Runaway Cafe

Did I spell that wrong?

Oops.

I meant Runway Cafe--simply the snazziest discount-clothing-and-home-furnishings-warehouse-based eatery in all of Canberra. Overlooking the runway at the airport. In Brand Depot of course.

We are not averse to a bit of bargain hunting, and when you have picked up an art deco coffee pot for $8 you feel like rewarding yourself with something sweet. The food court at the Depot is a little bit dismal really, but in the back corner is a well-presented little cafe/lounge with plush sofas, low tables and menus written on mirrors. This is where we gravitated on our last trip.

The service at the Runway is something like the flight attendant interfacing you might experience on a Virgin flight. The waiter we had was polished and dapper and trendy and very friendly--he grabbed our attention straight away and hit us with a barrage of banter. But he was also a bit cheeky and jocular. No serious Qantas-style silken smiles and mild-yet-authoritative manners at this coffee stop. In fine form, when Rachael asked if there was a minimum EFTPOS she was told, yes. There was.

On assurance that all the cakes were guaranteed not to put any weight on, we decided to indulge with a slice each alongside our standard mocha and chai. The cakes were delicious. But, in keeping with the budget theme, presented rather unfortunately alongside a drift of spray-can whipped faux cream dusted with cappucino chocolate powder. The waiter also seemed to have some trouble with his milk frother so ended up just pouring extra milk into our drinks straight from the carton in the fridge--it made for faster service, but kinda lukewarm coffee.

Faux cream and lukewarm coffee aside--Runway is worth it for the very real, very fiery personal service. Overall, we like it. We're going again sometime.

And calling it Runaway is not really fair at all. But it is cheeky and jocular.