.

Egg salad sandwich on multi-grain bread

I thought my sandwich was very tasty. It's probably the kind of thing you can make at home, if you want to buy all the ingredients and put in the effort. The problem for me with making sandwiches at home is that I'll be eating the same type every day of the week, to the point that I never want to see ham/beef/enter-name-of-chosen-meat ever again for the rest of my life. If I try to spice things up by buying two different types of sandwich fillers, they're likely to go off before I'm done with them. Ah the perils of grocery shopping when you only have 1-2 mouths to feed, and also like eating out.

Ham and salad sandwich on multi-grain bread

This is why I like buying sandwiches out. It's really the convenience and variety I'm after, not something that's mind-blowing.

Turkey and cranberry wrap

The turkey wrap looked good and on my next visit to Coffee Mill, I actually tried it for myself. Turkey and cranberry is always a good match and very guilt-free.

Hot lamb pie

I thought the lamb pie was adorable. Funnily enough, we went to a different cafe a few days later (Sam's Cafe) and I saw the same pie there so I seriously doubt it was made on the premises. Nonetheless, my friend wolfed it down so I'm sure it was delicious.

Light new york cheesecake slice

The cheesecake slice was amazing. Granted, I only tried a tiny bit but I've actually wanted to go back to Coffee Mill just to order the cheesecake. It got me into a cheesecake frenzy and I found myself ordering Charlie to buy me cheesecake and wailing 'no! That one isn't thick enough! I want more basic...' to everything that wasn't an exact match. I can not believe it is labeled 'light'. Wow. I will report back to this post once I have a whole slice to myself and see if it lives up to my expectations.

Coffee Mill is another stop in my circuit of lunch options. I guess I'm pretty lucky to go to uni in the city.