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Sydney Food

Creperie Suzette: Kid-Friendly Cafes, The Rocks, Sydney

January 16, 2016 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food, The Rocks / 0 comment

This little creperie is a tiny piece of France tucked away in the historic Rocks area of Sydney. In an area chock full of tourist traps, Creperie Suzette brings a welcome touch of French soul food to the area – a welcome respite for visitors to the area who want top notch food without paying exorbitant prices.

We very much enjoyed our crepes from Creperie Suzette. During a trip to France many years back we loved the traditional French style savoury crepes, so it was wonderful to dine on flavoursome crepes that brought back memories of such a wonderful trip to the little town of Giverny, which is where we sampled French crepes for the first time.

We enjoyed: La Biquette (Goats Cheese, Fresh Pesto, Vine Ripened Tomatoes and Rocket
$12), La Tasmanienne (Smocked Tasmanian Salmon, Capers, Cream Fraiche and Fresh Dill $13) and La Fraise (Fresh Strawberries, Dark Chocolate Sauce, Double Cream and Walnuts $12).

Since our strawberry crepe was for Cheese, we requested it minus the chocolaye and walnuts, and they very kindly reduced the price for us to $10, as well as custom making it very happily.

When you’re dining with small kids, it’s really appreciated when cafes are happy to make small changes to menu items to accommodate little fussy diners. It’s tiny details like making families feel like helping them is no problem that guarantees repeat customers and word of mouth recommendations.

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Minimal. Bring an umbrella stroller if possible.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.

Creperie Suzette
34 Harrington St,
The Rocks, Sydney
Phone: (02) 8220 9999
Prices: $
Hours: Sunday to Monday 7.30am-3.30pm
Get Directions

Paper Planes Cafe: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Parramatta, Sydney

January 10, 2016 / Parramatta, South West, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Paper Plane Cafe is quirky little place in Sydney’s South West serving all-day (well, till closing at 2pm) brekkie and burgers. The cafe is a few streets back from the main drag, giving it a bit more of a peaceful feel than you’d expect for the centre of Parramatta.

On the day we visited (a hot Sunday) the cafe was humming with activity, but not so crowded we couldn’t get a seat.

I ordered The Vegetable Plate (platter of scrambled eggs with truffle oil, portobello mushroom, tomatoes, asparagus & sourdough toast with pesto & feta, $19.50). It was so big it could have fed two of us. I regret that I ordered more food for Cheese as she ate one of my pieces of toast and avocado. I loved this massive dish, but would have preferred the eggs without the truffle oil.

The Tiny Dancer (Platter of poached eggs, smoked salmon, capers, avocado, sauteed spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, bocconcini and sourdough toast with Hollandaise sauce, $20.50) was another massive dish that hubbie Alec managed to completely devour.

Extras: Flat White, $3.50, Babyccino, side of Fries.

We had an excellent experience at Paper Plane Cafe. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming, and the food was really delicious. Although they didn’t have any “small” dishes on the menu that I could order for Cheese, I appreciated their suggestion that I could order a side of fries, despite this not being on the menu. In big bold letters on the menu states “no substitutions”, which, as any parent knows, is often the death knell of a dining experience with kids if the menu isn’t a large one to begin with. Thankfully Cheese was happy with the fries and picking at my dish too.

We will be back to try some of their other delicious-sounding dishes such as the French toast.

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

Paper Plane Cafe
5/2 Horwood Pl,
Parramatta
Phone: (02) 8677 4372
Prices: $$
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-2pm, Sat & Sun 9am-2pm
Get Directions

Quay Restaurant: 6th Anniversary Dinner

January 4, 2016 / CBD, Circular Quay, Family, Love, Sydney, Sydney Food / 5 Comments

For our 6th wedding anniversary, Alec and I dined at Quay Restaurant – Australia’s most awarded restaurant, and one of two Australian restaurants on the prestigious S. Pellegrino World’s Top 50 List. The menu, created by chef Peter Gilmore, is modern Australian with Japanese and Chinese influence.

