Race, Brunch, Repeat

"Great brunch, please bring the car around" was my departing remark to the missus. To get 7+ in my books, I want to see creativity and be left satisfied.

There is great debate where Obi Wan continually disappears to between the multiple Star Wars Episodes. Turns out, he mans a Moroccon kitchen in Balmain. Kasbah and OW are both institutionally old-school, stubbornly resisting a landscape where society lusts for next level experiences. Decor and menu is still stuck in the 1990s and tables are empty. I love it.

Jug is self-pouring, shown below.



In the non-pancake section, World Famous Tagine is circled in red, which we know inspires hunger; ask Ronald McDonald, the Rooster or Colonel Sanders. An exotic sounding Chakchouka is in the slimming colour Black; not a good sign.



Roast Pumpkin Tagine with mushroom, spinach, capsicum, tomato, feta, onion and eggs - $22.50



We're beside ourselves with excitement seeing a tagine pot on a board.

Not the type of sauce that is tomato-based. Kasbah's version is more reliant on a slow cook-down of the vegetables. Semi-viscous yolk runs rampant over slowly roasted pumpkin.



Similar to SW Episodes 1-3, bread is best left collecting dust. I've never seen a good episode of Turkish bread and the lifelessly dry pieces remind me why.

Overall, good flavour but way too pricey for an everyday choice. 8/10.

Side of hummus



Hummus bypasses Turkey and ends up in the mouth. Silky smooth, delicious by itself. Minor step below Kepos Street Kitchen (Sydney's best).

Chakcouka scrambled eggs, smoked salmon and salmon roe on toast - $21



Wife wastes 20 min jousting folded eggs and smoked salmon mounted on toast. She is outmatched by the dark arts of deception in a leaf with 8 balls. Why this is added is beyond me...



I like the seasoning and careless layering. DYI reverse engineering - Turkish bread from Coles, large plate from IKEA, caged eggs from Aldi. Forgettable and enjoyable giving 7/10.

With a low starting bar, the upside is considerable:

- Food - 8/10 - as true to Morocco flavours as you can find in Balmain.
- Value - 6/10 - over $20 pp but generous serves with a fall back option on (bad) bread.
- Other - 7/10 - $3.80/hr street parking and no valet. Staff are not students in short-shorts.
- Overall - 7.5/10 - surpasses my low expectations with good flavour and a food coma.

If you believe Harrison Ford is better in the pre-2000 era than today, then Kasbah is worth a visit.

Will I be returning?
Yes. I don't show my photo in bad reviews so here I am.


Disclaimer - big fan of the latest Star Wars Episode 7. 

 

12 hours separation between croissants for breakfast and doughnuts for dessert - this is the norm. Brewtown Newtown disrupts conventional meal plans through a clever cross-breed of the two. The Cronut.

Despairing competition return fire with bruffins (brioche + muffin) and even doughnut milkshakes. BN is one-step ahead and now we have the cruffin (croissant + muffin). A beautiful abomination.



Well, it's a calorie bloodbath and liposuction practitioners are rejoicing.

Back in brunch world, BN is on the offensive. Everything is 'on-trend' and my food vocab is expanding as fast as the waistline - black sausage, gravlax, gazpacho, shoulder's of farm animals.



Two mains are shot out in 15 min and the table resembles a see-saw. Large kid LHS (pork) and a malnourished kid RHS (salad).

Round 1.

Chilli pork shoulder hash with fennel, peas, poached egg and toast - $17



Lots of pork is hidden. This pig clearly had self-esteem issues because he was one, overfed beast with a sky high BMI. What you want is a fatty protein rendered down into a gooey, succulent mess. Slather this with yolk and it's a fail safe combo.



Perhaps the fennel is overcooked and the potato too soggy. I revert back to this for comfort - don't order a pork knuckle at the pub then complain about the side salad.

Calorie counters may criticise the heaviness of a mount of fatty pork. For me, I can't count over 1,000 and in any case, under $20 for a food coma is good value. Not pretty but neither was the hog. 8/10.

Onto the salad, where wisdom tells me to add chicken and poached egg.

Superfood Salad with Poached Chicken and Poached Egg - $16 + $3 + $4



Way too much going on and I'm not distracted by citrus slithers nor leaves.

It's all about the chicken and pumpkin show and this is one show that must not go on. Feels like shredded chicken and the pumpkin is missing the fresh-of-the-oven sensation.

Poached egg is always good, but note the $4 price tag for a non-biodynamic egg.



Over $20 for unnecessary complexity in a standard salad. 6/10.

Two dishes give a blended score of 7. Can the cronut or cruffin save BN from shame status? I'm risk averse and choose cinnamon cronut.



French plus American marriages do not work - too sweet. Scraps go to the wife. I say 5/10, she scores 8. Whenever is the wife right?

Small sample set but the food is well off recommended status.

- Food - 7/10 - theoretical innovation, dishes seem hit-and-miss.
- Value - 7/10 - $4 for a lonesome poached egg. What more is there to say.
- Other - 6/10 - fast turnaround on a weekday, but the weekend wait is ridiculous.
- Overall - 7/10 - innovation for it's own sake. Not your ever day joint.

Food bucket list -1, cafe go-to-list unchanged (at 3), blacklist of friends with a bad recommendation +1.

Will I be returning?
Eyes on the Black Sausage. Once you go black, you can't go back.

There is a specific Class B of brunch institutions proliferating across Sydney. The model is house-bread mounted with various garden-to-plate incarnations at low end pricing.

