Race, Brunch, Repeat

Deep in the depths of ‘hanger’ in our maiden trip to Eastwood at midday, how on earth did the misses and I find ourselves so desperate for a good brunch? Can't speak for Lorie, but I went head-to-head with some beautiful but brutal trail runs the same morning.

The long long lead-up

We checked out Café Centro, a 'hole in the wall’ set-up discretely nestled amongst a rag-tag bunch of Asian noodle houses and grocers on the main strip. The interior is compact, clean and unassuming.

Actually the staff are top notch – attentive, quick service and happy to recommend dishes. I noted the petite figure of the waitress and conclude not to ask advice on portion size. Coffee looks good but $4 proves too big an obstacle for me.

Barista in action

Menu choices are plain-Jane but and well-priced ( under $16). I love it when what you read is what you eat - toast, benedict eggs, pancakes and fritters with various add-ons.

Lorie goes for deliciously sounding poached eggs on crispy potato cake with smoked salmon and watercress. Salmon portion is generous, watercress adds a ‘pepperiness’ but the potato cake lacks the crisp-factor. She likes it and texture-aside, I concur.

Poached eggs on crispy potato cake with smoked salmon and watercress - $15.50

I choose scrambled eggs with peas & speck - FYI ‘speck’ is just bacon. Maybe I'm boring but the idea of peas cooked in stock and roughly smashed is exciting. Floating bacon bits detract from what is a healthy option, but the saltiness helps some pretty ordinary scrambled eggs. Overall tasty, looks good but quite forgettable.

Scrambled egg with peas & speck on sourdough - $14.00

So today's lesson is this ... what's the best treatment for hanger? Fast service and a full stomach. How can I prove the kitchen delivered on both? Well, I was on talking terms with my wife by the end.

Food - 7.5/10 - clean flavours, not over-complicated and executed pretty well.
Value - 7/10 - reasonable, just like Eastwood house prices (relatively speaking).
Other - 8/10 - great staff, no frills setting but probably hard to relax with the bustle outside.
Overall - 7.5/10 - gut feel says this could be one of the better cafes in the area.

So despite an non-promiscuous menu, Cafe Centro gets my stamp of approval as a simple, satisfying feed if you happen to be in Eastwood. Personally, it's not worth revisiting nor driving out of your way just to try.

Sotto on West is located on West Street, directly opposite to a larger arch nemesis in Cafe Eighty Ate (see review here). It's a good setup - well lit, cool spring breeze and a decor best described as both fun and homely. Staff are early 20s, friendly and service is quick.

Tip of the day - 'Hangry' wife equals miserable life

Is it unfair to deliberately move my long-run to Saturday just to accommodate my food adventures? Of course not... I am hungry, on the hunt for a solid brunch and my pencil is sharp.

What do you do whilst waiting for brunch-o-clock?

Trio of mushrooms with poached eggs, goats cheese, asparagus on toast - $17.50

Any item with 'salad' always carries the risk of being over-priced rabbit food. So I did my due diligence on the warm winter green salad with poached eggs. I asked the (petite) waitress if this was hearty, to which the response was "yes its filling and you get a lot of greens."  Good enough answer for me so ordered it I did.

Warm winter salad with poached eggs - $17.00

When served, I pleaded with the waitress with my best puppy dog eyes 'where did the rest of it go'? Maybe I am too harsh, so here is a positive - fresh, crisp and clean flavours for the first three bites ... but then I was staring at an empty plate. I can also attest to the fact that my poached eggs were smaller than Lorie's dish.

The fancy balsamic criss-cross dressing underneath is best translated as 'I am a $5 dish dressed as a $17 dish' . It added nothing aside from arrogance, and the only time I ever want to see a criss-cross is on a hot cross bun. I was in a poor mood in the aftermath, a sentiment my wife had to deal with for the rest of the day.