Starters (same for both menus)

Goats curd with frozen sorrel and green tea.

Salad of summer squash, sheep’s milk feta, lemon jam, young almonds

Regular Tasting Menu

Raw smoked Blackmore wagyu,
horseradish soured cream,
fermented rye crisps,
raw funghi

Southern uni, koshihikari rice,
salted yolk, maw, sweet prawn,
caterpillar mushrooms, umami broth

Slow cooked abalone,
smoked confit pig jowl,
fermented shiitake chawanmushi,
bamboo, koji cultured grains

Crayfish, XO sauce, organic radishes

Roast masterstock duck,
scorched pickled cucumber,
sorrel, iceplant, agretti, karkalla

Vegetarian Tasting Menu

Eggplant tartare, horseradish soured cream,
fermented rye crisps, raw funghi

Green asparagus congee, egg yolk emulsion

Fermented shiitake chawanmushi,
hen of the woods mushrooms, bamboo,
koji cultured grains

Silken tofu, XO sauce, organic radishes

Stone pot organic green rice, mountain spinach,
spring cabbage stems, seaweed

Optional cheese course $25
Ours was an amazing swiss cheese cut into a flower shape, on top of a bed of grains and quince.

Desserts – same for both menus.

Snow Egg

Cream, honey, almonds,
muscovado, oloroso caramel, prune

Coffee, Tea and Quay Petits Fours

The staff surprised us with an adorable bonus cupcake to celebrate our anniversary.

The view! Doesn’t get any better than this.

Gorgeous cocktails with a stunning outlook.

Even my bag was well taken care of with a Quay branded purse holder.

We had such a wonderful evening at Quay. From the kind, thoughtful and efficient staff, to the amazingly created food and the snow egg dessert that was well and truly the best dessert either of us has ever tasted, Quay went above and beyond to deliver a dining experience that we will never forget. What a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.

Quay Tasting Menu is $235 pp 8 course degustation

Quay Restaurant
3, Overseas Passenger Terminal, George St & Argyle Street, The Rocks NSW 2000
Reservations
Get Directions

Sheraton On The Park Christmas Edition High Tea

December 11, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 1 Comment

A high tea at the Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, is always a special event. On this occasion, we were sampling the new Christmas Edition High Tea, which promised to get us feeling festive (and full!) in time for the holiday season. Christmas is only 2 weeks away, so I’ve been embracing the holiday spirit this week, starting with an amazing high tea.

The Christmas High Tea comes with scones, sweets and savouries, and your choice of tea, hot chocolate (made with Lindt chocolate) or coffee. I chose the English breakfast, which arrived in a cute glass pot, and made at least three cups of tea.

Scones
Freshly baked chestnut scone and plain scone with strawberry jam, pure double cream and butter
Fois gras – apricot brioche

Savoury
Avocado, mozzarella, tomato open turkish sandwich
Vegetable wrap (vegetarian alternative)
Sandwich with cranberry, tomato, cheese (vegetarian alternative)
Fruit and cheese tart (vegetarian alternative)

Sweet treats
Gingerbread mille feuille with cranberry cream
Pistachio macarons
Orange tart with campari jelly
Black forest trifle
Lemon berry yule log
Warm cinnamon, orange chocolate drink
Almond stolen (on the scone tier)
English fruit cake (on the scone tier)

I really enjoyed the scones at this high tea. Sydney scones are often small and biscuit-like, but the Sheraton ones are bigger and fluffier than most. The jam was tart and not too liquidy (hey, I’m a mess jam-spreader!) and the cream was nice and thick.

The savouries were especially made for this vegetarian, which I always appreciate. I enjoyed the avocado and mozzarella on turkish toast best (which is on the regular menu too), with the delightful hidden pesto giving it a pop of flavour. The vegetable wrap had creamy sweet potato inside, with fresh greens, and the little sandwich has really fresh fluffy bread – again with a surprising spread of cranberry inside that made the flavours that bit extra vibrant.

There were a lot more sweets on this platter than on most high teas. I managed to fit one of everything in somehow (yes I’m still feeling full the day after), with my favourites being the very chocolaty trifle and lemon berry yule log. The trifle had three tiers of components plus grated chocolate on top, all of which, when scooped up together, made for a perfect chocolatey mouthful. The lemon berry yule log had one of my fave combinations of lemon and berries, wrapped in a little scroll shape.

The chocolate orange drink was a tiny sip of heaven (I love chocolate and orange together), and the gingerbread mille feuille was just divine. The crispy gingerbread wafers combined with the cranberry cream made for a light and refreshing treat – as well as being extremely pretty.

I also enjoyed the macaron with its fresh berry centre, and the little slice of fruit and nut Christmas cake, and the “almond stole”, which was kind of like a tea cake with almond inside. Light, fresh and sweet.

I highly enjoyed the Christmas high tea, and would strongly recommend it for a special outing in the lead up to Christmas. It’s only available until Dec 24, so get in quick!

The Christmas Edition High Tea Stand includes one coffee or tea per person. $109 for two. Additional cost for sparkling wine

The Christmas Edition High Tea is served Mon-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-2pm and 2:30pm-4:30pm until December 24th.

Sheraton On The Park High Tea
161 Elizabeth Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9286 6000
Prices: $$$
Get Directions

Thank you to Sheraton On The Park for hosting us.

Bake Bar: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Randwick, Sydney

November 30, 2015 / Eastern Suburbs, Randwick, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

I’ve been going to Bake Bar weekly for about a year now and only just took my camera there for the first time to take some pictures for a blog post. It’s one of my favourite little cafes that I’m reluctant to share incase it gets even busier!

Bake Bar is kind of the perfect cafe to take kids to. It’s casual, with an open layout on a busy road (so you don’t need to worry about the noise your kiddos might make!), and it has a really cute little nook in the back that’s perfect for holing up with kids for a cosy coffee and snack.

There are two places to order food inside – one to sit down and one to go. I love this and sometimes will grab something from the “to go” counter and perch at one of the stools for a bit with my daughter, maybe snack a bit, then leave with her to the playground that’s just up the road.

Bake Bar is famous for their amazing sourdough bread. I buy a loaf every week (bonus points because they slice it for me!) as well as a berry scone with poppy seeds, a chocolate croissant for Cheese and a bagel for Alec. The bread is so incredibly good. It’s so soft and fluffy with a firm but not hard crust. There’s nothing worse than bread with a tough crust that hurts the roof of your mouth.

If you’re thinking of dining in, here’s what we ate on our most recent visits: Avocado & Tomato (on sourdough, $9.50) plus Haloumi ($3), Gusto’s Famous Brekkie Combo fruit salad yoghurt (small $7.50), Eggs Poached (served with tomato, spinach & your choice of hollandaise or yoghurt basil pesto $11.50) and the Chunky Beef Pie $5.50.

I love the avocado and tomato on sourdough because the bread is a star at Bake Bar, so you know it’s going to be good. My other favourite dish is the fruit salad yogurt because it’s light and filling at the same time. You can make your own combination from their muesli bar too, and add in granola or a berry coulis.

Bake Bar does get busy particularly on weekends, but there is a fast turnover of tables so the wait is never long. If you take your kids, they have a small selection of books you can find to read to them stored underneath the water cooler.

Before you go, grab one of their delicious pastries for the road. The fruit tarts are excellent, as are the croissants.

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

Bake Bar
67 Frenchmans Rd,
Randwick NSW 2031
Phone: (02) 8021 0728
Prices: $
Hours: Daily 6am-6pm
Get Directions

5th Earl Rosebery: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Sydney

November 29, 2015 / Inner West, Roseberry, Sydney, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Rosebery in Sydney’s inner east has been exploding lately with new cafes. The latest I’ve noticed is 5th Earl Rosebery, a cute little place that opened a week ago near to my favourite Black Star.

When I saw the sign encouraging cake eating, I knew we had to try it out.

The cafe has a large indoor and outdoor area with plenty of tables and space. It has a bit of an eclectic vibe, with miss matched chairs and chalkboard menus.

At the counter lives a delicious looking assortment of pastries, including croissants by Grumpy’s.

We arrived during a particularly busy period and were delighted by the particularly good service. I’m pretty sure it was the owner who greeted us and cleared a table for us pronto, on the outdoor baloney area (always my fave place to sit cos the lighting is better!). The balcony is completely covered, so no chance of sunburn in high summer.

We ordered a fresh Apple Juice ($6), kids’ Bacon And Eggs (with bread soldiers, $9), Zucchini and Corn Fritters (with asparagus, shaved Spanish ham – exchanged for avocado – roasted tomatoes, 2 poached eggs and pomegranate molasses, $17) and the Burger (with fries, price unknown).

The eggs were a large serving and come in a choice of fried, poached or scrambled. We don’t eat bacon, so that’s not in the picture.

I appreciated the option to swap the ham for a vegetarian ingredient. I really enjoyed the fritters. The asparagus was a nice touch (love asparagus!), the roasted tomato was nice and juicy and the eggs perfectly poached.

Alec’s burger was a great size with a cute little container of fries. The apple juice was deliciously sweet. Really once of the nicest juices I’ve had in a long time.

The service was particularly noteworthy. After sitting down next to a large group, we were told that it would take 20-25 minutes for our meals and did we still want to wait. I really appreciated being told, particularly with the little one who has a short attention span.

The staff kindly put through Cheese’s dish quickly and ours followed soon after. Despite the warning of a long wait, the food all came out within 15 minutes of ordering. The staff repeatedly came and checked on us and our meals too, in case we needed anything. It’s service like this that turns curious diners into regulars.

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

5th Earl Rosebery
34 Morley Ave,
Rosebery
Phone: (02) 8338 1110
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 6:30am-3:30pm
Get Directions

Moo Gourmet Burgers, Bondi Beach: Kid-Friendly Cafes, Bondi, Sydney

November 15, 2015 / Bondi, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

I love a good burger! Being vegetarian makes it hard to find good burgers, so I was very excited when walking past Moo Gourmet Burgers in Bondi to see their menu out front listed three different types of vegetarian burgers.

Moo Gourmet Burgers is a small chain of burger stores focusing on producing great burgers, amazing shakes, and addictive chips. Moo Gourmet Burgers only uses ethically farmed, free range, free to roam, sustainable products free from hormone growth promotants and antibiotic treatments. Their menu includes 20 different gourmet burgers.

All beef burgers are made with 100% Australian Grasslands Premium Beef. As well as the 3 vegetarian options there is a selection of premium burgers including the double Wagyu beef “Deluxe Moo®”, Duck & Bacon, Greek Lamb, and Grilled Salmon.

Kids under 12 can choose from the “Little Cow®” menu which includes a choice of 3 menu options (including a vegetarian burger), a drink, and a dessert.

Multigrain and gluten free buns are on offer.

You know a restaurant is kid-friendly when you sit down and a box of crayons and drawing paper appears immediately on your table. The walls are covered with the drawings of Moo’s kiddie customers too – another good sign.

We ordered the kids’ Mini Falafel Burger with Hummus and a chocolate milkshake, $10.95, a Vanilla Malt Milkshake, $6, the Grilled Haloumi vegetarian burger, $14.50, Kangaroo Burger, $16.50 and a side of Sweet Potato Chips, $5.50. All in all, a bit expensive for burgers, but I guess you’re paying for the view, too.

The kids’ milkshake came in the cutest cup – a miniature version of the adult one. Both shakes were classic, old school Aussie shakes.

The Bondi branch of Moo Gourmet Burgers overlooks Bondi Beach.

The kids’ burger came with a small side of chips and a little side salad. It was the perfect size for little kids – and still way too much food for my little Cheese to be able to finish.

