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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Indigo

October 7, 2018 Talyssa 26 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

OVERALL SUMMARY

Slightly more special than your regular lunch!

It’s always a sure bet that any place that blends Modern Australian with a little bit of European cuisine is going to be good. Plus, since Indigo is touted as Double Bay’s best-kept secret, we knew we were in for a treat! Boasting the ultimate dining experience, Indigo seeks to blend the best of both cultures when it comes to serving the finest quality food, coffee and service…well let’s just hope the service is a little more Australian than European…if you’ve been to Europe, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about ;)

Setting and Atmosphere

Nothing gets more European than alfresco dining does it? There’s just something really nice about sitting outside along the street, while eating a delicious meal and ~~silently judging~~ watching people pass you by. If you’re listening to this and wishing about being whisked away to Europe, then you’ll be happy to know you can get your own slice of alfresco dining right here. Indigo has a really beautiful outdoor set up in the heart of Double Bay, perfect for the warmer months. Think sunshine, trees, a great meal, fresh air and the gorgeous Australian weather.

However, if the outdoors are not really your thing, you can choose to dine inside. Indigo’s interior is modern, topped off with marble tables – yaaaassss, I love when my food is served with a side of extra!

And would you really expect anything less of Double Bay? Indigo is effortlessly chic and stylish and so too is the crowd it draws. Speaking of crowds, this place is always packed. Every day. So I’d say “Double Bay’s best kept secret” is out of the bag and has been for a while now. Sorry Guys!

Review: Indigo Double Bay - Alfresco Dining — Image from Concrete Playground

Food

Indigo’s menu has an extensive selection of breakfast and lunch time dishes, which really makes it the ULTIMATE brunch destination. I found myself wanting to try everything on the menu…including the numerous Asian inspired dishes? Not that I’m complaining, I love Asian food, but it wasn’t what I was expecting from a Modern Australian and European menu.

The dish that immediately caught my eye was the King Prawn Bruschetta. I’d never seen a similar dish offered in any Sydney cafe’s I’ve been to so far and I am a mega prawn lover.

Served on a slice of garlic Levain Bread, topped with avo mash, cucumber, tomato, onion, king prawns and a dollop of dill aioli, the flavour combinations were absolutely delicious. This has got to be one of the best brunch dishes I’ve tried; it was unique, delicious and very impressive to look at. I’m super judgey when it comes to prawns and I feel like 90% of restaurants can’t get them right. The result: rubbery prawns. But not here! These were succulent and perfectly cooked!!!

Keeping with the bruschetta theme, we also ordered the Mushroom Bruschetta from the “Specials” menu. Served with mixed mushrooms, garlic, truffle oil, Parmesan, basil and poached eggs on grilled Levain bread, this dish just missed the mark for an equally great dish – or maybe I’m just biased towards my King Prawn Bruschetta. In terms of flavours, there was something missing that I couldn’t quite put my finger on and overall I wish the dish had a little more of the truffle and garlic flavours shine through.

Because we couldn’t resist, we also ordered the Korean Pork Belly sliders – they sounded amazing with pressed and fried confit pork belly, pickled cucumber and ssamjang glaze. Unfortunately they were a little disappointing and didn’t really bring out the Korean flavours I was looking for. Maybe some Kimchi or Korean plum syrup mixed with gochujjang would have helped to give a more authentic Korean flavour.

Finally, we washed it all down with some freshly squeezed juices.

Review: Indigo Double Bay - King Prawn Bruschetta — King Prawn Bruschetta – Avo mash, cucumber, red capsicum, truss tomatoes, garlic butter, red onion with red vein leaf & dill aioli, served on garlic Levain bread | $27

Review: Indigo Double Bay - Korean Pork Belly Sliders — Korean Pork Belly Sliders – Confit pork belly pressed and fried, picked cucumber, ssamjang glaze & baby spinach on brioche buns | $18

Review: Indigo Double Bay - Mushroom Bruschetta — Mushroom Bruschetta – Mixed mushrooms, garlic, parsley, truffle oil, Parmesan, baby basil & poached eggs with grilled Levain bread | $21

SERVICE

Service here was very friendly and reasonably quick considering how busy the place was!

