Bare Witness, Rhodes

Set within the suburb of Rhodes, Bare Witness stands by the tranquil foreshore of Homebush Bay. The area has been redeveloped in recent years and various cafes and eateries have popped up to feed the hungry masses living in the multitudes of high-rises.

Outside of Cafe

Inside Cafe

Bare Witness serves as one such cafe, offering prime waterfront views with its floor-to-ceiling windows.

The Elevation & Gelato Messina, Parramatta

My original intention was to visit XS Espresso but upon arrival, I realised the Parramatta branch only served coffee and limited baked goods so I ended up walking down the road to The Elevation for brunch.

Outside of Cafe

Inside, the industrial/Scandi theme reigns supreme with pale wood and black metal, along with choice decor items including terrariums (one of the larger ones spans the length of the base kitchen cabinets!).

5Loaves 2Fish, Chatswood

5Loaves 2Fish is a Christian cafe located along the main shopping strip between Chatswood Interchange and Victoria Street. I've walked by this place many times over the years but have never really had the opportunity to visit. Hence, as I was in Chatswood for a free makeover session at Myer, I decided to drop by and check it out.

Outside Cafe

The cafe has a strong industrial feel - dark wood decor with splashes of bright yellow - and was surprisingly full by mid-morning.

The Usual Cafe, Cabramatta

Set in the heart of Cabramatta - the Vietnamese central of Sydney - , The Usual Cafe is peculiarly situated given that they offer Western cafe food in a very Asian suburb.

It took a while to find this place from Cabramatta station (thanks to trusty old GoogleMaps) since it's located off the main shopping streets and directly next to the Dutton Street car park exit. As I was visiting on a busy Sunday morning, the nearby streets were filled with cars queuing to enter the public car park - I was so happy that I decided not to drive here, otherwise I would be wasting a lot of time on the streets in the queue.

Outside of Cafe

Inside Cafe

The inside is decorated like many hip(ster) cafes in Sydney - filled with white subway tiles, industrial lights, dark wood furniture, and lush green plants strategically placed around the cafe.

The Tiny Giant, Petersham

When Ivanhoe first invited me to a foodie adventure trip to Petersham with Ali and Lenni, I was totally excited because it would be within the vicinity of The Tiny Giant! I've seen many pics from the cafe on Instagram so I suggested that we visit this place during our food crawl through Petersham.

The day started out with a trip to the e-waste disposal place in Marrickville (a very enlightening experience) and took a slight detour to the The Addison Road Community Centre. We were all disappointed to discover that the Marrickville markets were actually open on Sunday, rather than Saturday, so we ended up checking out the various shops within the community centre. During our stroll through the Community Centre, we spotted some live poultry by a small fair-trade cafe, and walked through the community gardens in search of some (invisible) bunnies. Apparently Ivanhoe saw some bunnies on her last visit but we didn't see any... conned again by Ivanhoe within the space of 30min!

Afterwards, we headed to The Tiny Giant in Petersham and were able to score a free parking spot nearby so we didn't have to walk too far to the cafe.

Outside of Cafe

Devon on Danks, Waterloo

After months of deliberation and planning, I decided to make the trip out to visit Devon on Danks, which had been personally recommended by many foodies as the better of the two Devon sites. So on this particular sunny (but windy) day, I walked from Redfern Station through the slightly scary neighbourhood of Redfern/Waterloo and past a small, one-eyed dog to get to the cafe.

Exterior of Cafe

Exterior of Cafe

The exterior of the building is rather nondescript and for a moment, I thought I was lost until I noticed the cafe signs. The cafe inside had a hipster feel with hanging lights and natural, wooden/string textures. The sitting area near the main entrance was actually rather dark so I opted instead to sit closer to the dessert and drinks station, which faced some large windows that let in some of that wonderful sunshine outside.

Cavalier Specialty Coffee, Crows Nest

Cavalier Specialty Coffee first came under my radar after seeing some mouth-watering pictures of their Tiramisu French Toast on Instagram. After finding out that it was actually located within walking distance from work, I was eager to bookmark this cafe and on the first chance of a window of free-time, I headed out to St Leonards to locate this mysterious cafe. It turned out that the cafe was practically down the road from work.

On this sunny day, the local area is relatively quiet yet the cafe is buzzing with activity:

Outside of Cafe

Haven, Surry Hills

Situated next to Central Station, Haven is famed for brewing specialty coffees that are specifically tailored to your preferences (based on aroma, sweetness, after taste, body and acidity), as well as for their fancy food items, like their signature HK-style egg waffles.

