C1 is now located inside the old Post Office building at the corner of High and Tuam Streets, sharing the building with another beloved Christchurch business, Alice in Videoland. Alice is a well respected video store, with a vast collection of good films world wide. Since its renovation, it now also houses a 38 seat cinema (Alice Cinematheque) showing art films.
Outside C1, there were plenty of tables for alfresco dining. Great for the sunny summer we have been having!
Inside the cafe, the decor was a mixture of old and new. Some of the old fixtures of the Post Office were kept, and I particularly loved these hanging lights. C1 also brought in some of the decors from their old cafe. The giant comic posters (not pictured) were back on the walls.
I was glad to see the cute sock monkeys again!
And who can forget C1's famous water fountain? Custom made from a sewing machine, the water comes out with turning of the handle. So clever!
WM and I came for brunch 2 weeks after the opening. The place was pretty busy, as loyal customers returned to check it out. Just like the old place, we lined up to order at the counter. Fortunately the wait wasn't too long, and it gave us time to look around the new place.
For coffee, I ordered a flat white. I made a mistake by asking for trim milk, then immediately remembered that C1 only does regular milk. Not a big deal for me, especially since the coffee was nice.
WM asked for a pot of tea, and got a tea set for 2. The tea leaves came on the side, probably so the customer can see/smell the leaves before brewing (?). WM was pretty happy with her tea.
"Waiter, there's a fly in my cup!!" It was nice seeing C1's signature cups again!
For food, C1 has a menu of all day brunch and lunch pretty much the same as the old cafe, and it was nice to see the old favourites again. The cabinet has a nice selection of savouries and sweets. Plenty of vegetarian and gluten free options available.
WM had the salmon and avocado bagel with toasted bagel, lemon, and cream cheese ($18.50). We also spotted a salmon bagel in the cabinet for $8.50. We were curious what the difference was, especially with a $10 price difference! The waitress told us there would be more fillings, and the bagel would be toasted. When WM's dish arrived, it looked beautiful with all the colours, although it basically looked like a deconstructed filled bagel. Not quite sure if it was worth the $10 difference, but it did taste good.
I had one of my favourites fom the cafe, corn and coriander fritters with bacon, guacamole, salsa, and sour cream ($17.50). There was also a vegetarian option replacing the bacon with feta, but there was no way I would say no to bacon! My dish was also well presented. The corn and coriander fritters were lovely, with lots of fillings and flavours. The bacon was sweet and salty, and not too crispy, just the way I like it. I also loved the guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, but can do with more of these. Delicious!
Even though we were quite full after brunch, we were keen to have something sweet. We shared a slice of the chocolate walnut brownie ($4.20) from the cabinet. This was very nice, crunchy on the outside and moist in the middle. Good with coffee/tea, so just as well I ordered a second cup of flat white!
Welcome back C1! We had a nice time at the new C1, and enjoyed the coffee and food. On our way out, we also had fun checking out Alice in Videoland. As we came out of Alice's doors, the view from the above photo greeted us. There were tables from C1 cafe on fake lawn, with a scaffolded building in the background. Only in Christchurch!
C1 Espresso is open 7 days from 7am to 10pm. Available for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks.
C1 Espresso
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