cool mac (Kirribilli Sydney)

We are fans of green tea beverages and my wife especially likes a good matcha latte. So we were delighted to find out about Cool Mac which is a short walk from home.

For breakfast, I ordered the special eggs benedict with a miso based sauce. The sauce has the right level of savory which lifts the dish beyond normal benedict. The crispy bacon goes perfectly with the soft poached eggs.

We will come back for lunch and try their sandwiches/burgers.

Details:
Cool Mac  
2/34 Burton Street
Kirribilli NSW 2061
https://www.facebook.com/coolmaccafe/

Monte Alto (Crows Nest)

There seems to be an unlimited number of cafes in the lower north shore area. Monte Alto is a recent addition at Crows Nest, which also runs its own roasting house.

There is an additional menu of specialist coffee choices. I had the V60 filtered coffee from Sumatra - really light and fragrant without the bitter note.

Breakfast menu is on the lower end of the price scale in the area. The dishes are beautifully presented (note the flower in my Benedict). The portion maybe smaller than others but certainly enough.

Details:
Monte Alto Roasters
3/300 Pacific Highway
Crows Nest
http://www.montealtoroasters.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/montealtoroasters/

Anvil Coffee Co (Artarmon Sydney)

On a day off to take the baby for her health check, wife and I checked in to the nearby Anvil Coffee Co for brunch. It is a place recently listed as one of the top 50 cafes to visit in Sydney.

Coffee was nicely brewed and the food was really good. The rueben sandwich was generous and 'Arabian' style egg was an innovative idea. The setting was industrial and no-frills - probably the reason to attract many tradies customers.

Details:
Anvil Coffee Co.
1/17 Dickson Avenue
Artarmon
http://www.anvilcc.com.au/

Oratnek (Sydney)

We visited Oratnek for Sunday brunch twice in the past month, which probably demonstrated how much we like the place given it is a 20 minute bus ride away from home.

The queues can get pretty long past midday but it is worthwhile to check in early and enjoy a matcha latte or thick shake. The sandwiches are excellent – highly recommended the thick pork katsu or soft shell crab offerings. If that is still not enough then go for the soft and moist matcha lamingtons to finish.
As you can see matcha is a specialty there – and executed perfectly.

Details:
Cafe Oratnek
4 Pitt Street
Redfern 2016
http://www.oratnek.com.au/

Hash Specialty Coffee & Roasters

Upon arriving in Melbourne for our weekend away, we went for a late Friday lunch at Hash Specialty Coffee on Hardware Street. Unfortunately the famous hot chocolate with cotton candy was sold out already; the cold drip coffee was not a bad compromise.

The foie gras sliders were certainly my treat for the week. The richness of the foie was well balanced by the slaw. And it was certainly a delight for a café to cook a quail dish so perfectly. While the dishes were pricey, one’s got to spoil himself once in a while.

Details:
Hash Specialty coffee & roasters
113 Hardware Street
Melbourne
https://www.facebook.com/hashcoffeeroasters

Salvage Specialty Coffee (Artarmon Sydney)

Living in the lower north shore, we seldom hear brilliant reviews at local cafes (versus the much hyped places at Surry Hills). So we were excited to find out Salvage Specialty Coffee at Artarmon making the Top 20 list in Sydney.

There was a line for Sunday brunch and the wait was around 20 minutes. We were staring at the blackboard deciding what to get from the menu. The Croque Madame was fantastic with the sauce making a big difference. And the filtered coffee was nice and light – exactly what the locals should be waking up for every morning.

Details:
5 Wilkes Avenue
Artarmon
http://salvagecoffee.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SalvageCoffee 

Cross Eatery (Sydney)

A breakfast catch-up with ex-colleague gave me an opportunity to finally try the recently opened Cross Eatery, located at the ground floor of the refurbished former Red Cross building.

Much of the positive reviews attributed to the quality of the coffee and it was certainly very good. I was disappointed with the late delivery of ham so decided against order the reputed breakfast sandwich. My colleague had it though – the sandwich went down well but seems quite messy to eat. I had the sour dough toast instead which went nicely with the excellent coconut almond butter.

Details:
Cross Eatery
155 Clarence Street
Sydney

Cornersmith Cafe (Marrickville Sydney)

On a lazy Saturday, we chose Cornersmith Café at Marrickville for brunch. It is a popular café so do prepare for a 15 minute wait.

I had the ham sandwich on special and the highlight was the pickled vegetables which was a perfect complements to the main fillings. The freekeh salad with hazelnuts, pickles and a soft boiled egg was also delicious and made a great start to the weekend.

Details:
Cornersmith Café
314 Illawarra Road, Marrickville
http://www.cornersmith.com.au/

Café Madang at Maison Hermès Dosan Park (Seoul Korea)

As a fan of Hermes silk, I always like to pay a visit to the boutiques when travelling. Hermes opened its first Asian flagship store with a café in Seoul. So we paid a visit during our stay.

Café Madang is situated at the lower ground of the Hermes boutique, adjacent to a museum with some historic Hermes product (highly recommended for a half hour browse if you are into luxury goods). We ordered a couple of desserts for morning tea. The dishes were beautifully presented, and dining in Hermes cutleries was rather a unique experience.

Details:
Café Madang
Maison Hermès Dosan Park
Dosan Park 630-26
Shinsa-dong Gangnam-gu
135-895 Seoul
http://stores.hermes.com/Asia/South-Korea/Seoul/Hermes-Dosan-Park

Lavender Blue Cafe (McMahons Point)

(As of January 2012, we believe this cafe is closed)

It was a beautiful Sunday and after some early bushwalking around the lower North Shore we were craving for a decent brunch. Attracted by the open windows and relaxed atmosphere, we entered into the Lavender Blue café at McMahons Point.

Breakfast was available all day on Sunday. The portion size was generous and the eggs were cooked well. While it seems to be not as popular as the nearby cafés, Lavender Blue certainly seems a nice place for Sunday brunch.

Details:
Lavender Blue Cafe
165 Blues Point Rd 
McMahons Point NSW 2060
http://mylavenderblue.com.au/

Azuma Cafe (Sydney)

I am recently introduced to the idea of having chiffon cake for an evening snack, over the usual ice-cream and chocolate fondant. Azuma Café, hidden within Sydney’s cinema area, provides a good deal of chiffon cake and hot beverage for under $9.

You will have a large choice of chiffon cakes to choose from, all with its own unique twist: original, black sesame, green tea, earl grey, cinnamon… The cakes are plain and light, without any added cream and decorations, accentuating its special twist. Go for the matcha (green tea) latte to further the added Asian twist.

Details:
Azume Café and Patisserie
Ground Floor Regent Place Shopping Centre
501 Greorge Street
Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.azuma.com.au/cafe/home.php

Bathers' Pavilion cafe (Sydney)

I often spend Friday nights away from the buzzing bar scene and settle on a quiet meal. Heading to Balmoral for a meal at Bathers Pavilion is always my first choice. As soon as you left the traffic from the lower north shore, the café and restaurant are within your sight next to the beach.

The food at the café is simple and tasty. The risotto was generous with seafood. Dessert with crème brûlée, caramelised peach and macaroon had all my favourites. The best thing of the meal was the sound of the waves accompanied by the beach under lights.

We'll do a review at the restaurant one day :)


Details:
Bathers' Pavilion
4 The Esplanade
Balmoral Beach NSW 2088
http://www.batherspavilion.com.au/