For those that have never heard of or tried HK-style egg waffles, then you're seriously missing out! One of my fondest food memories of Hong Kong is of their fresh egg waffles (along with the dragon's beard candies, sticky rice balls, and egg tarts with flaky puff pastry shells) - the sweet fluid batter is cooked on a special waffle iron so that when cooked, the waffle forms a lattice of egg-shaped pieces with a crispy exterior and gooey, custard filling. There are a few Asian cafes/restaurants that do sell fresh egg waffles in Sydney (e.g. in Eastwood for $3-5), or you can attempt to source an egg waffle machine or iron online that makes these awesome waffles... but sadly, you'll be out of pocket by at least $100 in order to get it shipped to Australia (yes, I've checked).

Hence you can see my eagerness to start off my food-driven day (note: this meal was followed by a visit to Koi Dessert Bar and The Waffle Shack... and Hotel Bondi) with a visit to Haven to see if their egg waffles live up to the ones from Hong Kong.

Creperie Suzette, The Rocks

Part of the Harbour Rocks Hotel, Creperie Suzette serves customers fresh coffee, galettes and crepes within a small cafe space hidden within The Rocks, Sydney. The cafe gets a lot of natural lighting through the large windows along Harrison St and has a distinct Parisian feel with the internal decor, exposed brick walls and vintage wall art.

Cafe Sign

Outside of Cafe

Cafe Birkenhead, Drummoyne

Following an early morning (power) walk along the Bay Run around Iron Cove, Allie, MarK and I decided to bypass the markets in Orange Grove Public, Lilyfield, for a sit-down brunch at Cafe Birkenhead.

Located within the Birkenhead shopping centre, customers get a lovely view of the Parramatta River and Iron Cove Bridge through the tall windows along the external wall, which lets in a vast amount of natural sunlight into the spacious cafe:

Internal View of Cafe

View Towards Kitchen

Left of Field, Rhodes

Left of Field first came to my attention when I encountered an online article about the cafe and awesome pictures of their food. Hence I decided to make a trip to Rhodes to check it out.

Entrance of Cafe

Left of Field is within 10min walk from Rhodes station and is situated right next to where the Homebush Bay Bridge is being constructed (expected to open by the end of May 2016). Hence if you currently sit outside, you will face (and eat) the dust/dirt/debris from all the construction work right outside the cafe. On top of all this, there was major haze affecting the local region today from back-burning across Sydney - not the best environment for asthmatics and allergy sufferers out there.

The Grounds of Alexandria, Alexandria

Hidden within the heart of Inner Sydney lies a (very) busy street corner hosted by The Grounds of Alexandria:

Street Corner of Bourke Road and Huntley Street

You are sure to notice it when you see the large crowds drawn to the area.

Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery, Erskinville

The Foodcraft Espresso & Bakery was brought to my attention after reading an online news article about their "world famous" Tella Balls - a massive doughnut ball filled with nutella! Being a major chocolate fan, I was eager to check this out.

When my friend and I arrived on a sunny Saturday morn, there was one serious crowd waiting outside the cafe and it took us almost half an hour before we finally landed a table inside:

Selection of Baked Goods - the bottom level is filled with Tella Balls!

Just looking at the Tella Balls can make any chocolate lover drool:

"World Famous" Tella Balls ($4.50) - Doughnut Balls filled with Nutella;
Also available with Five Berry Jam, Salted Caramel, Vanilla Bean Ricotta

If you're not a fan of doughnuts, you can opt for a cruffin (croissants baked in shape of muffins):

Cruffins ($6)

Who in their right mind would not take up the change to conquer the Tella Ball Shake:

Tella Ball Shake ($10) - Chocolate Milkshake
topped with Tella Ball

This is one monstrously chocolate-y meal in itself - a mason jar filled with a choc shake and topped with a Tella Ball! TBH, the Tella Ball is like a glorified giant doughnut ball with a generous dose of nutella that sort of explodes when you bite into it. I ended up dissecting and eating the Tella Ball on the saucer with a teaspoon (kindly offered by my friend, leftover from her latte) as it is sort of hard to eat it when all you're offered is a thick straw...

Bacon and Egg Panini ($10)

My friend opted for the bacon and egg panini - she had better luck eating it this time without creating a mess on the plate and rated it higher than the bacon and egg roll from The Missing Piece.