VALUE FOR MONEY

This is Double Bay, so expect Double Bay pricing. My King Prawn Bruschetta set me back $27 for one slice of bread. Yes I was still hungry after….but man it tasted good. Otherwise, majority of the dishes on the menu are around standard brunch prices ($15 – $20) with the lunch items costing a bit more $25 – $30. Definitely great for a ‘slightly more special’ than your regular lunch!

THE DETAILS

Where: 6/15 Cross Street Double Bay NSW 2028

Contact: (02) 9363 5966

info@indigodoublebay.com

Opening Hours:

Mon – Sat: 7AM – 4:30PM

Sun: 8AM – 4:30PM

Find Them Here:

Website

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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Cuppa Flower, Waterloo

December 30, 2017 Talyssa 10 Comments

THE VERDICT

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

OVERALL SUMMARY

Best for prettiness, flowers and colour!

Fancy enjoying a beautiful breakfast amongst the flowers? Who wouldn’t! You can do just that at Cuppa Flower; a cafe and florist hybrid. Be prepared for tasty and unique food combinations, superfood goodness and beautifully decorated dishes using all of the good stuff (colourful fruit and florals) without being over the top – fairy floss doesn’t need to be on everything in order to create that “wow factor”, amiriteee?? Am I right?? Oh and TOTORO CAKES!! Been to Cuppa Flower? Let me know your rating below!

Setting and atmosphere

Being a shabby chic enthusiast, I absolutely loved Cuppa Flower’s decor. With spring flowers in bloom and distressed furniture, I was totally feeling my vibes in this cafe x florist combo. Surrounded by glass windows, the inside is light, airy and alive with the buzz of chatter. The cafe is quite busy and there’s usually a line outside, but turnover is very quick and we were given a seat within 5-10mins.

To one side of the cafe, the florist is adorned with seasonal flowers, a beautiful mix of hydrangeas, orchids, roses, lilies and various perennials.

FOOD

Fitting the florist theme, the dishes here are fun and colourful – like a fresh bouquet but for your mouth! Cuppa flower uses the vibrant colours of summer fruits and edible flowers to create immaculately presented dishes that look and taste great, but are also healthy. And if you’re wondering, I didn’t dine here as a blogger so you can rest assured that your dishes will also look this pretty!

First on the magical woodland nymph brunch menu were the Sweet Corn Fritters. The refreshing lemony flavours of the avocado and tomato salsa accompanied the corn fritters nicely, adding to their flavour. Topped with a poached egg and a rasher of bacon, this dish would have been perfectly finished with a light drizzle of maple syrup – weird I know, but trust me on this.

The Granola was beautifully presented with a generous spread of seasonal fruits and honey. A little more yoghurt and this dish would have been perfect.

The finale – a treat for the eyes and mouth – were the Ricotta Pancakes. Served with mixed berry jam and garnished with honeycomb, a dollop of mascarpone and drizzled with maple syrup, these pancakes are a sweet tooth’s haven. If you’re not too keen on sweets, I recommend getting this dish to share – it’s very sweet!

With all this novelty food, what about the drinks? Don’t worry, they also deliver. I couldn’t pass up on the novelty lattes. With Matcha and Red Velvet on offer, how could you say no??

To take home, of course, you can’t miss the famous matcha and sesame Totoro chiffon cakes! Divinely light and fluffy, I would have loved a little bit more of the matcha and sesame flavours to shine through.

