Race, Brunch, Repeat

In the world of farm-to-plate breakfasts, John Smith Cafe is my key pick for the forthcoming Silly Season.

Notice how beautiful food is normally restricted to rip-off degustations or vegan cafes? No longer, because the JS signature is below.



I'm very proud of my DSLR work standing on a stool.



Day kicks off reading a deceptively unique, seasonal and healthy menu. Top right - kitchen is showcasing some recently slaughtered animals. Vegetarians be warned.



I'm torn between two lamb choices. 'Shoulder' sounds fattier and tastier.

Slow cooked lamb shoulder with watercress, pearl cous cous and charred fennel - $22



Tick to yummy pull-apart and moist lamb. Well integrated is charred fennel and very light pearl balls. Feels premium, looks great and the statistician in me notes the lamb-to-ball ratio. Bang on, resulting in ideal density indulgence.

Each chew results in deep pleasure. I deny the missus a sharing opportunity; thus the main cost is not a blown $20 budget, but 3 days on the coach. Wallet survives, home situation unsure... 8/10.

Next up, more of a yardstick. Chicken, quinoa salad is dangerously overplayed in cafes but never before have I seen beetroot hummus.

Quinoa, roasted vegetable salad with beetroot hummus and chicken - $14 + 4


Expectations are very high based on the visual of this red substance.



Good protein generosity (say 150g). One of few cafe salads that avoids putting the diner on a rapid weight loss program. Individual elements are very sophisticated.

Sauce situation disappoints. I want bold flavours but the hummus is too mild. Still, I'm happy and full. 7/10.

Finally, the dish that has catapulted John Smith to stardom on social media. It's a beauty.
Hot avocado salsa, goats cheese and lime on sourdough - $16 + $3


I'm told blogger custom is to show aerial shots.


What a great cure to avo-on-toast disenchantment. We're forced to discard generational shackles of Asian lactose intolerance and embrace goats cheese OD. Enjoyment of flavour intensity is hosed down by the crippling knowledge I paid $3 for an egg. 8/10.

First visit was 7.5/10. I add 0.5pts due to the milking and slaughtering of animals:

- Food - 8/10 - great flavours, sophisticated offers.
- Value - 8/10 - relative to hipster joints, good calorie/$ ratio
- Other - 8/10 - hipster over-crowding issues but nails the coffee. Staff are so nice.
- Overall - 8/10 - a fancy, value-conscious take on classics.

Happy to recommend John Smith as a top 5 brunch in Sydney.

Will I be returning?
Yes
 Final shots below of the barista operation. Skinny cap. Tastes just right.



Red head barista is one of the owners.

Du Liban transpired into a self-awarded food archaeologist badge when I first unearthed this jewel, buried deep in the industrial Mines of Marrickville. Initial review 8/10.

Glaring omission is a Shakshuka. This yardstick is well acquainted with my stomach. Also note hunger works magic to the food critique in me and a tidy 90m morning run helps.



What I like?
Heavy on the spice, olive oil provides richness, iron pan adds authenticity.

Love the 'lockness effect' with untold treasures lurking below the surface:
- enhancers in soft egg yolk, caramelised onion, slow cooked tomato
- standard carriers in soft beans and pillow-like potato pieces



Obviously no wheel re-invention, but good execution.

What needs work?
Watery distillation. Needs more oven time with sauce failing to clutch onto the beans in full.

A porous flat bread ensures a laundry disaster (for the wife). Best analogy is a Mad Mex burrito leaking sauce all over the work pants. Weekend track pants need an emergency appointment with our 7L top-loader. I'm adjusting dish price to include 25c water plus 25c detergent cost.



Conclusion
For $12 (+50c), there is still serious value arbitrage vs other well-loved baked eggs hot spots (Shenkin Kitchen $18, Trio Cafe $22, Four Ate Five $18). Filling, robust and authentic. 9/10. 

