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Newtown

Flour Drum: Kid-Friendly Restaurants Newtown Sydney

May 11, 2016 / Inner West, Newtown, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

A few weeks ago we stopped by Flour Drum in Newtown when we were looking at properties in the area. We were desperate for food to eat on the go, and were beyond delighted with the food Flour Drumm put together for us, including an egg and bacon roll that Mr Adventure devoured, and a yogurt parfait that they custom made for me, despite not being on the menu. They were so friendly and the food so good that we had been keen to get back there for a full meal every since.

Flour Drum’s motto is seasonal, simple and fresh. The decor is rustic with a side of hip, and the ambiance is warm and welcoming.

The menu is painted all over the walls, and includes all-day-breakfast and daily specials. They have a wide variety of meals, including plenty for this vegetarian to choose from. While there isn’t a designated kid’s menu, the team are happy to whip something up for little ones – in our case, it was a kid’s serving of scrambled eggs and toast.

Out the back is a little garden area filled with things for tiny guests to discover such as a pond with gold fish, a dollhouse, and a barbie campervan when we visited. The dollhouse is particularly interesting as it’s mounted on the wall rather than being on the ground. I looked it up online afterwards and read that the dollhouse was installed to appease a possible ghost of a young girl who’s spirit was said to visit the cafe.

We didn’t encounter any ghosts (I guess the dollhouse works!) but did enjoy the warm staff and delicious, wholesome food. Flour Drum sources ingredients from local suppliers including fresh eggs delivered straight from the farm, daily baked hand-made rustic breads, boutique artisan coffee, milk delivered directly from the farm and housemade muesli, jams, preserves, peanut butters and sauces.

The cafe is very kid-friendly – as well as being accessible for strollers and wheelchairs with disabled access, a disabled wash room, high chairs for babies and nappy change facilities.

During our visit we enjoyed Free Range Eggs with sourdough ($9), avocado ($5) and tomato relish ($5). The lovely waitress was a bit concerned I wouldn’t like the relish so gave me fresh tomato too, bless! Mr Adventure Enjoyed house-made Lasagna and iceberg lettuce salad which I think it making a comeback as the new popular lettuce on the block (move over, kale!).

Oh, and don’t forget the babyccinos – they’re FREE OF CHARGE and come in the cutest little smiley mug with a marshmallow. You can’t get more welcoming than that.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: Yes.
Kids’ menu: No.

Flour Drum
531 King St,
Newtown
Phone: (02) 9565 2822
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Sat 7am-4pm, Sun 8am-4pm
Get Directions

Cuckoo Calley: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Newtown, Sydney

November 9, 2015 / Inner West, Newtown, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Newtown is the place to go if you want quirkiness in abundance. The suburb is vibrant, artsy and always just a little bit different, which makes it one of my favourites in Sydney for just about everything. The cafe scene in Newtown has been revitalised in the past five years in particular, matching the quirk-factor with quality, often innovative, food.

On our recent Newtown visit we brunched at Cuckoo Calley, a very quirky cafe situated in the Newtown train station historic building. The cafe prides itself on having the best coffee, marvelous food, nifty design and the friendliest staff. “A destination spot”.

The cafe looks small from the outside, but has a fair amount of space within, as well as the seats that spill onto the pavements. Dogs are more than allowed, they are welcomed with open arms and special doggie items on the menu. Pooches can order themselves Pupples ($3, homemade dog treats) or a Pupchino ($3, made of goats milk).

The customer next to us thoroughly enjoyed both his pupachino as well as the chin scratches the staff gave him each time they walked past.

The tables had these great Campbell’s soup tins for cutlery and fresh flowers. Great splashes of colour to liven up the decor.

Cuckoo Calley is one of the friendliest cafes we have ever been to. EVER. Nowhere else has Cheese been welcomed so effusively. The amazing staff not only greeted her, but took the time to ask her about what she was playing with, what their names were, etc. When a cafe makes kids feel welcome like this, it makes the parents feel at ease, helps everyone relax, and ensures a great dining experience for everyone.

Gluten-free treats available at the counter.

We ordered George’s Gorgeous Cousin ($17, Marinated avocado and thyme infused confit heirloom tomatoes on sourdough, goats curd, house made basil pesto, lemon herb gremolata and a 63° egg), Kids Cheese Jaffle, $5, and the Kids Nutella Milkshake, $5.