Cuppa Flower - Red Velvet Latte and Matcha Latte — Red Velvet and Matcha Latte | $5

Sweet Corn Fritters served with avocado and tomato salsa, poached egg and bacon | $18.90

Cuppa Flower - Granola — Granola – mountain muesli served with vanilla yoghurt, seasonal fruits and honey | $14

Cuppa Flower - Ricotta Pancakes — Ricotta Pancakes served with Cuppa Flower mixed berry jam, ricotta cheese, crunchy honeycomb, mascarpone and maple syrup | $18.90

Cuppa Flower - Totoro Chiffon Cake — Totoro matcha and sesame chiffon cakes

SERVICE

The place is extremely busy but turn over is quite fast. There’s no table service, which means you need to order over the counter – this is good and bad. Good, because you’re left alone without being disturbed, but bad because if you need something (i.e. extra knife/fork etc) it can be hard to get someone’s attention.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Prices are reasonable for most dishes, with some reaching the $20 mark which I find is getting to the pricer side of brunch (this is usually for the more involved dishes). I do find that cuppa flower are very generous with their servings – i.e. you get a lot of fruit, bacon or salmon on your dish, which other cafes can be quite stingy with.

THE DETAILS

Where:

1/15 Allen St, Waterloo NSW 2017

Contact:

(02) 8319 4116

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday: 7am–3pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8am–3pm

Find Them Here:

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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Cuckoo Callay, Newtown

July 29, 2017 Talyssa 18 Comments

OVERALL SUMMARY

Setting & Atmosphere
Food
Service
Value For Money

4.4

Overall Summary

Ultimate Quirky-ness

In the midst of Newtown kitsch a coffee-cafe was born, striving for the perfect grub and coffee fix, their combo was second to none. With the perfect nook to cache, Ella and Ibby released their dreams to you, and so the tantalising of tastebuds began and the perfect coffee hit did too. Callooh Callay come eat today, like cabbages and kings!

Setting and Atmosphere

The heritage site of Newtown station provides the perfect facade for Cuckoo Callay to nest. Heavily inspired by Lewis Carroll’s “Jabberwocky” (also the author of Alice in Wonderland), the quirkiness of this cafe begins with it’s interior.

Like the Queen of Hearts herself, Cuckoo Callay is lush and lavish decorated with royal blue button-backed seating, wooden tables and chairs and hot pink and gold trimmings – for some quirk, of course. It’s cosy, yet spacious and if you’re looking for a nice hit of sunlight, you’ll find comfortable seating outside.

FOOD

If the setting is anything to go by, the food at this cafe also brings it’s own quirky flair. Going cuckoo for bacon, this cafe specialises in creative bacon dishes with the goal to encourage Aussies to support local farmers who raise happy, healthy pigs.

And if you’re not a fan of bacon? Never fear, there are many bacon free and vegetarian options too.

Brunching at Cuckoo Callay is exciting, especially if the thought of unheard of flavour combinations gets you all giddy. My absolute favourite dish on the menu is the Sideways Shuffle. It’s different. Blue swimmer crab for breakfast, different. Every unique element of this dish compliments each other despite consisting of quirky flavour combinations. There’s the crab cake with corn and avocado salsa combined with crunchy watermelon and cucumber and lemon jelly. There’s also a slight kick of chilli somewhere in there too. All very different, all very unusual. And yet, it works. Excitingly well actually.

If your tastebuds prefer to play on the safe side, try the “Tribute to the Greatest Reuben.” This dish combines mouthwatering house made wagyu with gruyere cheese and Russian dressing, spiked with a cheeky kick of chilli. Ah-may-zing!

To wash it all down, you can’t go past the “Exotics” freshly squeezed juices. Perfect for an early morning, these juices have all the charm of a cocktail without the alcohol. Looking fantastic, they come in three delicious flavours – The NewZealander, One Night Stand and The Love Affair.

