Bay 66 Bar & Café, 66 Bay Rd Kilbirnie
Coffee: Emporio

Score: 2 out of 5.

Bay 66 calls itself a bar AND café, so we thought we’d have a look.

Sport showing on the many TVs, pokie machines at the back, the various cocktails on offer such as ‘Viagara’, ‘Strawberry blonde’, ‘Pookie nah-nah’, and ‘Dirty Harry’, men with beers propping up tables, and no females other than us, should have sent warning signals.  

The café area is at the front with a selection of tables, and we chose one near the window, and next to the fire. It was lovely and warm, and a welcome escape from the wintry gales outside.

Passing on the cocktails, we ordered coffee, and perused the menu. This didn’t take long – it’s an all day menu which appears not to change too often. On offer was food you’d expect at a bar, including wedges ($12), nachos ($12.50), beef burger ($15.50), and squid rings ($10.50). We chose a more healthy option of the BLT, bacon, lettuce and tomato on panini.  The plate was nicely presented, including chips. The bacon was not the greatest quality, but well cooked. The salad was fresh and plenty of it.

It appeared to be a one man show, with our waiter also being our chef and barista. He was friendly enough, but maybe not used to lunching ladies!

The coffee was too milky, and bitter. 

Sometimes, sadly, you can judge a book by its cover.