On a beautiful Sunday morning last weekend Mr Ladybird and I headed for breakfast in Pyrmont. Being our first brunch out in the new year, we decided to try out a cafe I had read about a while ago.
Arriving at Concrete Cafe we choose a table in the dappled sunshine outside and ordered our coffees - a soy cappuccino ($4) and a flat white ($3.50). The cafe was getting more and more busy so we placed our breakfast orders straight away.
For me, the Scrambled Goat's Cheese - scrambled eggs with leek confit & goat's cheese on toasted turkish bread ($13). Absolutely delicious, and a superb combination!
For Mr Ladybird, the Veggie Breakfast - olive sourdough with wilted spinach, marinated tomatoes, fontina baked mushrooms, poached eggs & asparagus ($14) with a side of hashbrown($2.50). Really well cooked eggs (as were mine) and a great, hearty vegetarian breakfast.
This is one of the most vegetarian friendly breakfast venues I've visited for a long time.. I counted around 10 items (sweet and savoury) that either were vegetarian, or had a vegetarian option. Now that's what I'm talking about!
The only disappointment (and I am genuinely sorry to say there was one!) was realising upon reaching home and reading the receipt that we had been charged a 10% surcharge for our meal. Kind of a shame given I had tipped more than 10% anyway for the good service... At any rate, imposing weekend surcharges is in fact an illegal practice in Australia under Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) laws, and has been since May 2009. It was not until relatively recently that I became aware of the law myself, so fellow diners beware...
Happy new year my beloved readers and fellow food enthusiasts! May 2011 be a wonderful year for you all. I am really looking forward to the year ahead, particularly from a blogging perspective. I have an abundance of recipes and food experiences I can't wait to share with you, as well as a few other surprises I have up my sleeve ;) I'm sure there'll be lots of other food experiences to be had along the way this year, and I look forward to sharing them with you, and reading about yours too of course!
I am back in Sydney after a short break to Queensland for Christmas with my family there. While in Queensland, Mr Ladybird and I had the opportunity to eat out at both some new places, as well as places we used to frequent often while we lived in Brisbane. Revisiting what used to be our local areas was a good experience. It is amazing how some things change immensely while other things stay so much the same in a matter of just a few years.
On Christmas eve, we met up with family for brunch at Campos Cafe Roastery off trendy James Street in the Fortitude Valley. The cafe was recommended by one of my brothers who is quite the foodie and has his finger on the pulse for places to eat and get good coffee in the Brisbane/Gold Coast area so I knew it had to be blogged. It was only when I settled in Sydney that I learnt of just how good their coffee is, so I was excited by the fact that Campos coffee has now made its mark in Queensland!
Although Campos Cafe does not take reservations, the large group of us waited only a short while to be seated at the back of the restaurant where we had a great view of the roastery. I did not take any shots of this in accordance with cafe signage requesting patrons not to photograph this, but it was cool to see nonetheless. Once settled in our seats (or stools in this case), we ordered our coffees which were a warm and comforting during the crazy wet and cold weather Queensland experienced over Christmas.
We then ordered our breakfast choices. While there were relatively few vegetarian options on the menu, Mr Ladybird and I learnt from our friendly waitress that alterations could be made to some of the savoury dishes to accommodate for meat-free diners such as ourselves. It's that sort of flexibility with a smile (and not being made feel that you're a complete pain in the a**) that always makes me happy to recommend such places to others, vegetarian or not!
Unfortunately Campos Cafe's menu is not published online and I was somewhat in holiday mode so did not make notes on my visit, so I am unable to give you the exact descriptions and prices of dishes... So on this occasion I shall simply say it with pictures.
Campos Cafe's dishes aren't the cheapest in town at somewhere between $15 - $20... I would consider that quite pricey in Sydney let alone Brisbane, but if you are after an excellent coffee with your brunch too, perhaps it is worth the price. All-in-all an enjoyable brunch experience.
Spontaneity - I believe it's a good personal characteristic to have when it comes to food. Sometimes it's easy to go to the same places, order the same reliable dishes - there's nothing wrong with that, I do it a lot! But now again it's good to break out and try something different, right?
In the spirit of spontaneity, we leave home mid-morning for looking for a place to have weekend brunch and we drive down Mitchell Rd in Alexandria. We spot a bustling little cafe on a street corner and decide to give it a try. We arrive ready for some good coffee and wholesome breakfast to set us up for the day.
The french-style decor and the ambiance is nice, and we are pleased to see a good number of vegetarian friendly options on the weekend breakfast menu, as well as the Light Meals menu. 'Vego friendliness' is something I am always on the lookout for, so I'm looking forward to trying the food.