Cuckoo Callay - Exotic Freshly Squeezed Juices — Freshly Squeezed Juices – Exotics: From left to right The Newzealander: kiwi, apple, basil and lime. The Love Affair: strawberry, rose water, apple, mint and chia seeds. One Night Stand: passionfruit, raspberry, orange and chia seeds. | $8ea

Cuckoo Callay - The Sideways Shuffle — The Sideways Shuffle: Blue swimmer crab cake with corn & avocado salsa, watermelon, cucumber & lemon jelly with a 63° poached egg | $24

Cuckoo Callay - Tribute to the Greatest Reuben — Tribute to the Greatest Reuben: House-made wagyu corned beef, Gruyère cheese, Russian dressing and watercress on sourdough | $20

Service

Polite and prompt. One particular quality I have noticed at this cafe is that the food is served consistently throughout the entire cafe. I’ve also found food remains consistent on my repeat visits (i.e. dishes are served and taste the same).

Value For Money

The dishes here are definitely on the pricier side in comparison to most brunch places. In saying this, I love some of the dishes here so much that I have gone back and indulged more than once!

THE DETAILS

Where:

324A King St, Newtown NSW 2042

Contact:

(02) 9557 7006

Opening Hours:

Monday – Friday: 6am – 4pm
Saturday: 8am – 4pm
Sunday: 8am – 3pm

Find Them Here:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: 22 Grams, Randwick

June 5, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

Blasted with a shotgun,
left out in the rain in the night
betrayed by a friend
stranded in a foreign country
overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger
floored by the stars in the desert sky
licked by a dog
stood on, shouted at and gave back as good as you get
danced till breaking point
and sung your song with everyone watching
travelled with depth, soul and life,
you, me
us

22 grams the weight of experience.

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★★

Amongst unfurbished warehouse vibes, 22 Grams provides a cosy hot spot for the Randwick locals. If the poem above doesn’t give you enough sense of the vibe here, I don’t know what will! 22 Grams is very homey decorated with knickknacks and trinkets on top of every surface. Priding itself on it’s coffee, their big, shiny coffee roaster takes centre stage upon entering the cafe.

The place can get crowded but it’s never too loud or noisy. Staff are always friendly so there’s an all-round cheery vibe.

Food

★★★★

22 Grams Randwick — Pink juice: Morning Flirt – mixed berries, OJ, yoghurt and a touch of banana | $6 Green Juice: Pick me up – apple, pear, pineapple and mint | $6

The menu at 22 Grams is small and simple, playing with traditional breakfast foods and flavours with an overall artisanal focus. All dishes and their presentation have a very homemade feel and you can really taste the difference through the little bits of homemade personalisation they put in all of their dishes. I really value the homemade taste and so for me, this gives 22 Grams extra brownie points. It just feels good to eat.

My favourite dish from 22 Grams so far has to be the Chipotle scrambled eggs. There was a nice flavour and spice to these eggs and they were cocked really well. I really appreciated the extra juices on the plate which were perfect to mop up with my lightly toasted sourdough bread. The only thing missing was an extra dollop of sourcream and fresh coriander to top.

The Goats cheese bruschetta and Poached eggs were tasty menu choices. The highlight of these dishes for me was the smashed avocado. I can’t tell you how happy I was to find a hint of something special in there, I don’t know if it was a lemon/spice infused oil, but it was fantastic. I’ve always grown up experimenting with avocado in different ways – in fact a staple for me was rough forking it with olive oil and salt (it’s seriously delicious) that I’m often bored when most Aussie cafes don’t do anything with their avocado.

The granola with grapefruit, yoghurt and berries is interestingly served with a side of orange juice. This dish was vibrant and beautiful, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to jump on the granola and orange juice bandwagon just yet.

P.S. I haven’t featured them here but you MUST try their sandwiches. They are AMAZING!!

Service

★★★★.5

I think the service here is fantastic. Every time I’ve come here the girls at the counter are very cheerful and friendly. Despite almost always having a full house, the overall service is quick and fast and you’ll rarely see dirty plates left on tables.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★★.5

I find the pricing here very reasonable, the portion sizes good and the food, tasty.

