Sydney cafes & restaurants

Open for a year, the Source is one of the new breed of cafés that’s probably best described as an espresso bar. By that I mean that although they serve food [& in fact the food is very good] - their primary reason for being, is the coffee. When you walk in to this Mosman-located café, everything screams a love of coffee - from the Synesso machine on the bench to the Renegade roaster taking pride of place on the floor. It’s a great spot with a great vibe, but most importantly [for us anyway!] they make great coffee.

And not just great espresso - although that was fantastic - but go prepared to expand your horizons. They are coffee aficionados, and as such, are only too happy for you to experience the latest single origin coffees that they are bringing into the country themselves. We tried the Kenya Masai - served pour-over style through the Swiss gold filter - and it was delicious: full of flavour yet uniquely delicate! Although barista purists - they are currently setting up a barista exchange with Brother Baba Budan [the café we judged Melbourne's best café 2008] - they are definitely not elitist - the Source buzzes with a friendly, vibrant atmosphere.

Whether you’re just beginning on the espresso road and want to ask some questions of knowledgeable staff, or just want a great coffee, this is definitely a place that should be high on your list!

Reviewed Nov ‘08 [AF]

The Source Espresso Bar
6/914 Military Road
Mosman  NSW  2088
Tel: (02) 9969 1368
www.thesourceespresso.com 

An oasis of relaxation in the otherwise plastic & kebab shopping precinct of Cronulla - Grind features the sort of cosy, grungy atmosphere that you would expect to find in Newtown’s King St. Its walls are lined with all sorts of knick-knacks, photos and reviews - most of them good! And there’s a reason for that. Richard Calabro and his team churn out the sort of coffees that you could almost drive down to Cronulla especially for - if only it wasn’t for the awful drive that starts at Tempe and continues through the appropriately named Tom Ugly’s bridge.

Let’s cut to the chase - they don’t do food but that’s not why you come to Grind. It’s an espresso bar and, yes, it’s all about the coffee.

And what great coffee it is too - it certainly holds its own with any of its more citified Sydney compatriots - smooth, bold and with an excellent crema - these guys do it right. If you’re down that way, make sure you make a visit; for the true espresso aficionado, this one’s definitely worth the 45 minute drive!

Reviewed Oct ‘08 [AF]

Grind Espresso Bar
6 Surf Road
Cronulla NSW  2230
Tel: (02) 9568 5535

Cordial occupies a rather prosaic space in a modern block on the suburban side of Newtown’s ubiquitous King Street. Whilst some might say it doesn’t possess a great deal of café ‘character’, the outlook through the dappled light of the surrounding trees, and the outdoor seating area is very pleasant.

The menu is simple, offering typical café breakfast staples, like Eggs Benedict [$11], Corn Fritters [$12.50] and Pancakes [$12.50] and a good range of sandwiches - Chicken [$7.50], Tuna & Avocado [$11.00] - salads [such as the Moroccan Chicken for [$11.00]. But what impressed most was the quality of the meals - Lib had the Corn Fritters [$12.50] and I had the Cordial Special Burger with chicken breast, eggplant, sweet potato and basil mayonnaise [$13.00], and both were cooked very well.

Service was impeccable - friendly and efficient, and the Golden Cobra coffee was perfectly made. This is an excellent café; while not fancy, the space it inhabits is light and open, and the food, coffee and service put many fancier joints to shame.

Reviewed Sept ‘08 [AF]

Cordial
Shop 8, 130 Carillon Avenue
Newtown NSW 2042
Tel: (02) 9557 6066

The choice of name for ‘Sappho’ Cafe [historically, a woman poet from the island of Lesbos] is an apt one, as Sappho is at the rear of the bookshop of the same name, on busy Glebe Point Road, in Sydney’s inner west.It’s a lovely space - part indoor and part outdoor - the sort of space that makes you draw a deep breath, and look forward to a relaxed meal or coffee. I arrived at lunchtime, and whether this was the reason, I’m not sure, but the lackadaisical service tempered that sense of tranquility.

The menu looked great - toasted panini in various varieties [$8 - $10] and salads such as Seasoned sweet potato with feta cheese and walnuts [$11] and Free range chicken, marinated & grilled with semi-dried tomatoes [$13]. I ordered the Marinated vegetable panini, and was disappointed - it had a dry, pre-packaged quality - not what I was expecting from first impressions. Moving on, I tried a Belgian chocolate brownie [$4.50]. Again, I was sorely disappointed - instead of a high-quality chocolate experience, it had a dry, bland flavour; in fact the main taste characteristic was of flour, rather than chocolate.

The coffee to finish was Toby’s Estate, and was well-rounded and pleasant. However, overall, I was not overly impressed with the menu, and the service was not up to standard. The thing I would rate Sappho most highly for was the ambience, with a slightly bookish indoor, and a pleasant, bohemian terrace, making it a lovely place to take time out from a busy schedule.

Reviewed Sept ‘08 [AF]

Sappho Cafe
51 Glebe Point Road
Glebe  NSW 2037
Tel: (02) 9552 4498

The old ‘Dov’ was always a favourite of the Darlinghurst crowd, and in terms of matching Dov’s reputation, which occupies the same sandstone-walled premises, Forbes & Burton doesn’t disappoint.

Located [not surprisingly] on the corner of Forbes & Burton streets, it’s a beautiful space - the warm stone walls are offset by large glass window panes; plywood chairs and tables are complemented with a cushion-lined stone seat jutting out from one of the windows a nice spot to sit or to wait for a table.

