A popular meeting spot for tech and creative types (but not that easy to find, due to its understated signage), barista champion Colin Harmon's 3fe is famous for the quality of its coffee offering and, for most people, the coffee experience is the big draw.
A casual, industrial-style interior sports a youthful mix of communal tables with high stools and smaller tables with chairs - and the coffee is consistently excellent, with a daily choice of three different coffees from a rotating selection.
A no-booking daytime-only operation (for the time being at least), 3fe serves breakfast and offers a short lunch menu with a daily special, soup and sandwich combinations, and home-bakes. Expect rustic-casual fare with robust flavours, delivered with flair.
Highlights include some good vegetarian dishes - the daily special could be a root vegetable and lentil pie (with lovely pastry), served with raita, dukkah, apricot chutney and a salad of blood orange with roasted heirloom carrots and chicory - and 3fe stocks very good doughnuts from Patrick Ryan’s Revolution Bakery.
Service can be a bit too casual, in our experience, and the ordering system can be overhwelming for first-time visitors; there is no queuing system and no way of knowing that you have to find a table and order from the counter simultaneously, which would be tricky for solo visitors at busy times. But forewarned is forearmed and the old hands take it all in their stride.
The weekend brunch gets very busy, so arrive early if you don't fancy waiting around for a table.
