Substation Cafe

From the prying eye, the Substation Cafe looks like a small hole in the wall, but the lines that form outside this little nook is indication that it is nothing short of small in what it provides. As Alexandria is known for its many cafes, with neighbouring venues such as 'Bread and Circus' and 'The Grounds of Alexandria' being quite prominent to those who pass by, it is easy to miss this little gem. I had read reviews about this cafe and the incredible food they served, and had been keen to try it out for a long time. It was only as I was driving to another cafe just around the corner did I spot this cafe, and made a mental note that on my next brunch adventure, I had to visit this place. Little did I know that this would take place the very next day!

 Situated on McEvoy street in Alexandria, it is likely that one would miss this venue if they did not know what they were looking for, as it is a small brick wall placed next to a large smash repairs shop. Walking into the cafe, you get a homely feel from the staff who are very welcoming, and the daily specials is evidence that only the freshest produce available on the day is served.

Although it was raining that day, the little outdoor area was covered with an awning so my friends and I were able to lap up a little sunshine. The menu at this cafe is not extensive, with approximately six or seven choices in its entirety. 

One of my friends ordered the breakfast board complete with scrambled eggs, fennel, salmon, tomato and coriander. Although he enjoyed the individual elements on the plate, he felt that it did not marry together, and there was no bread to combine all the different ingredients. I ordered the 'clean eat' breakfast which consisted of poached eggs, quinoa bread, avocado, spinach leaves, tomato and sesame seeds. I quite liked this dish as i did not want anything too heavy, and felt that it was a nice light way to start the day guilt free. Another friend ordered the chicken sandwich and regretted her choice after seeing my plate (food envy!) as she believed that the chicken was a little dry, and the last friend ordered the sourdough french toast with seasonal strawberries, grapes, pomegranate and ricotta. He was over the moon with his choice!


All in all we had a pleasant experience at this cafe. For me individually, i would score this cafe an 8/10, however for the entire experience would score it a 7/10. 

Visit the following link for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/SubStationCafe

Bread and Circus

Bread and Circus, probably one of the best cafes I have been to in Sydney thus far. Located in Alexandria, this cafe epitomises the 'hipster' culture of the area, from the design of the interior to the items served on the menu. The great thing about this cafe is that the menu constantly changes depending on not only the season, but also the produce that has been collected for the day. This means that all meals served are fresh, organic and healthy. Just the way I like to eat.

Walking into this busy cafe, the smell of the freshly baked bread and the display of all the amazing sweat treats was incredibly enticing. Luckily for us, we got there just as the line began to build, and only had to wait approximately 15 minutes before we were seated (perfect timing considering one of the guys decided to turn up late as he was "putting his makeup on" - his words not mine!)

There were so many appetising options on the menu that we had to send the waitress back several times, as we needed more time to make up our mind! Eventually, my friend and I decided to share our meals with each other as we both wanted to try the same things. We ordered the fried egg with quinoa and kale and a side of spinach, as well as the chilli omelette with tomato, avacado, spinach and sourdough toast. The boys also decided to order the standard omelette plate without the chilli, and of course boys will be boys, so added a side of bacon to the dish.

The great thing about this cafe is that they also had a range of beverages that I had not seen elsewhere in Sydney. My friend had heard about their earl grey hot chocolate from one of her friends and was keen to try this, whilst my other friend and I opted for the slow dripped Jamaican filter coffee. 


The flavours in all the dishes were amazing, and the quinoa salad had just the right amount of pepper in it to elevate the flavour when eaten with the fried egg and spinach. The omelette was a little runnier than i personally would have liked, but the flavour of the chilli with the avacado and sourdough toast was delicious nonetheless. 

Bread and circus definitely met my expectations, and I would recommend that everyone who has not yet tried it to do so. Given that the menu changes so often, I am not sure that you will be able to order the same meals as did my friends and I, however I guarantee that if a healthy and unique menu is what you are after, then you will love this cafe.

For Bread and Circus, I score 9/10.

For more information about this cafe, visit http://www.breadandcircus.com.au/

Grandma's Little Bakery

On so many occasions, the most fun and exciting things have happened when I have least expected them, and this situation was no different. For a week, my friends and I had been planning to meet up for brunch as it had been a while since we had seen each other due to work and university commitments, so we decided to meet at the 'Potting Shed' in Alexandria. Given that this day was quite cold and had been forecasted with a chance of rain, it was a risky choice as the Potting Shed is an outdoor area. Whilst we were driving to the venue the rain began to fall, however we decided to proceed given that we would need to wait in line for a little while and hoped that by the time it was our turn to be seated, the weather would have cleared up. Parking was quite difficult to find around the venue itself, and as we could not find any nearby, decided to continue along the streets and happened to stumble upon 'Grandma's Little Bakery'. As this had also been on my list of cafes to visit, we decided to change our plans to this location instead.


After putting our names down for a table, the staff ushered us to the little shop inside the cafe whilst we waited to be seated. This store had lots of little condiments and cute items such as hard candy bags, small grass rabbits, Grandma's Bakery cookies and loaves of bread just to name a few things. It was a smart move by the staff, because if any of their diners are like me, then they are suckers for caving in to purchasing such items. In the 15 minutes that we had been waiting, I had already picked up some Oregano seasoning for the Zatar I was planning to make when I got back home. 