The Details

Where: 166 -168 Belmore Road Randwick

Contact: (02) 9398 2277

Opening Hours:

Mon–Fri: 6:30am – 4pm
Sat – Sun: 7am – 4pm

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Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

Greatly Terrific Food Outing: Petal Met Sugar, Woolloomooloo

April 7, 2016 Talyssa Leave a comment

With all the Instagram hype I finally made my way to Petal Met Sugar! I’m sure everyone has seen images of their decadent desserts against floral tabletop backdrops. So, without further ado, welcome to Petal Met Sugar, a cosy and intimate cafe x florist x patisserie, tucked away in the streets of Wooloomooloo.

Setting and Atmosphere

★★★

What I liked about Petal Met Sugar was the inside space. It’s white, crisp and elegant. To one side, watch behind large glass windows a theatre-like performance of the patissiere’s at work, and to the other, browse the flowers freshly arranged by the florist.

Petal Met Sugar is a workspace first and then a cafe. They primarily take cake and floral orders, but if you’d like to have a sweet treat, there’s a seating area located outside (no tables are located inside). It’s a simple arrangement and not as flash as rising cafes nowadays, but it does the job. The cute floral posy’s add a nice touch on the tabletops.

But what disappointed me the most was the state of the tables. Ningjaeats and I arrived quite early in the morning, around 10AM, and the place was not busy at all! The two free tables were really dirty and the young guy at the counter seemed to be more interested in his conversation with his co-worker, than his potential customers…but more on this later.

Food

★★★★

IMG_1986-5 — Tasting Trio | $10 | From left to right: Peach Oolong – yoghurt mousse, Lupicia peach Oolong tea brulee, blood peach compote, coconut macaron, coconut glaze (Gluten-free) | Chocolate Candy Bar – chocolate flourless sponge, burnt butter ganache, praline feuilletine crunch, sprayed milk chocolate mousse | Eclair

Petal Met Sugar - Terranium — Terrarium passionfruit finger lime panacotta, cocoa nib soil, baby lemon balm, edible flower garden, Callebaut 29.5% white chocolate | $10.50

IMG_1971-1 — Smoked ham and gruyere croissant | $6.50

My goodness. The food here is beautiful! I really love the way that all the dishes look like an artwork. For our tastebuds we ordered the Tasting Trio which included the eclair, peach oolong cake and chocolate candy bar; the ever famous Terrarium and the smoked ham and gruyere croissant.

The peach oolong cake was by far my favourite on the plate. Yum. I would have ordered a whole slab if I knew how delicious it would be. Definitely the highlight of the Tasting Trio, it’s light in its flavours, fruity and not too overly sweet. Also it’s gluten free! I actually recommend you order this standalone as the other two treats on the plate didn’t excite my tastebuds nearly as much.

Secondly the Terrarium is not just a pretty face – it also tastes really good. A little on the sweet side, the trick to eating this is to destroy it – literally. If you try to eat it piece by piece, you won’t get the full combination of flavours as you would smashing the delicate white chocolate globe and grabbing a chunk of cocoa nib soil, passionfruit panacotta and white chocolate all in your mouth at once. All elements together balance perfectly to create a delightful array of flavour combinations on the palate.

The smoked ham and gruyere croissant is fairly standard and tasted like a regular ham and cheese croissant. It was a good accompaniment to reset the palate from the sweetness.

The menu here is limited and I would definitely not go here looking for breakfast or brunch. This place is strictly best for a sweet treat or a small snack, with the only savoury options being a selection of croissants. It’s the perfect place for morning or afternoon tea.

Service

★.5

I feel so terrible having to recount a truthful experience that is so negative, but above all, I promise my readers the truth. I’m sure every other day, Petal Met Sugar has a wonderful person on the service desk, but the young guy in service on this particular morning was terrible.

Okay. There are only 3 tables at Petal Met Sugar and when they’re not busy, I expect them to be clean or soon to be cleaned.

Upon arrival, the young guy at the front register pretty much ignored us. No warm friendly welcome or a “Hi, how are you?” “Where would you like to sit?” or even a “Can I help you?” He knew we were there, we stood literally in front of the register, but he was too busy having a conversation with his co-worker.