Money not well spent

Goodbye forever Sotto on West

 

Cafe Eighty Ate is a medium-sized, semi-outdoor local cafe that sits on West Street. I need to confess having 'Ate' in the name is a real draw-card for me. I also run/ride past this place on the way to work most mornings.

Cafe Eighty Ate - bustling trade along West Street

Judging a brunch venue comes down to taste, value and size; all three are intrinsically correlated. A dish is only good value if it tastes good and I go home satisfied...My caveat? I eat healthy, am frugal and have a big appetite.

The stock menu is completely uninspiring and revolves around eggs and other staples (french toast, bacon, pancakes). Pricing is mid-range and an omelette costs $12.90.

Luckily there is a few'weekend specials; six to choose and pricer at $15-19. My eyes instantly fix on "shakshuka with poached eggs" which I know to be a very safe bet. Tragically Lorie thinks the same way and I am left with a menu staple, avocado and salsa on toast plus 2 poached eggs.

Shakshuka with poached eggs - $19

The shakshuka takes dish of the day by a mile. Highly aromatic, rich tomato base that has a mild chilli kick and reasonably balanced seasoning. It's got that chukiness that good baked dishes have, not too watery. The side of dukkah gives a rough, 'earthy' flavour and the cumin really comes through.

Avocado and salsa ($10.50) with two poached eggs ($3.60)

My avocado on toast is satisfying enough, reasonably presented but essentially what you'd expect from a half decent kitchen. Frankly I spent most of my time staring Lorie down, desperately hoping she would tap out early and leave me some.

OK two great things about a wife that is 4 foot 10 inch and weighs under 40kg. Benefit one - I look like basketballer Yao Ming in photos. Benefit two - I always get her leftovers. I grabbed the remaining soughdough and rye bread and polished off the shakshuka. Guilt free and happy!

Self-proclaimed Yao Ming of brunches

As you'll see in my summary below, my only gripe was food taking 25 minutes to serve and prices on the high end. The cafe does not try to over-achieve. I'm sick of overly pretentious cafes that hide mediocre dishes with clever names or go after the word 'superfood' like a fat kid on cake.

There's a great cafe culture along Crows Nest and according to Urbanspoon, St Malo Bakery is amongst the top picks.

It's a recipe for success - award winning, buzzing with locals, Parisian-feel, dimly lit wooden fit-outs, outdoor pavement seating and freshly baked goods on display.

St Malo Bakery front - very inviting

Disclaimer - I was pretty hungry post a 30km run with the Sydney Striders. My friendly brunch partner (aka Lorie, or wife) took position on tables along the main pavement.

Eager wife waiting for a feed

Menu ticks most boxes: granola, pancakes, egg-variations and lots of breads. Two other choices catching my eye were french toast and baked eggs (a great breakfast yardstick). With the hot weather, I choice a chose a pearl-barley and vegetable salad.

Usually I'm a big fan of alternative grain salads. Texture is king and the chewiness of pearl-barley complemented the crunch of cherry tomatoes, carrots and celery. Good news ends there. The dish was completely tasteless and I lost interest within two spoonfuls. They really need an interesting dressing (e.g. pesto).

Healthy option - pearl barley and vegetable salad - $9.50

Peering over at the wife's dish (corn fritters and bacon), I was baffled. Where was the rest of it? Fritters tasted like fritters, bacon tasted like bacon - any man, his dog and his (or her) kitchen can get these right. The real let-down was a lack of eggs or signature bread to add.

Corn fritters and bacon  - $16

If you think the dishes were bad, sadly the service was worse. Our waitress had no interest in interacting, did not clean other tables and mumbled when we asked where to find water, pepper or whether to order from her or the counter.

Before leaving, we were desparate for a positive, and found it in the raspberry chocolate brownie.

Raspberry chocolate vs. chocolate brownie - easy choice

Within 5 minutes of the car trip, sounds of intense pleasure caught my attention and I saw my wife burying her face in the brownie (or what was left of it). All I got was some crumbs, but it was good.