My George’s Gorgeous Cousin was so delicious. The addition of spices like dukkah in the pesto just lifted the dish to the ned level of deliciousness – all those vibrant tastes with the fresh zesty tomatoes, creamy avocado and just the right amount of goat’s curd, were just deliciious. Cheese’s toastie was perfectly cooked (amazingly it seems hard to get toast served that is not burnt) and she devoured it, as well as the Nutella milkshake that was actually the perfect size for kids and gone in about 20 seconds.

The menu had a lot more vegetarian options than most cafes have, so I will absolutely be back to try every single one of them. We need more cafes like this in Sydney, where everyone feels welcome and at home.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Cuckoo Calley
Newtown Railway station,
324A King St,
Newtown NSW 2042
Phone: (02) 9557 7006
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 6am-4pm, Sat 8am-4pm, Sun 8am-3pm
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Brewtown Newtown: The Best Sydney Inner West Cafes

April 8, 2015 / Inner West, Newtown, Sydney, Sydney Food / 4 Comments

Newtown has long been a place where Sydney’s hip hangs out, but it’s really only been in the past few years that the area has seen an arrival of trendy eateries popping up. Newtown Brewtown is the epitome of the revival that’s happening in Newtown right now. It’s deliberately grungy-looking on the surface, but is actually a bit of an upscale eatery with a creative menu, and infamous Bronuts (Brewtown x cronuts).

We ordered freshly squeezed orange juice ($5) and a babyccino when we arrived to stem the hunger we’d worked up from biking over to the cafe. Note: Parking in Newtown is impossible. Where possible, get public transport.

Cheese had a pumpkin bread that was out of this world. Lots of crunchy seeds, a bit slab of some kind of maple butter. So more-ish.

Alec had the Wood Smoked Salmon (with curried Israeli couscous, poached egg, coriander, lime, $16.5). His report was that it was amazing, and unlike anything he’d ever been served for breakfast before.

My dish was the Poached Eggs on toast (with house relish, $10), and a side of avocado. The eggs were perfect, the avocado creamy and generous.

I love iced tea like nothing else, and was delighted to find Brewtown offered specially brewed iced teas. Today’s was Egyptian Rose ($6). So. So. Good.

The tables and interior in general is super tiny. No room for strollers or bulky bags, or for toys for kids to play with. We brought an activity book for Cheese and abandoned it for an iPhone when our food arrived and we needed the space.

A trip to Brewtown isn’t complete without a bronut. How beautiful do they look? We took one for the road because were were too full to eat it there.

Just a short walk away from Brewtown is Camperdown Memorial Rest Park, which has a large playground. Tables on weekends will incur a wait (ours was 30 minutes) due to how popular the cafe has become. My advice: put your name down and head down to the park for a short walk and play.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Brewtown Newtown
6-8 O’Connell Street,
Newtown NSW 2042
Phone: (02) 9519 2920
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 8am-4pm
Get directions.

Black Star Pastry and Cafe: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Newtown

November 11, 2014 / Inner West, Newtown, Sydney Food / 0 comment

When my Instagram feed became full of images of amazing looking cakes from Black Star Pastry, I put the cafe on my must-do-soon list. And voila, a week or so later, I had the opportunity to drop by the Newtown Black Star to try their famous food for myself.

A little back story: Black Star Pastry was opened in October 2008 by chef Christopher Thé. His focus on baking the perfect (edible) moment and giving people the ability to share it with others has given him a cult following among dessert lovers in Sydney.

The Newtown cafe is tiny and better suited to takeaway. If you visit during the week you are likely to score a cosy window seat. Weekends, however, the queue is out the door.

While the cafe sells a variety of pastries and cakes, the star dish is the Strawberry and Watermelon cake. You can buy it buy the slice for $7, or an entire slab of it to take to a party. The cake is light and fluffy, with a crunch of fresh sweetness given by the slice of watermelon in the middle of the cake.

We also ordered the croissants, which are giant and a bit on the pricey side, but are extremely delicious – light, fresh, flaky goodness.

If you’re visiting with kids, I’d advise dropping by for takeaway and then walking a block back down the street to the playground in the Camperdown Memorial Rest Park.

Highchairs: No.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Black Star Pastry and Cafe
277 Australia St,
Newtown, NSW
Phone: (02) 9557 8656
Prices: $
Hours: Daily 7am-5pm
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