For what it's worth, I think www.eatability.com.au is a very reliable source of dining info and would highly recommend it to all lovers of food out there. Stuck for an idea as to where to have breakfast on Saturday morning, Junior and I decided to consult eatability and it led us on an adventure to Strangers With Candy.
Strangers With Candy is a quirky little cafe off the beaten track in East Redfern which got consistently great reviews for their food so I just had to give it a try. Admittedly, Junior was more trepidatious about the move but let's just say it was all worth it in the end.
Both of us started with the obligatory double macchiatos. They use Neoma Coffee which I have not had previously. It was well made and very drinkable but I found the actual roast was not strong enough for my personal taste.
The breakfast menu is very small compared to the broadsheet sized options you can get in many cafes these days however they obviously stick to what they know and do it damn well.
It was a difficult decision between the Bruschetta with San Marino Proscuitto and Beetroot Relish or the Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Cream and Eggplant Caviar but the latter won in the end.
Junior enjoyed the scrambled eggs with chorizo sausage and mushrooms on the side.
I would highly recommend the bruschetta option as it offers a nice alternative to the usual eggs and toast combos. I suspect that my salmon may have been wild salmon as opposed to farmed as it was really flavoursome and the texture was nice and firm. The horseradish cream had just the right amount of zing and the dish was balanced nicely with the rocket, capers and a lovely eggplant caviar. Altogether a very satisfying combination and the portion was generous enough to feel full but not overly full. Will definitely order that again but next time I definitely want to try one of the other bruschetta options.
Junior enjoyed his breakfast with the highlight being the baby button mushrooms which were left whole and sauteed with distinct rosemary and thyme (isn't there a song somewhere in that?!)- extremely more-ish indeed. His chorizo sausage was also fantastic but he found the scrambled eggs to be ever so slightly overcooked and not as fluffy as others he has previously tried. The toast options available were white, multi-grain or Turkish and whilst you may think I am biased towards sourdough (mmm sourdough), even Junior would've preferred it to the options available.
Verdict: All in all, the high quality produce and no fuss plating plus friendly service, lets good food do all the talking. Also worth checking out their lunch/dinner options.
Strangers With Candy
96 Kepos Street
East Redfern NSW 2016
(02)9698 6000
www.strangerswithcandy.com.au
Well as if Toby's on Saturday enough, I decided it was high time I took Simon Thomsen's word for it and check out Cafe Giulia. Junior and I zipped across to Chippendale in the beep beep Barina to see what all the fuss was about on Sunday. We arrived around 11am and the place was heaving with diners and people waiting for take-away. Ever the hawk-eye opportunist, I spotted a seat in the courtyard and left a trail of dust for Junior to find behind me as he looked away from the huge chalkboard menu behind the counter.
It was a glorious day so the outside table was a must! Junior once again had more scrambled eggs, this time with Turkish toast, tomatoes and a side of sausages. Typically you get charged about $5 in any other cafe for a side of snags and in return you get a couple of crusty chipolatas in a side plate but the folks at Cafe Giulia do not believe in small portions... or even regular portions for that matter. Their portions have been automatically upsized whether you like it or not. Anyway Junior got two huge sausages (all sniggering can stop now) which tasted like proper butchers sausages- meaty, full of flavour and not too greasy. Hurrah!
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to take photos (sorry!) as I was too busy tucking into my Chorizo and Parmesan Omelette. And speaking of eggs...
The eggs were delightfully fluffy but also had a nice caramelised crust with big chunks of chorizo through it. There was lashings of shaved parmagiana and just in case I was still hungry 2 slices of sourdough toast (mmmm sourdough) and a lovely leaf salad to finish off the representation of all five food groups.
I LOVE FOOD and whilst I have a very healthy appetite, I struggled to get through it. Junior finished off his glut of eggs with his usual aplomb and I managed half my omelette, one slice of sourdough (all together now- mmmm sourdough) and made a point of finishing the salad to counter balance the protein and carb injection.
I am all for man-sized portions if they can be finished but does anyone else hate wasting food? Someone should consider half portions as an option or I would recommend sharing with a friend. Unless your friend was Junior cos ain't no fool gonna git their dirty mitts on his eggs y'all.
Will definitely be back to sample more of the HUGE menu. There were great looking lunch dishes too and I was freely coveting other people's food as it arrived on the tables around us, much to Junior's dismay.
Verdict: I think Simon Thomsen loves man-sized portions.
Check it out:
Cafe Giulia
92 Abercrombie Street
Chippendale New South Wales 2008
(02) 9698 4424
www.cafegiulia.com
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