I would like to return again and try the actual food items from their menu but unfortunately it's a bit of a trek to get there via public transport (either travel to Newtown or Erskinville Station) and parking is a nightmare on weekends.

KIN by Us, Macquarie Park

Located on the ground floor of a recently-built apartment block close to Macquarie Uni station, this place can be easily missed with the trees and bushes lining along the pathway along Herring Road. However, if you know where to look, you'll discover a hidden gem.

KIN by Us is opened by cooking duo Uel and Shannelle of MKR fame and brings an Asian spin to otherwise Western dishes:

I thought the drinks and food menus were simple and well-designed - each menu item is accompanied by a brief description and a small picture:

Drinks Menu

Food Menu

With such a great (but small) selection of food on the menu, it took us a while to decide on what to eat/drink:

Black Sesame Shake ($8)

Durian Affogato ($7)

I thought the black sesame shake could have done with more black sesame mixed into the drink (beyond the small amount sprinkled on top) and the mound of whipped cream on top just made it feel gluttonous - it seemed a little over-priced (like the Golden Gaytime Shake) compared to the other drinks. The durian affogato was an interesting spin on the standard affogato (also available for the non-adventurous types).

And then came the food:

Waffle Belly: Caramel Soy Pork Belly, Potato Waffle, Onsen Egg,
Mushrooms, and Cabbage ($17) 

A take on the normal waffle + bacon combo, the Waffle Belly was the perfect combination of the sweet, salty and pure indulgence.

Miso Yummy: Miso Salmon, Onsen Egg, Sesame Spinach, Sourdough ($17)

 
I looovveee the onsen egg (soft-boiled egg dipped in a subtle soy sauce) and there was two(!) served on the plate *high five*. The salmon was well-seasoned and infused with a distinct miso flavour - definitely a plus on my side - although I thought the ball of sesame spinach was a bit weird presentation-wise (you could form a face on the plate? Hehe...).

From visit #2:

On a rare day off, I came back for a late lunch and tried their Sub-marine:

Sub-marine: Soft-Shell Crab Brioche Roll ($18)
Milo Mocha Dinosaur: Milo Mocha Shake ($5)

The soft-shell crab was placed in a soft brioche roll that has been smothered in a thick, spicy, curry-like sauce, which I thought was amazing, and topped with coriander and sliced chilli - definitely an item to be eaten using a knife and fork. The milo-mocha shake was average but was enough to fulfil a milo craving, accompanied by an added coffee kick.

You're best to travel here by public transport as there are limited parking spots along Herring Road and you'd need to compete with shoppers if you park at the nearby Macquarie Shopping Centre (3hr limit).

The Missing Piece, Macquarie Park

There is a lot of hype surrounding The Missing Piece, especially about their funky drinks and their amazing coffees. The constant line of expectant customers waiting patiently for a free table proves that this cafe has a loyal fan base despite its location at the end of the fashion section of Macquarie Centre.

After the prerequisite wait, my friends and I got seated at a small table overlooking the void. Note to all future customers - these tables along the glass barriers are suited to two people only (i.e. one on each end and not along the aisle) because the waiters, and customers, will bump into you EVERY TIME they walk by, no matter how close you sit to the table.

Cacaonut: Cacao Powder and Coconut Milk ($8)

Coffee ($3.50)

I tried the Cacaonut as I'm a major fan of coconut milk and chocolate (who isn't!), however I found the drink really hard to consume. Firstly, it was topped with the biggest branch of mint possible, which was promptly discarded, and the drink itself was seriously thick and unsweetened - it was like as if they poured coconut cream/milk from a can into the cup and mixed/topped the drink with cacao powder! Drinkable coconut milk is normally diluted and lightly sweetened to enhance the coconut flavour and adding the cacao powder, which is naturally bitter, did not help at all.

After a 20 min wait, the food finally came along:

Old-Fashioned: Bacon and Egg Roll, with Crispy Kale and BBQ Sauce ($8)

Smashed & Smoking: Smashed Avocado on Sourdough, topped by Marinated
Wood-Smoked Salmon, Lime and Olive Oil ($15)

Brioche Sliders with Slow-Cooked Shredded Pork and Coleslaw,
served with French Fries and Tomato Sauce ($16)

The smashed avo and salmon on sourdough was average (wouldn't you serve the lime on the side, rather than on top? The plate was funky though) and it was hilarious watching my friend eating the bacon and egg roll as it kept dripping oily juices onto the serving board whilst she was consuming it. Despite the coleslaw, the brioche sliders were a little dry without any chutney or sauce inside and lacked seasoning - I had to alternate between bites of the sliders and fries to achieve the right salty balance. 