Dose Espresso ... the epitomy of the lower North Shore. A blend between posh and hipster, suited to young familes. Is this the next great find?

I was tipped off they do the best coffee around. Lorie and I however are not coffee people. I turned up for brunch off the back of a 30km morning run, looking for an honest, well-priced and generous feed.

Rustic, open table courtyard ... translation 'I live on the North Shore and love it'

The counter has a great range of pre-prepared sandwiches, salads and a mix of decadent carb/butter-laden goodies. The breakfast menu is not out-of-this-world; an assortment of toasts with spreads, porridge (or variations), egg dishes and a salad.

Being a bean-fan, my eyes were drawn to chickpeas and red beans on soughdough toast with a double poached egg. At $17, I was expecting a pretty hearty meal.

Sadly what I received was two nicely toasted but thin slices dipped in a child-size bowl of watery beans (in tomato sauce). Dish lacked size, seasoning and spice not to mention the bread does not absorb flavour well if the sauce base is too watery. Not sure why the lemon is there, nor why they felt it necessary to slather the dish in sour-cream. Who puts sour-cream with tomato beans?

The salsa-looking substance sung a nice red colour. That's the nicest thing I can say about that.

Mixed beans with poached eggs - $17

While I sulked about my lost $17 (imagine how many cheap eats that is worth in Hunter Arcade), Lorie picked away at her Yallah eggs. No idea what the name means but there is clearly a Middle-Eastern theme at play.

Dish one-liner - toasted turkish bread with poorly seasoned scrambled egg plus two dips of hummus and tzatziki. Add the some olives and a rocket leaf and call it a house special.

I ended up nibbling sadly on the last two turkish bread pieces. Lorie wasn't too keen on the dish either, and this is coming from a woman with very low (food) standards.

Yallah eggs - $15

I was too deflated to try 'the best coffee in Sydney' and did not stick around. Amazing how a place like this can be so popular. Chatswood and Willoughby fundamentally lack quality brunch venues - real heartbreak.

Won't be returning here again. I'd rather go to Bakers Delight, buy some bread, microwave some eggs and eat breakfast in bed in my PJs.

Food - 4/10 - poorly seasoned, uninteresting menu. Where's the baked eggs?
Value - 3/10 - servings much too small for the price.
Other - 5/10 - nice, quaint little setting and good for families. Service nothing special.
Overall - 4/10 - conceptual points for the hypothetically amazing coffee.

Hey, at least Lorie seemed happy to spend some quality time - that's worth its weight in gold.

Happy wife, happy life

Some runners after Sunday long runs swear by chocolate milk, protein shakes or recovery bars. What do I do? I go brunching.

Lorie and I ventured out to About Life in Cammaray for our 1 year anniversary. Its a blended wholefoods grocer and cafe that sits on the north side of Miller street.

Celebratory brunch at About Life, Cammaray

Being a seasoned 'bruncher' that looks for taste, value and honesty above all else; what did I think?

Menu is fairly narrow, ranges $12-19 mains and has a variety of healthy options (egg variations, crazy smoothies, quinoa dishes).

I chose the smoked salmon and kale omelette, a blackboard special. Serving was generous, just the right amount of seasoning. Nonetheless, I am a touch insulted by the name 'superfood omelette' - think just a hearty omelette with some shredded kale and a few pieces of smoked salmon.

It just highlights the level of over-saturation of the word 'superfood' in today's food talk. Coming back to the dish, it's OK but still something I could whip up similar at home.

Superfood omelette - smoked salmon and kale - $15.50

Dish of the day goes to Lorie's choice - paleo breakfast with sweet potato frittata/hash and poached eggs. I got the classic food envy watching her bury her face in the sweet potato. I loved the crunchy texture of the hash which is a good balance to the oozing egg yolk.

Paleo Breakfast - $15.90

Biggest gripe was smoothies with over 10 ingredients and prices that made my eyes bleed. Charging $16.50 for a 'superfood' smoothie is like asking me to give up running - not going to happen. Scores as follows: