First Look: Early Edition

Posted on 25 April, 2024

The Kingston Foreshore’s newest resident is a stylish haven for earlybirds that packs just as much of a punch when it comes to the menu.

If you were looking for the perfect example of a café built for Canberrans, Early Edition might just be it.

With early opening hours (hello, 7 am), a location that takes advantage of Canberra’s natural beauty (the Kingston Foreshore), a menu of fresh twists on classics (avocado toast with heirloom tomatoes, feta, radish and salsa verde; buttermilk pancakes with nectarine) and owners who have spent years catering to Canberran tastes, Kingston’s newest café is poised for fame. And that’s before you taste their signature Iced Rosey Matcha.

Early Edition’s opening hours of 7 am until 3 pm seven days a week might sound like a challenge – until you speak with Manager Sharon Fong, who explains that actually, this café represents a positive work/life balance shift for the team.

That’s because Sharon and her team have worked in restaurants for many years doing dinner service so a 6.30 am until 3 pm shift is, well, a dream.

“I’m home by 4 pm!” she laughs. “It’s great for our work-life balance.”

It’s Sharon’s hope that the positive vibes touch all who interact with Early Edition.

“We want to become a community hub – a second home for people. We want people to make this their local and feel comfortable, relaxed and welcome.”

I don’t foresee that being a problem, because for one thing, I’ve tried their Iced Rosey Matcha (a perfectly balanced iced oat matcha with a drizzle of rose syrup at the bottom) and secondly, the interiors are the perfect balance between comfort and ‘please take a photo of me here for Insta’.

Iced Rosey Matcha.

With wooden panelling, vinyl banquettes, dark wood and chequerboard tiles, the flavour is decidedly retro – to Sharon’s delight – without becoming twee.

As for the menu, casual eats and brunch classics have been giving a twist by Chef Loshitha Bandara who came to Canberra by way of Qatar where he worked under Alain Ducasse and Sydney, where he was a chef at The Grounds of Alexandria’s city café.

Think: Mushroom Croissant with chive crème fraise, gruyere, spinach, shallots and a fried egg, Turkish Eggs with buffalo yogurt, Aleppo chill oil and toasted olive focaccia and Crab Omelette.

French Toast and Iced Hojicha.

Behind the coffee machine (serving Canberra’s own Axis Roasters) barista Callum Thomas is also the pastry chef, serving up a range of sweet treats made in-house within Early Edition’s pastry cabinet. Did we mention they have Iced Matcha?

Also on the drinks menu is the must-try Iced Hojicha that blends the toasty flavour of Japanese hojicha tea (green tea roasted over charcoal) with oat milk and maple syrup. Heaven.

And for those foodies who made it all the way to the end on the day this was published – yes, Early Edition is open on Anzac Day.