As an aside, the Shakshuka is best washed down with a Zahra Big Breakfast (previously reviewed). Excellent choice if $16 is available and appetite permits.


Still no idea how to critique bean blends, but the cappa is good.

Lox, Stock & Barrel just lost a Good Food Hat and with that, credibility in the cancerous mouths of SMH's dwindling subscriber base.

On the plus side, I'm awarding this beach-side wholefoods institution a Blogger Sock and reconfirm must-try status. 9/10. 

War-mongering cafe copycats will continue to bleed wallet share to LS&B's clean, crisp flavours that still motivates diners away from boring staples. Some nearby organic markets is prime hunting ground scavenging kitchen staff.



The one line sell - Norway's finest trout, happy chicken eggs, the finest sub-$20 salads ex-Melbourne and sandwiches straight from downtown Manhattan... All in a cosy interior decorated with picked jars, then attached to a VIP back-courtyard with questionable restroom infrastructure. 

Free parking is a rarity and now with two gold coins the opportunities are endless. Soy flat white (OK tasting) puts an end to that.





Bowlarama is best identified by pickled veggies and sprouted quinoa bread. Lucky I have an active Instagram account, wear skinny jeans and pedal a vintage set of wheels around town.



Verdict? High plate coverage fetches 9/10. Satisfying, healthy, tasty. $18 is decent value.

Don't get distracted by the unusual bagel pairing. This omelette is pedestal worthy.  



NY streets is now short one onion bagel. I diagnose the bread-to-egg ratio as one of bagel dwarfism.
Unusually large, extraordinarily fluffy and buttery. Radish garnish is similar to Autumn leaves in a courtyard. Get rid of it. The fork resembles a rake for good reason... $17 for an 8/10 'staple'.

Sugar hit to finish, helped by a crispy, sugar-dusted top.



Muffins should be fist-sized or larger. This is not. You're better off licking the Bourke Street Bakery window.

Midday menu is a long long wait and why would anyone order a salad as a main?   



LS&B dishes my prejudice a 101 in fabulously tasty protein(s), wide-ranging textures and crisp flavours. I'm remorseful to use this phrase, but the balance in each of four salads is perfect.


Smoked trout with brown rice, flaked almonds perched above every conceivable green. Lemon & buttermilk adds the acidity. $18 well spent but the need for a poached egg ($2.50) conflicts with a $20 mandate.
Then I add a beautifully moist poached chicken ($5). Like an out-of-control wife project managing a major home renovation - budget is blown. Pumpkin is a widow without the breast.

LS&B is well worth infuriating Bondi traffic and distasteful hipster crowds. Must try status maintained.

Kepos Street Kitchen is diarised as a recurring weekend appointment, replacing the legacy Sunday church routine. The spicy, home-style cooking and excellent food-to-plate ratio empowers the humble $20 note.

Two reviews to date, Feb (8) and June (7.5). Are the chefs in a score tailspin?

Apparently not. Visit #3 recovers to 8.5/10. Today, a triple team of brioche, bacon and oozing egg yolk line the arteries with supreme velocity. I'm in good presence with the veteran (the missus) and brunch newcomer but B&E addict, Timmy L.  

Masala chai tea with soy trumps an Ikea tea pot with a Twinings chai tea bag cheekly dunked inside.


Flat white from The Grounds. Teal tea set with fancy print explains the $4.00 'cuppa'.





Even life-long chain smokers could enjoy the smokey underbelly of this deep, woody marine creature. 2nd best trout salad in Sydney, after Lox, Stock & Barrel. Lucky Chinese 8 (out of 10).

Roast cauliflower fritters, chickpeas, smoked turkey breast and poached egg - $18



8.5/10 breakfast assisted by the trifecta of experience (know what to order), good company (Timmy and Lorie) and extreme hunger (Sunday long run).

Top 3 brunch joint in Sydney. My personal guarantee.

Middle East meets hipster Sydney East in a homely yet different feed at Kepos & Co. This is a welcome injection of modern Israel into an otherwise student overpopulated, culturally confused Waterloo. With a peak price of $29/dish, deep-value diners should stay away.