We sip on our coffees while we wait - a Cafe Latte ($3) and a Flat White ($3).
I have the Ricotta Pancakes with banana, maple syrup and berry coulis ($12.50). I do love my ricotta hotcakes, but I'm afraid these miss the mark.. I couldn't detect any ricotta. Added disappointment was the berry coulis.. I have never encountered a berry coulis that I didn't like, but I find myself scraping this seemingly jam-flavoured puree to the side...
Mr Ladybird's Potato Torte with roast tomato, eggplant and scrambled eggs ($15.50) is so so.. Although the potato is well baked, the dish overall is very under-seasoned. I acknowledge that everyone's palate is different, but I personally do not eat a lot of salt and those potatoes were crying out for it...
The look and feel of La Cachette may be great, but I can't say I'll be rushing back for a meal here. However, I would consider giving it a second chance for something like coffee and cake. There were lots of nice looking pastries displayed in their cabinet and I hear their muffins are pretty good.
Tell me readers, have you ever been left a little disappointed by a spontaneous dining decision?
Botany and its surrounding suburbs is a growing area in south-eastern Sydney, with more and more people attracted to its green surroundings and more relaxed pace. And where there are people, there are places to eat. Cafés, restaurants and bakeries are growing in number in the area. Some have been around for a while, such as Brasserie Bread in Banksmeadow. Last Sunday I headed to Botany to Botannix Studio Café with my friend *Ranger Stacey* (my new nickname for her - she's good with animals!) for a leisurely breakfast after a big night with the girls the day before.
Much needed morning caffeine
Botannix is different kind of café because it isn't only a café - it also has an adjoining yoga studio, sun-drenched courtyard and its very own organic vegetable garden.
Street front
Courtyard
Antique bottles
The menu is quite extensive, with lots of options, including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. Meals are around the $15 mark, and coffees are of a standard price.
The food and coffee was ok, but my favourite aspect of this café was the ambiance and decor. It reminded me and Ranger Stacey so much of Byron Bay. Everything from the yoga studio at the back, to the veggie garden, to the beautiful photographs adorning the walls, homely wooden furnishings and thoughtful finishing touches.
The service was friendly and attentive and I would definitely like to head back to Botannix to try some of their baked goods including fresh muffins, breads and slices. They all looked good but unfortunately I was a little full to sample them after my hearty breakfast!
Recently I had the pleasure of trying this popular little cafe located on a lovely, leafy street in Surry Hills/Redfern. I had driven past on several occasions in the weeks leading up to my visit and had often thought to myself "Hrmmm... I must try that cafe one day!"
On this particular Sunday, Mr Ladybird and I were heading for breakfast at one of our regular Surry Hills spots, Cafe Zoe on Bourke St. However, after parking opposite the cafe and seeing its closed doors we realised - D'oh! Cafe Zoe is closed on Sundays! Without delay, we thought there was no better time to try a new cafe and so we headed straight for The First Drop Café.
It was very crowded but fortunately we only had to wait about 5 minutes for a table. We were quite glad to sit outside as it was a bit loud and crowded inside. It was a lovely, crisp and sunny winter's day outside, so sitting outside with our jackets on was very pleasant - a nice way to ease into the day. Shortly after seating a friendly waiter took our coffee order and we started perusing the menu.
I was impressed by the variety of breakfast dishes, with lots of options to take diners' fancy..everything from light and healthy options to hearty breakfasts to fix the worst of Sunday morning hangovers - not me though ;) The menu was huge. Being a typical Libran, I needed extra time to decide on what I wanted... Decisions! Decisions!
Our coffees arrived and they were niiiceee.. I am by no means a coffee expert, but they were smooth, creamy and not bitter at all.
Mr Ladybird enjoyed a vegetarian omlette with pesto and a poached egg nestled on top.
Oozing yolk...
I had the Breakfast bruschetta with mushroom, fetta and tomato with a side of scrambled eggs.
For two breakfasts and coffees, our meal came to around $30 -great value for the quality and service we experienced on the day. Yup - a great place for a nice weekend breakfast!
The First Drop Café
69 Baptist St, Redfern
(02) 9690 1611
From time to time one comes across a café or restaurant that makes you sit up and take notice for one reason or another. I had one of these moments during a recent trip to Adelaide. I was googling restaurant and café options in the city when I came across Eggless. The concept intrigued me, and I knew I'd have to pay it a visit. I was curious about this place because I know there are so many people out there who don't eat eggs out of preference or due to allergy. Eggless also had a great range of vegan desserts - great for people looking for dairy free dessert.