My haloumi burger was delicious: pureed avocado, haloumi, tomato, rocket and cucumber on a fluffy fresh bun. Hubbie’s kangaroo burger was “great”. He loves word economy.

We thoroughly enjoyed our burgers at Moo Gourmet. A great easy dining option with plenty for everyone to eat and a laidback atmosphere perfect for families.

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

Moo Gourmet Burgers
70A Campbell Parade,
Bondi Beach NSW 2026
Phone: (02) 9300 8898
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 11am-9:30pm
Get Directions

Sleeping Beauty High Tea at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Hotel

November 14, 2015 / CBD, Sydney, Sydney Food / 4 Comments

The combination of two of my favourite things makes for an irresistible outing. I’ve been a lover of ballet my entire life, and of high teas for a good 10 years or so. Together, they are a bit magical!

I’ve booked tickets this year to see the Australian Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty and also their children’s version of the Sleeping Beauty Storytime Ballet. An evening at the ballet has been a highlight of mine over the years. One of my dearest friends and I have been seeing attending the ballet every year since our university days, and recently have started taking our daughters to the Australian Ballet’s children’s performances too. When I saw the Sofitel Wentworth had a new high tea inspired by the Australian Ballet’s new Sleeping Beauty ballet, I knew we had to go, and take the girls too.

The Sleeping Beauty High Tea is available for a limited time only (Nov 1 2015 – Jan 31 2016) and is an excellent showcase of the skills of their talented Head pastry Chef Vai Hong Lo and internationally renowned Executive Chef Boris Cuzon.

Sleeping Beauty High Tea at the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel via christineknight.me

The high tea is timed to co-incide with David McAllister’s lavish reimagining of The Sleeping Beauty, performing at the Sydney Opera House from 01 November 2015 – 31 January 2016. I have tickets towards the end of November and I am counting down the days.

If you too are a ballet and high tea lover, then you too may enjoy a decadent afternoon indulging in both of your loves at the same time.

Another detail worth noting is the Sofitel Sydney’s collaboration with lifestyle designer Cristina Re. Her vintage-inspired exclusive Signature High Tea collection is now a part of the luxury high tea experience. I really enjoyed the delicate China in its beautiful pinks and purples with 24 carat gold finishes. A really modern China with romantic colours, a perfect fit for the ballet theme as you can see from the images.

The Sofitel Sydney has amazing attention to detail with their high teas. The menu for the special high tea was specially printed with a floral design, as were the colouring in sheets given to the girls to occupy them. The purple ribbons around the cutlery were a gorgeous touch.

The table was beautifully set up for our arrival, including a glass full of pencils for the girls to use to colour in. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness in regards to the girls, who, at 4 and 6, are on the young side to be taking to a high tea, mostly because they both eat like birds and also aren’t the best at sitting still for long periods.

Our tea choices arrived in individual pots, each contained at least 3, maybe 4 cups of tea. Much appreciated as I love, love, love tea.

Even though the children’s tea is advertised as coming with soft drink, Cheese was offered a more suitable hot chocolate option, which came with a sweet heart flower design (she loved it), and a little square of chocolate. The barista was particular to make it very lukewarm so as not to burn her little tongue. Cheese tipped a (hopefully clean) finger in and pronounced it perfect.

The teas arrived looking absolutely amazing. The children’s high tea is actually exactly the same as the adult’s high tea but is served with the soft drinks instead of a pot of tea. This makes it the best value children’s high tea I’ve ever seen.

Sweet layer 1:
Raspberry and white chocolate dome
Vanilla bean choux
“Kiss” chocolate tartlet

Sweet layer 2:
Macarons
Candy floss “spindle” – the feature element in the high tea is this “spindle in a glass” consisting of a spindle shaped chocolate with pink and blue fairy floss.
Fairy bread cheese cake

Savoury layer:
Scones, cream, jam
Smoked salmon, cucumber, multigrain bread
Roasted beef, mustard, tomato, brioche
Mushroom quiche
* Avocado, cucumber, tomato on brioche
* Vegetable pesto on multigrain bread

The highlight sweet for me was the raspberry and white chocolate dome and vanilla bean choux. I really love fruity desserts and the raspberry dome was lovely and tangy with its tartness. The vanilla bean choux was kind of like a profiteroles but better – light and fluffy and stuffed with the most amazing creamy custard.