I really wanted to like this place but I thought it was a bit of a let-down. There are a lot of cafes that offer a better selection of food (and tastes better) but it does require you to travel further - personally, I'd make that extra effort.

However, they do stock flavoured cronuts to tempt anyone with a sweet tooth:

Cronuts (Peanut Butter; Cookies and Cream) ($6.50)

The deep-fried oily goodness is not for the faint-hearted and definitely to be eaten in moderation.

Devon Cafe, Surry Hills

A queue outside Devon Cafe

I've stumbled upon the realisation that it is probably going to become increasingly difficult for me go to a busy brunch place with a bub on the way, so this is the time to go all out. So last Saturday we headed to Devon Cafe in Surry Hills, and braved the 30 min queue.

Chocolate and Peanut butter milkshake $6

I was incredibly thirsty by the time we were seated, so I ordered the chocolate peanut butter milkshake. It was delicious, but the peanut butter could have been blended in better - as it tends to sit at the top - so for most of the drink it just tasted like plain chocolate then finally ended with an overpowering hit of peanut butter. It was good though, only wished the serving was bigger.

Bakery goods at the counter - CRONUTS!

The food took a while to arrive so I took this time to explore the counter. I realised my mistake as I crumbled under the temptation of gluttony and got a salted caramel cronut to go. (Hey, at least I had the self control to know I couldn't eat everything in one sitting).

Lamb Sandwich: Slow cooked lamb, garlic confit, cheese, roasted capsicum,
spinach, aioli with Chips $20

First up was Uncle G's Lamb Sandwich. It looked golden and majestic with a generous dollop of aoili on the side. We agreed to share half half so we each got to try a bit of each others.

Cross section of the Lamb Sandwich

The lamb was beautiful and tender, well accompanied by all the trimmings. It was definitely on the greasy side but hey, it's the weekend! We can't be health fanatics everyday.

Breakfast with the Sakuma's: miso grilled king salmon, smoked eel croquette,
63' egg, radish petit salad and kewpie mayo $25

I chose the Breakfast with Sakuma's for two reasons: it's unique and I don't eat enough fish in my regular diet. This dish was divine!!! I was interested to find the Japanese bonito sprinkles went so well with salmon and completely married all the flavours on the plate. Ever since, I've been sprinkling it on my own grilled salmon at home too! My favourite part of the dish though would be the eel rice croquet. Essentially, it's an asian inspired arancini with a lovely smokey hint of eel. The only part of the dish that let it down was the salad. I think they must have double seasoned it by accident? It was so salty it was barely palatable (and that's VERY salty because we're quite used to salty foods).

Spiced chips (side to Lamb Sandwich)

We mustn't forget the perfectly cooked and seasoned chips too! Yuummmy!

Overall, Devon Cafe was a very enjoyable experience. It isn't cheap, but it's great for an occasional treat. The food is definitely high quality and fresh.

Pottery Green Bakers, Gordon

Set in close proximity to Gordon Station (and its nearby car park construction), Pottery Green Bakery stands out from the small shops lining the street with its crowd of expectant customers:

Outside View of Cafe

The interior decor is à la Element 6, complete with rustic walls, wooden tables, dim lighting, and the occasional pot plants scattered across the cafe:

	Top Left: View of Cafe /interior Bottom Left: Coffee Counter with Display of Baked Goods Above: More Baked Goods for Sale

The menu is rather interesting because it contains a mix of Western and Asian food items (e.g. typical bakery goods like pastries, cakes and bread... along with pho?). As I had arrived around 10am, only their breakfast menu items were available (baguettes, pho and other lunch items are available from 11am) and I opted for their hearty 'big breakfast':

Big Breakfast Bakers Pan - Two Poached Eggs, Bacon, Pork Chipolatas, Mushroom, Tomatoes,
and Rocket Served in a Copper Pan, Accompanied by Sourdough (or Baguette) ($18)

The copper pan (which has the cafe's name engraved on the handle) contained perfectly poached eggs covered in hollandaise sauce along with a seriously (un)healthy serving of crispy bacon - it was by far the largest "big breakfast" I have had in a while (potentially... ever?). The only fault I would put against this dish is the distinct burnt taste coating the mushrooms, probably because it was cooked on an unclean pan/hot plate.

Pottery Green Bakery is definitely worth checking out and I would be interested in returning again to check out their lunch menu.