If you find yourself wandering through the busy hustle of Newtown to the quieter edge of Enmore, you are now in the hush-hush circle of some new age food buzz scene going on every weekend.
Newtown might always take the favourite for brunch time, but Enmore is probably one of the most diverse eating areas in outer Sydney you will experience on one street. From African to Turkish ice cream, this place is the eating melting pot that enjoys a little obscurity overshadowed by its big sister next door making it peaceful and quiet – perfect for some late brunching!
The truth of the day was, we were supposed to check out some vegan food but ended up finding Secret Garden and past the vertical flower arrangements and curtained fern vines, was a cozy hole-in-the-wall that was pretty damn cool to walk away from.
Setting and Atmosphere
Rating: ★★★★
First impressions count and Secret Garden sure does welcome you to “smell the roses.”
Every corner to the ceiling is filled with an assortment of plants both fake and real which proves, if you have a theme you better go hard or go home!
Is this a garden or some tropical jungle we stepped into?
However you may define it, the decor is a good transition from the day cafe (7am – 5pm) to the bar at night (5pm – 11pm).
Think small and cozy communal lounging or get intimate in the loveeee seater under the canopy (oh-la-la).
Food
Rating: ★★★
Browsing through the cafe menu, you’ll find your standard favourites of bacon and poached eggs to fancy steak sandwiches.
Until you see dinner.
Have you heard of ‘arepas’ before? Neither have we until we came to Secret Garden.
It’s a Colombian white corn meal pocket with filling and sounds interesting only, they serve it at night. Why?!
We gave up being vegetarians today for you~ sigh
But moving along, we chowed down to some of their other cafe grub to ease the pain.
Talyssa was in the mood for something avocado and light so the “Poached Eggs” was the obvious choice.
Recalling back, I don’t remember seeing or tasting feta or lemon oil which would have been nice.
For $16, I’d would say even with 2 eggs on top, without the other elements, it’s slightly better than your usual piece of toast.
Crushed again to hear that they sold out on the “Black and Blue” (rare roast beef sandwich), I opted for the “Montreal Ruben (typo for Reuben?)” instead and I’m glad I did.
I loved the sauerkraut and pickle combo which cut through the heaviness of the cheese and the swap for smoked wagyu instead of the usual pastrami was a good choice. It really showed off a mature side when eaten.
I wasn’t too sure about the side of Wasabi Potato Salad as I felt it didn’t really match together and the noticeable hit of wasabi was missing.
Service
Rating: ★★★
As with most, if not all order-and-pay-at-the-counter sort of eating services, you’re pretty much left alone after your interaction with the staff which is fine since the cafe vibe is very relaxed.
For the moments of service at Secret Garden, it was a pleasant experience.
Pricing and Value for Money
Rating: ★★★
Price points on the menu would be marked on the average scale for Sydney brunching.
If you want something light and simple for a weekend feed with that true “suburban local cafe” drop-by with change still left in your pocket,
Secret Garden fits the bill.
The Details
Where: 134a Enmore Road, Enmore 2042
Opening Hours: Mon – Tue: 07:00–17:00 | Wed, Thur, Fri, Sun: 07:00 – 23:00 | Sat: 07:00–22:00
Website: http://www.secretgardenbar.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secretgardenenmore