I headed to Eggless Dessert Café late last Sunday night, and luckily got a seat inside straight away (good thing too - it was very cold outside!). A friend and I wanted to sample a few of the eggless creations on offer, so we ordered the tasting plate for two ($18) with four small portions of desserts from the menu.
Tasting Plate for Two $18
We ate our way from one end of the plate to the other.. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it! :P We started with the ice cream.
Sweetcorn Ice Cream
I was doubtful as to how the ice cream would be creamy without eggs or dairy, but it was quite creamy. It was quite light, and was lightly flavoured with the sweet corn and coconut milk/cream (not sure which). Delicious and refreshing on the palate.
Lychee and Passionfruit Pana Cotta
This was a wonderfully refreshing and flavoursome dessert. I can imagine it would be wonderful on a hot summer evening. The pana cotta was a bit runny to be a pana cotta but it was gelatine free after all.
Sticky date and raspberry pudding
I'm not normally one for anything with dates, but this dessert was great. Delicious and moist with a warm pouring sauce.
Blackforest tiramisu
So good, and my friend's dessert highlight for the evening. Yum :)
After dessert I asked owner and dessert creator Eelin a couple of questions...
Tell me a little about the concept behind Eggless
My parents were lacto-vegetarians (now vegan) and we've had a lot of trouble looking for desserts they could eat whenever we go out. So we then make our own food and desserts and have been doing that for many many years. I am also very passionate about desserts and understand how difficult for people with dietary restrictions to find decent desserts so we thought that it would be nice to be able to provide a place for people to have nice desserts.
You have a wide range of desserts on your menu. What's your personal favourite?
That's a really hard question...I do love lots of desserts but so far the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie is my favourite...can't really go wrong with the chocolate and peanut butter combination...it's also decadently rich but so lip smacking delicious!! It appeared a couple of times on our menu and it's also very popular with our customers.
So what's the secret? How do you create egg-free desserts without compromising on flavour or quality?
Lots of trial and error really...it's about knowing the ingredients and what they can do. I spend my spare time reading food magazines and recipe books for ideas and tips. I also try to use natural and fresh ingredients in my food to give the best flavours.
Do you have any tips for people wanting to create eggless desserts at home?
The internet is a fantastic source of heaps and heaps of egg free dessert recipes and has lots of good tips too.
Barmuda Café in Newtown holds a special place in my heart. I'm being soppy, I know.. But let me tell the story!
A couple of years ago I visited the café for the first time during a trip to Sydney with Mr Ladybird. At the time we were living in Brisbane and thinking about heading south to make a fresh start in a new city.
During our trip we were staying in Australia St, Newtown and were looking for a place to enjoy a good coffee and some breeakfast. We quickly stumbled upon Barmuda Café and the smells of fresh coffee and breakfast invited us inside.
It was during our first breakfast together at Barmuda that we seriously discussed the possibility of moving to Sydney. Maybe it was the diverse vibe of Newtown that attracted me. Or maybe it was the ambience of the cafe. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the taste of these ricotta hotcakes that sweetened the prospect. At any rate, we decided that a move to Sydney would be a very good idea... And so I now fondly refer to these Ricotta Hotcakes as.. The Life Changing Hotcakes. A big call, I know, but it's not that far-fetched! Beside the life changing factor, they are very nice, with oozy blobs of soft ricotta throughout...
Ricotta Hotcakes with Berry Compote and Maple Syrup
So now that we live in Sydney, we try to make it back to Barmuda occasionally. Unfortunately, the Newtown traffic and parking situation is a slight deterrent, but I'm always glad when we return.
Lattés
Mr Ladybird enjoyed his favourite cooked breakfast with all the trimmings... including a fantastic, crunchy potato cake (far better than any processed hashbrown out there!)
Planet Newtown
Mr Ladybird got to catch up on his World Cup reading over coffee , and I was happy to watch Newtown locals going about their day and take some photos. Check out this adorable little boy and his puppy :)
All in all a nice breakfast on a (at long last!) sunny winter morning at one of my favourite cafés in Sydney's inner west.
I forgot to take note of the prices of our coffees and dishes. However as an estimate, coffees are average price (about $3.50). Breakfast dishes are between $10 to $15.
Welcome to the Diary of a Ladybird.
My name is Anna I live in Brisbane, Queensland. I am a mum to two little people and run my own small business creating bespoke cakes. This blog is a journal of my culinary explorations - recipes, places to eat, and a profile of my cake work as well as other things that inspire me as a food blogger, home cook and cake decorator :)
To contact me, email diaryofaladybird@gmail.com