After being seated, we were given ipads which housed the menus on them. This is a really great idea and one that I had not yet seen in any cafes in Sydney, as not only did it clearly outline the ingredients in each dish, but also provided images of the item to help us better understand what it was. Given that the menu was not incredibly extensive and was organised on the ipad in an easy to follow format, there was minimal confusion about how to navigate through the pages and choose the meal that we desired. After much deliberation and a few questions to the waitress who was attending to us, we made our choices. 

My friend and I chose the Shakshuka (baked eggs) - I opted for the 'Grandma's Mazal Classic Shakshuka' (as it had capsicum in it), and she opted for the 'Spicy Shakshuka' alternative (as she preferred one without the capsicum). The others ordered the 'Beef and Mushroom Vol-au-vent', 'Spinach and Ricotta Pastry' and 'Grandma's Gourmet Basket Pie'. 


Looking around at the other dishes that were being served to those around us, we began to really build an appetite. The dishes not only looked like generous servings, but also smelled amazing. When our meals finally hit the table, we were not disappointed. My classic Shakshuka was delicious - the eggs were baked to just the right amount, and the soft bread that was served with the dish was the perfect accompaniment to mop all the tomato and capsicum sauce up. Tasting the other dishes around the table as we each shared our meal, I thought that I would have actually preferred to have ordered the spicy alternative, as it gave the dish that little extra kick of flavour that mine lacked. The spinach and ricotta pie was also very tasty, with the pastry being beautiful and flaky. Unfortunately, as I am vegetarian, I was not able to taste the other 2 dishes, but from what I heard from the others, their meals were also full of flavour and delicious.

Despite us all being full and content with our meals, we were in the presence of a dessert blogger, so had no choice but to also try out the desserts on the menu (really it was just a perfect excuse to eat more!) From what he had read online, the 'Grandma's Haya Cream & Cheesecake' was apparently highly recommended, and in addition to this was keen to try the 'Malabi', so both these desserts were ordered. Luckily for us, the cheesecake was actually the last one of the day - we had snatched it up just in time! 

To be honest, the cheesecake was a little bit of a let down. Although the sweetness was the right amount to me, the texture was just not right. The thing that excites me about a great cheesecake is the biscuit base that cracks when you put your spoon through it, so to get just a biscuit crumble base that was not solid but rather the same texture as the garnishing on top was quite disappointing. I however really enjoyed the 'Malabi'. This is a custard like dish with its origins from Israel.  It had a good hint of rose water, and was accompanied by a berry syrup and pistachios. Definitely a lovely way to end the meal. 

All in all, our experience at 'Grandma's Little Bakery' was a good one. Good food coupled with great company can never be a bad thing, so from me I would score it an 8/10. 

For more information about this cafe, visit http://www.grandmasbakery.com.au/

If you are looking for the best desserts in Sydney, hit up Dessertified on facebook -

https://www.facebook.com/dessertified or follow him on instagram at @dessertified 

Espresso Organica

Majors Bay Rd in Concord is a popular destination for foodies at any time of the week. With dozens of restaurants packed onto this street covering just about every cuisine, it is the perfect location for either breakfast, lunch or dinner. For weeks, I have been wanting to try the food at 'Espresso Organica', as numerous people had checked into this cafe on facebook and had been posting some seriously tasty looking photos. So when I organised to meet two of my former work colleagues, I decided to take them to this cafe as it conveniently sat in the middle to us all.

Given that it was a sunny Sunday morning, the cafe was extremely busy, with pretty much every table occupied. Luckily for us, we did not have to wait for long for a table, and by the time we all had arrived the cafe was ready to seat us.

After ordering our coffees and catching up on everything that had been happening over the past year (yes it had been that long since I had seen them!), we began to look through the array of options on the menu. Needless to say, the amount of scrumptious often seriously confused us, and it was not until the last second when the waiter came to take our order that we made our decisions.

Two of us (including me) ordered the 'Baked Eggs Cayiana' whilst the other ordered the 'Vegetarian Stack'. We kept peering over to the table next to us to see what our meals would look like given that we had acquired quite an appetite that morning. When the food arrived at the table, we were thrilled with our decisions. The baked eggs were delicious, and had just the right amount of gravy to balance out the eggs. The tomato was also nice when mopped up with the bread that was served with the dish. My friend who ordered the vegetarian stack was also pleased with her choice, and even took a photo to prove to her personal trainer that she had eaten a healthy meal! :P

The service at the cafe was also great (except for the instance where one of the waiters excitedly came up to our friend to serve a meal which we did not order, and gave her a fright in the process - but it added to the entertainment of the catch up for sure!). For our experience at Espresso Organica, I would score 7/10.

For more info on this cafe, visit http://espressorganica.com.au/

Green Gourmet

Being vegetarian is not often an impediment for me. Normally when I go out to eat, I always find dishes that I thoroughly enjoy with most cuisines. The only time I feel as though I am missing out on some seriously tasty dishes is when eating Yum Cha. My friends always seem to have so many choices, however there are only ever 1 or 2 dishes that I can choose from. Browsing the internet for vegetarian Yum Cha restaurants, I came across 'Green Gourmet' in Newtown, and knew that I had to try it out!