The queues lining up for breakfast on the weekend are testimony to Forbes & Burton’s excellent breakfast menu, which includes their renowned Croque Monsieur - double-smoked leg ham, Swiss Gruyere & Mustard [$10.50] and the Croque Madame [as above, but with a fried egg on top $13].

We ate from the ‘all day breakfast menu’ - The poached eggs with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and grilled bacon [$13], and the roast vegetable and polenta stack with pesto and provelone [$17.00] were delicious. Dessert - from the Specials Board - included a Belgium Chocolate Brownie [$8.00] which was truly exceptional.

Coffee, by boutique Sydney roaster Single Origin, was well made - Forbes & Burton uses an organic blend, using filtered (reverse osmosis) water in the machine - delivering a sweet flavour with a pleasant aftertaste.

An impressive experience and highly recommended.

Reviewed September ‘08 [AF]

Forbes & Burton
252 Forbes Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9356 8788

Recently expanded, Bitton is not just a café, but a gourmet deli offering a range fresh produce, alongside Bitton’s eponymous range of condiments and gourmet sauces. Having said that, the café itself is impressive, with good food [with a French influence], friendly staff, and a pleasant outdoor courtyard for those who prefer to dine al fresco.

All day breakfast items included Sweet Potato, semi-dried Tomato and Spinach Frittata with salad and woodfired bread [$14.70], Truffled scrambled eggs with mushroom [$14.80] and Omelette with Chorizo, Spinach and semi-dried Tomato served with spicy tomato sauce [$16.80]. There’s a separate lunch menu, with highlights such as Pan-fried Salmon Fillet with Witlof salad [$18.50] and Beef Eye Fillet with Pomme Salardaise [$20.00]. As an added bonus, they also do dinner Wednesday to Friday.

We had the Omelette with three cheeses [blue, goat and gruyere] - which was excellent, and the Bitton’s famous marinated Moroccan Spice chicken gourmet sandwich [which was less so]. Coffee [by Grinders] was well made, and overall the experience was extremely pleasant, with comfortable décor and great service. Recommended.

Reviewed August ‘08 [AF]

Bitton Gourmet
37a Copeland Street
Alexandria NSW 2015
Tel: (02) 9519 5111

Owned by prominent Sydney chef, Bill Granger, it’s seen as one of  ’the places to go’ in the Sydney cafe scene. We went there on a chilly but brilliantly fine winter’s morning, and immediately made ourselves comfortable at a cosy table in the sun. The fit-out at Bills is impeccable - polished wooden floors, a large central wooden communal table surrounded by smaller 2- and 4-seater tables, with a view of a [partially] exposed kitchen, with the whole scene dominated by a beautiful, huge wine list blackboard.

The breakfast menu, whilst not extensive, included a number of enticing items, including Homemade toasted coconut bread, Eggs or toast [as the base] with a choice of Fresh Tomato [$3.60], Roast tomato/mushrooms/aged cheddar/fresh ricotta [$3.80] or avocado [$3.90], bacon  [$4.50] or Gravlax [salmon] extra at $5.70, and a couple of the ‘Bills classics’ including Scrambled organic eggs with sourdough toast [$12.80] and Ricotta hotcakes, fresh banana and honeycomb butter [$16.60].

Lib went for the Sweet corn fritters, roast tomato, spinach and bacon [$17.50], which was a delicious blend of chewy and savoury, all that sweet corn fritters should be. I was feeling conservative and decided on the Fresh seasonal fruit bowl with honey & yoghurt - simple, but presumably something that a cafe of this standard should do beautifully. And in fact, the presentation was beautiful, with the honey and yoghurt served delicately in a small bowl at the side. However, the content was a bit of a letdown - the grapes, slices of melon & pear and a few blueberries were fine, but the chunks of pineapple were extremely sour. It may seem like a small thing, but I found this surprising in a cafe of this calibre, where you would expect the ingredients to be of a consistently high standard. Overall, the food was good, but not out of this world and the coffee [Vittoria] was made reasonably well. Add to this, slightly ’sniffy’ service and a surprising wait for our meals to come, and you get an above average - without being exceptional - result.

Reviewed August ‘08 [AF]

Bills
433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst NSW
Tel: (02) 9360 9631

By day, Lucetta is a funky lunch spot in the road which leads to the Observatory Hotel, and thence [albeit by a slightly convoluted route] to the Rocks. It’s got an Italian-cafe sort of feel, and the food was what you’d expect from an Australian-Italian cafe.

Whilst not in any way leading edge, it was nonetheless pleasant and wholesome. Entrees included Fettuccine with chicken, pancetta and sundried tomatoes [$18], and Spinach, wild mushroom, capsicum & pinenut risotto [$18], while notable amongst the mains were Salmon with roast beetroot and apple potato rosti [$25], and Herb roasted chicken with smashed chats, seasonal vegetables and rosemary pan jus [$21]. The special - Seafood Pie, with salmon, shrimps, tuna and calamari, was filling and hearty, and the [chilli crab] Linguine was OK, whilst not being delicious.

There was a selection of pizza’s [ranging from $15 - $22] - including Four cheese with Gorgonzola, parmesan, mozzarella and goat cheese, Vegetarian [grilled eggplant, marinated artichoke, capsicum & goat's cheese on a pesto and olive oil base, and Marinara [with salmon, barramundi, prawn & herb] - overall, we’d give this a ‘thumbs-up’ as a pleasant cafe/bar serving pleasant, if not exceptional, food. [AF]

127 Kent St, Sydney
Tel: (02) 9251 1011

Getting a great coffee from a café is not easy - many people have written us to say as much. It takes a dedicated approach and attention to detail on the part of the café owner and the staff to ensure that the coffee served is great every time, all the time. (more…)