I may discard my bulk Twinings chai tea-bags after warming the throat with this $4.50 aromatic Masala Chai blend.



Spicy tea connoisseurs are no match for this Warm Spiced tea. Asian lactose intolerance suggests this a wise second choice.



Onto the food. Stomach cannot keep pace with my eyes - wood-fired breads, in-house hummus, complex salads and of course, the standard-issue B&E offers. I'm hungry.


Chef Michael Rantissi has one intrinsic quality that I will never boast. He resists the temptation to stock produce from the adjacent Aldi store. Implied in every item is quality and detail.

Trout and Freekeh - a healthy, non-bread option where the sea is the hero.

Smoked trout salad, freekeh, asparagus, coriander and hazelnuts - $21

Smokiness is undeniable. Price and first forkful confirms this is no Aldi vacuum pack. Unlike the young ladies stumbling out of a Newtown pub at I pass on my run at 6am, dressing is just right. Freekeh is so chewy and 10x more filling than a leaf base.



Mouth craves a poached egg. Already north of $20, budget is breached and I'm hungry and heart broken. Score is a tug-o-war between uniqueness vs. questionable value. I feel I'm on a diet upon finishing but still remain in good spirits. So confusing.

KSK classic bacon brioche roll with chili jam - $15

Cross Eatery emits the seasonal produce, healthy vibe more at home in the Inner West. Long tables are a safe-place for a food-loving finance professional - sip a 3/4 latte, munch a breakfast salad whilst after taking iPhone egg-yolk shots. Try this in Martin Place and you'll be arrested.

Sydney now boasts a sophisticated brunch at mid-range pricing in an office perimeter. Historically, this is why Melbourne exists. Bowery Lane is no longer my inner-city pick.



Owner Marcelo is the white knight fighting an epic battle against against exorbitant rents and the insulting palates of white-collar food criminals. Every day, the offenders choke down buttered toast alongside a double-shot espresso.

One choice combines three fabulous words - Truffle. Baked. Eggs. It's a dream to be realised next time. Breakfast salad bowl is a good base but too light. These add-ons have flare:

- Avo plus chilli salt. Creaminess, saltiness with kick.
- 63 degrees egg. My imaginative envelope bulges but I order a 2nd.
- Feather and Bone Ham. Freshly sliced and in theory, one putting Aldi ham to shame.

Similar to a Bunning DIY shop; basket price starts to climb but guilt-level does not.

Feather and Bone Ham and Avacado with Chilli Salt  - $6 + $5

Instantly smitten with this platter and so are the ladies struggling with eggs on toast nearby. I'm not sharing.

Breakfast Salad with Ham, Avo and Poached Egg - $12 + $6 + $5 + $3.50

Sobered by the price, but drunk on my own drooling from every element here. Thumbs up to moist ham, clearly fresh. Aldi pigs now have one less predator to worry about.

Add a 2nd egg. Critical. The slow poaching gives that luxurious, creamy texture. Complexity of salad excites my teeth. I learn radicchio is a crunchy leaf, not a Brazilian soccer player.

Companion can't stop singing praise and almost forgets the best part. The yolk.



Thanks to what remains of Mr Hog, I'm full. My joy is short-lived thanks to an on-tap Kumbucha.

Kumbucha on tap - $10

Winter sore-throat is now cleansed from this chilled hit of ginger and tumeric. Refreshing, notwithstanding my ignorance over the meaning of probiotic.

Mid $20s per head can be remorseful, yet highly forgiven in the finance district:

- Food - 9/10 - clean, sophisticated flavours. Reminiscent of Cornersmith.
- Value - 7/10 - Low teens budget equals hunger plus missed opportunity.
- Other - 9/10 - Owner's a nice guy and a champion for my kind.
- Overall - 8/10 - Yep, a go-to CBD pick for health-focused individuals.

Will I be returning?
Of course.