Notable Inner West classmates include Brickfields, The Wedge, John Smith Cafe and even Cornersmith.

The Cove is a Class B drop-out with an F for value.



The Cove teams up with Bakers Delight in a relentless hatred of the Atkins Diet. "On Sourdough" is a parasite to almost very choice. $20 plus for the usual suspects in eggs-on-toast ... expectations are rock-bottom.

House smoked trout with egg, potato hash on sourdough - $24. Fighting a losing battle to trout infatuation - I hand over the car keys.



Similarities to the Baked Salmon and Potato roast at my local Lawn Bowls Club. Fine quality cross-fire of woody flavours. Bread is unnecessary, but hey the baker needs a job. 7/10.

Black barley, spelt, sesame, sunflower and blueberry porridge - $15. Black barley exists? Race Brunch Repeat (RBR) Law #2 is broken - never order porridge at a cafe.



Like a sub-par girlfriend on a lazy Sunday, this is as boring to spoon as to look at. I'm contemplating self-flagellation..

Fried Beans with Chorizo, Speck, Tomato, Parsley, and Chimichurri on Sourdough - $20. 




Bean overboard on the Port side! Sauce seepage eliminates the possibility of using hands. I'm OK with this, others may not be.

Rust colour shows slow cook, good spice and heat-upon-bite. Needs more sauce plus paired veggies.



As shown, chef commits the ultimate poaching crime. We've never been so insulted. 5/10.

Bruschetta with feta, baba ganoush, cauliflower, chickpeas and preserved lemon -  $15.



Bruschetta is an oversell but complexity surprises. Superbly crispy chickpeas and cauliflower almost disguise the reality - veggies on toast. On par with trout was dish of the day at 7/10.

After a shocker of a poaching job, the chef's hands are shaking. Note the careless mounting job.



Over-flow on all sides. The bread is sinking,  not dissimilar to my score:

- Food - 7/10 - solid flavours but elementary cooking mistakes. Needs non-bread options.
- Value - 5/10 - chef's shaking paws are in my pocket from first bite the last.
- Other - 7/10 - spacious, relaxing and decent service.
- Overall  - 6/10 - OK for price inelastic diners seeking a simple feed.

Will I be returning?
No

The inside set-up occupies an old Nestle Site.



Happy to show face, as it's a first and last visit. Cannot speak for poor J & R.

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.

My brunch cravings often oscillate between (i) rustic and hearty, OR (ii) fresh and healthy. The pre-requisite for both is value, satiety and uniqueness.

Cornersmith's 'garden-on-a-plate' concept is deep in camp (ii). Unfortunately, small portions are no deterrent to a beehive of Inner West hipsters and aspiring dieters alike.

9:30am Sunday kick-off starts with a seriously smooth skim flat white. Cornersmith: 1, home Nespresso machine: 0.



Eyes wide open on the food - order wrong and you'll go home hungry. My mistake per initial 7/10 visit.

There's a $9 or $12 trap to get off first base. Start with eggs-on-toast or a egg-on-leaves. Stand-alone, this is an insult to any thrill seeker.

Real Intellectual Property (IP) is the blackboard 'add-ons' for $6. Choose fresh ham,  picked veggies or some type of green goodness.

In effect, think of chasing down a Mr Whippy's van only to eat soft-serve ice-cream without the choc-top. Mandatory, not optional.

Christina, a seasoned Melb-based bruncher is lured by the ham. She's ventured all this way for eggs, onion relish and ham on toast ....

Poached eggs with relish on sourdough with pasture raised ham - $9 + $6

Fresh protein is dwarfed by the carbs. My interstate friend does not deserve to be down $15 a DIY staple. Relish feels a touch too sweet.

The dormant coeliac in me calls for the salad; one comparable in size to a local pub grub side dish.

Poached egg over breakfast salad - $12

Unsure the composition, but the leaves and herbs are complex. I love it. Is the value salvaged by a divine poach? No. Egg is left too long and the golden-ooze disappoints.

Chef apologises with 34 sesame seeds. This is not divisible by 5. Unacceptable.


For me, size trumps freshness in scoring and this bowl is soul value destructive. 3/10

Stomach cannot leave empty and I circle back on the Ploughman's Plate. Choice is largely based on a fascination with the word 'plough'.

Ploughman's Plate for two - snow peas, apple, ham, pickled veggies and some cheese - $30

Good produce should never be over-worked. This plate takes it one step too far. No excuse to serve chopped apple. Once again, the sesame seeds mark an apology.

Happy to concede to the home-feel of ham, chunky chutney and rustic sourdough. Pickles are way too salty and I feel this needs an egg.

Mr Ploughman's verdict is good balance but no magic. 7/10.

I do leave satisfied and land on 7/10. There is no disingenuous menu over-sell and I credit the Ploughman for saving the day.

My advice?
Provided you come to Cornersmith with acceptance (i) locally-picked produce is priced accordingly and (ii) chef's want you to lose wait, you'll feel right at home.

WIll I be returning?
Yes, the set dinner menu looks fascinating.

Vege Patch - quinoa, chickpea and sweet potato slab with vegetables,  egg and truffle salsa verde - $18

The Majestic - 3 poached eggs, ham, black pudding, baked beans, kale and toast - $19

Eggs al forno with chorizo, mixed beans, potatoes, sugo & sourdough - $12.50

Eggs benedict on sourdough with serrano ham - $14