So after some time, I gave up on him and decided to take a seat at one of the horribly dirty tables. I grabbed ourselves some menus (after searching for them on the front counter myself – the guy was still in conversation) and took them back so we could order. Once we decided, I went back to order and he seemed almost annoyed that he had to serve me?!!? What?!?! Not only that, I had to clean my OWN table with a napkin.

I went back and asked him if he had a bin to put the napkins in (there were also napkins on the table left from the previous customers). He looked somewhat disgusted at having to touch the napkins with his bare hands, to which I assured him that they weren’t all mine and belonged to the people before me. He reluctantly took them away, making sure to pinch the very far corner of each one so as not taint himself with germs.

Pricing and Value for Money

★★★★

The prices here are really reasonable and the portion size is good.

The Details

Where: Ground Floor, 68 Sir John Young Cr, Woolloomooloo

Contact: hello@petalmetsugar.com.au or 9360 6226

Opening Hours:

Monday – Closed
Tuesday – Friday: 8.00am – 4.30pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm | Sunday 9am – 4pm

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Australia Food Guide, Greatly Terrific Food Outing

GTFO: Gertrude & Petunias

October 13, 2015 Talyssa 1 Comment

Brunch. This trendy meal of the day has Sydney-siders constantly talking about the most vogue places to get your weekly dose. And well, they may be right, Foodcraft Espresso, Three Williams and Brewtown Newtown are brilliant! But I may have found a hidden gem in my neighbourhood that could trump the competition!

Welcome to the little corner cafe that is Gertrude & Petunias.

Setting and Atmosphere

Rating: ★★★★

Let your inner Marie Antoinette run free in this Rococo Haute Couture x Victorian Tea House cafe. Think intricate detail, elegance and glamour. Every aspect of this cafe adheres to the theme and you can’t help but feel a little upper class when you step inside.

Don’t be fooled by appearances though, the food is classic with a modern influence and the crowd a mixed bag of delightful elderly couples (sure to cheer up any day ;) ) to modern day hipsters (yes this also includes groups of skinny jeaned guys – you never would have guessed!)

Overall the cafe is small, cosy but not too overcrowded and most importantly, filled with a good bunch of people – the kind that aren’t too loud to ruin the experience.

Food

Rating: ★★★★★

I can’t fault the food I’ve had here. I’ve been on numerous occasions and every time, everything I have is absolutely delicious. Basically it’s good food with great flavour combinations. Browsing the menu, you’ll fall in love. Everything sounds divine.

My Recommended Dish To Try: Corn Cake Stack

Gertrude and Petunias — Corn Cake Stack: Bacon, Avocado and Tomato Salad, Poached Egg and Maple Syrup || $16

I can’t even begin to describe how perfect this dish is with its winner ingredient tying everything so perfectly together – maple syrup. Yes, avocado, bacon, tomato and corn stack explode with flavour once maple syrup is added. Don’t knock it til you try it. Think chicken waffles vibe, but healthy…er.

Egg Breakfast: Poached Egg, Avocado, Tomato and Ricotta served with Toast || $12

A standard breakfast. Great price.

Flakey Pastry, home made and well-seasoned filling. What more could you want from a pie?

Served in a gigantic tea cup, this mocha will satisfy your cravings. Not being a coffee fan myself, Gertrude and Petunia’s mocha has the perfect balance of chocolate and coffee. Rich and decadent.

Service

Rating: ★★★★

Fast, easy service. Gertrude and Petunia’s it was a pleasure!

Pricing and Value for Money

Rating: ★★★★

Compared to most brunch menus, Gertrude and Petunia’s is really reasonable with most dishes setting you back around $12. The portion size fills you up and the food is excellent quality.

The Details

Where: 61 Todman Avenue, Kensington, Sydney, NSW

Opening Hours: Mon – Fri: 07:30–16:00 | Sat – Sun: 07:30 – 15:00

Run by two travel and lifestyle bloggers, The Hidden Thimble focus’ on creating truthful and in-depth travel guides, food & beauty reviews. Enjoy drool-worthy photography from around the world!