Cheese loved the fairy floss in the cup. She actually ate all three of them before I could stop her. They were delicious from the tiny bit I managed to snaffle. Not sickeningly sweet like the commercial fairy floss you usually get. Both the girls loved the “lips” on the chocolate tart – playing with them more than eating them, but they did have a lot of fun and they were eventually eaten and enjoyed.

Out of the savouries I enjoyed the quiche the most – I am very partial to a good quiche! Nice buttery pastry on the outside, fluffy eggy centre with bits of leek and mushroom throughout. The sandwiches were made with lovely fresh bread and toppings. Sandwiches often get served hard edge to them that shows they’ve been out in the air too much, but these were so soft and fluffy.

The scones were on the smaller side, more like an American biscuit than an English scone. The petite size actually helped in that I could eat them both – the plain and current one – without getting completely full on just the scones. They came served with two good sized bowls of jam and cream. The jam was a burst of fruit flavour, but i would have liked it to be a tad thicker only to stop me from making a mess of it when I tried to spoon it onto the scones and failed miserably when I got the tablecloth instead. I enjoyed the thickly whipped cream.

Both the girls started to get restless towards the end and made their own “tea” out of milk, tea, hot chocolate and whatever else they could get their grimy little hands on. A massive thank you to the attentive and tolerant staff who didn’t blink at their “delicious” concoctions.

The Sleeping Beauty High Tea is available 01 November 2015 – 31 January 2016.

$59* per person including a glass of Veuve Clicquot

$65* per person including sparkling wine for the duration

$39* per child (5-12 years) inclusive of soft drinks

*Vegetarian substitutions

Sofitel Sydney Wentworth
61-101 Phillip Street,
Sydney NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9228 9188
Bookings
Get Directions

Thank you to the Sofitel Wentworth for hosting us. All opinions and “adorable” children are our own.

Cow and Moon: Sydney’s Best Gelato

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

Hi, my name’s Christine, and I’m a gelato-aholic. I have a serious problem with ice cream and gelato, and honestly visiting Cow and Moon in Enmore does not help. This little inner-west gelataria has had a line out the door since they were awarded best gelato in the world, winning the Gelato World Tour in Rimini, Italy.

The flavour that won Cow and Moon the title was their almond affogato flavour, a re-creation of classic affogato. None of our family like coffee-flavoured gelato, so we all had something different off the menu. Their Strawberry Balsamic is often raved about, but we chose the Breakfast Mix (berries, yoghurt and cereal), Hokey Pokey (big chunks of toffee in creamy vanilla) and classic Chocolate.

Gelato cakes – this one was $42.

The smallest gelato size is $5.50 in a cup or cone, with a choice of one or two flavours. This size was perfect for an adult but too big for a small child. I’d love to see a “tiny” version with half the amount of gelato in it for kids.

The gelato was, as promised, amazing. Right up there with my other favourite, Messina Gelato, as some of the best gelato I’ve ever tasted. There’s a good reason people line up for this stuff – it’s amazing. I really enjoy gelato that is bursting with flavours and full of chunky ingredients. Cow and Moon have indeed perfected gelato and I can’t wait to go back.

Cow and Moon is a cafe, so you can order coffee and food if you’re not in the mood for gelato, or just sit and slowly enjoy your scoops like we did.

Have you been to Cow and Moon? What’s your favourite flavour?

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

Cow and Moon
181 Enmore Rd,
Enmore NSW 2042
Phone: (02) 9557 4255
Prices: $
Hours: Sun-Thurs 8:30am-10:30pm, Fri & Sat 8:30am-11:30pm
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
Get Directions