Three Williams (Sydney)

On a sans-baby day, we ventured out to Three Williams for brunch. Fortunately we got seated fairly quickly (15 minute wait) as it was a rainy day.

Brunch was fantastic and the coffee was better. I enjoyed my mushroom with fried egg. And I will try one of the narnies in our next visit.


<photos coming soon>


Three Williams Cafe
613a Elizabeth Street
Redfern
http://threewilliamscafe.com

Flower Child Cafe (Chatswood)

We shopped at the Chatswood Westfield on a weekly basis and have been wanting to visit Flower Child for a long time. We finally had the courage (?) to go there for brunch, despite the 30-minute wait. To our delight, we can actually go shopping during the wait time and the café will call you when your table is ready.

The brunch fare was beautifully presented and better in taste. The Eggs Benedict on croissant was rich and flavourful. The French Toast was nice and soft with a perfect salt caramel sauce.

Details:
Flower Child Chatswood
Shop 391,
1 Anderson Street
Chatswood
http://flowerchildcafe.com.au/

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/

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 

Crow Zone Cafe (Crows Nest Sydney)

We have brunch often in the Crows Nest area. We walked past Crow Zone Café and were attracted by the blackboard special. I thoroughly enjoyed my chorizo scrambled eggs on Turkish toast. The portion size was generous and the nice brunch made a great Sunday morning for us.

Details:
Crow Zone Café
79 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crowzone-Cafe/156666281050748

Ning Po (Hong Kong)

On a brief visit to Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to visit the Ning Po clubhouse and attended a family gathering. Situated in a commercial building, membership is required for a reservation at the clubhouse’s restaurant.

The 8 (I lost count after) course meal were all very tasty and provided the essence of traditional Shanghaiese cooking. My favourite was the smoked egg which was wonderfully soft and creamy on the inside with an intense smoky savory flavour. The sweet and sour fish was very subtle, unlike the westernised Chinese sauce. The crispy rice dessert was also a highlight.

Details:

Ning Po 寧波旅港同鄉會

Room 401- 405, Yip Fung Building, 2-18 D'Aguilar Street

Central , Hong Kong

http://www.ningpo.com.hk/member/index.htm

Tapestry Dining (Auckland New Zealand)

During my numerous stays at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland, I dined at Tapestry Dining at the lobby level often.

Trying the bluff oysters while in season is a must, the wonder crunch of the flesh was extremely enjoyable. I also liked the angus steak main course accompanied by the wagyu sausage roll.

For breakfast, they offered a NZ special white bait fritter in room service – a must try over the usual omelette and scrambled.

Details:
Tapestry Dining at Pullman Auckland
Corner Princes Street and Waterloo Quadrant
Auckland
New Zealand
http://www.pullmanauckland.co.nz/online/tapestry_dining.csn

Momofuku Má Pêche (New York)

We arrived at Momofuku’s Má Pêche restaurant on a very wet New York morning for breakfast. Situated inside a Midtown hotel, it is very close to the shops on 5th Avenue.

The breakfast menu is consistent with the Asian theme and has a twist from the Momofuku’s classic. I had the egg bun with pork belly which was delicious especially with the crunchy fried potato bits. The rice cakes with fried egg and sausage was really rich and filling, great for a cold New York morning.

Details:
Momofuku Má Pêche
Located in Chambers Hotel
15 west 56th Street
Between 5th + 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10019

Three Blue Ducks (Bronte Sydney)

For a lazy Sunday along the beach we headed to Three Blue Ducks for brunch. Despite arriving early, there was a small queue outside already. The quality of brunch was excellent, justifying the popularity. My black sausage complemented well with the cucumber yogurt. Both the scrambled and poached eggs were perfect. And if you are hungry, add some bacon (you won’t regret it).

Details:
Three Blue Ducks Bronte
141-143 Macpherson Street
Bronte NSW 2024
http://www.threeblueducks.com

Toriichi (Sydney)

When a casual, quiet Japanese meal was needed on a Friday night after a tough work week, we stumbled upon Toriichi in the CBD. The restaurant is designed like a wine bar where it serves small Japanese dishes to go with the large range of Sake available.

We enjoyed their large range of authentic dishes despite not ordering any Sake. The egg roll was simple but the subtle seafood flavour made it much more enjoyable than the normal egg sushi. The oden bowl, consisting of fish balls and radish in soup, also went down very well.

Details:
Toriichi
Ground Level
12 O'Connell Street
Sydney NSW 2000