Cold weather seems to always be the best time for Yum Cha, with the steamed buns, hot dumplings and warm noodle soups. Luckily for me, the day I had planned to go here turned out to be perfect Yum Cha weather. Given that my friend was also vegetarian, this vegan restaurant was a perfect fit for the both of us - and I knew that I didn't have to put up with complaints of meat dishes being more superior and tasty :P

Located at 115-117 King St in Newtown, this little joint is hard to miss with its bright green exterior. The venue was quite busy given that it was a Saturday night, however given the amount of restaurants located on King St reaffirmed for us that it was a good choice. Scrolling through the menu, there were dozens of options for us to choose from, all of which sounded just as delicious as the other! After much confusion, we ended up choosing the steam buns with spicy pork, the chia and vegetable dumplings along with the deep fried mushroom with crispy noodles. To wash this all down, we ordered the organic coconut water which was not quite what we were expecting (our fault though!)

So from the description of our meal, some of you may be slightly confused as to how 'spicy pork steam buns' falls under the vegan category. At this restaurant, dishes are made with soy fake meat, so although dishes

might have pork, chicken, prawn etc. within the descriptions, those of you who are vegetarian/vegan can rest easy that no actual meat products are used. All dishes that we ordered were delicious and we had no trouble smashing it all down, however the one down side was our organic coconut water. From the description on the menu, we thought that we were purchasing the young coconut which would be served in the actual coconut when it came to the table. However, we received it in a can and accepted the fact that this is what was served at the restaurant. However, 5 minutes later the table next to us received their coconut water in the actual coconut and we were outraged! Only to realise that we had accidentally ordered the beverage above the one we wanted. Derp!

And ofcourse, no meal would be complete without dessert! Luckily for us, even though we were completely bursting at the seams with the amount we had eaten, the fact that the desserts on the menu were gluten free, dairy free and sugar free meant that we could eat our dessert guilt free! We ordered the berry creme cheesecake with fig ice cream - Oh Hello! Amazing! (For those who are looking to try the desserts and don't want to dine in, Green Gourmet have their own little shop attached to the side of their restaurant for the purchasing of their desserts and other vegan products).

All in all, it was a delicious meal, and I encourage anyone to venture out for something a little different.

For this one, I score an 8/10.

For more info on Green Gourmet, visit http://www.greengourmet.com.au/

Earth To Table

I have recently started a clean eating diet. Not that what I was eating before was THAT bad, but there were definite improvements that I could make. Eating healthy meals at home or preparing healthy meals for the office isn't the issue, it 's more what I eat when I go out. This blog is evidence of my love for food, so I find it extremely difficult to choose clean meals that actually taste good when at a restaurant or cafe.

That is, until I cam across 'Earth to Table'.

Nestled on the busy Bronte Rd in Bondi is this small, organic and vegan cafe that absolutely blew me away for the following reasons:
1. I am vegetarian so the fact that they served vegan food meant that I could choose anything I wanted from the menu (WINNING!)
2. They use organic and raw ingredients in their cooking which meant that I was able to indulge in whatever I wanted (including desserts) - guilt free!

Luckily for my friend and I, the line wasn't too long when we arrived and as such, didnt have to wait too long to be seated. This was probably a good thing given the appetite that we were building, just by  looking at all the amazing food flying out of the kitchen and the decadent desserts in the shop front display.

After being seated, we spent a good amount of time browsing the menu, trying to choose what to eat. So many choices that each sounded so delicious! After much discussion, we decided to order the pasta with asparagus, baby peas and zuchini, the roasted mixed vegetables with tomato and quinoa bread, and the banana creme pie.

Given that all the food was organic and fresh, all of the dishes were served cold. Although the pasta was great as a cold dish, I felt as though the roasted mixed vegetables would have been better if the dish was served hot. The banana creme pie though...O.M.G. I would honestly go back to this cafe just to eat their dessers over and over again. How can something that is sugar free, dairy free and gluten free taste so good?!

The only downside to our experience at this cafe was the amount of time that we had to wait between our main meals and dessert. It seemed as though all the waiters that walked passed us did not see us sitting there waiting, and after a substantial amount of time, my friend had to go and let the waiters know that we were still waiting on our dish.

All in all, it was a great meal. I would definitely go back to try the other items on the menu, and have spoken very highly of this cafe to many of my friends. To top this day off, my friend and I spent the rest of the afternoon completing the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk - an activity I encourage everyone to do if they are going to be in the area.

For this cafe, I score 8/10

Copo Cafe and Diner

It's always a massive battle to get out of bed on cold and windy days, especially when it is the weekend. The laborious task of having to wake up at 5am every day for work means that I highly look forward to this break, not having to wake up to the haunting sound of my Samsung alarm. However, there is also a flipside to this. If I am not motivated to get out of bed and choose to stay indoors instead, I feel as though I am not making the most of the 2 leisure days a week I get to enjoy meeting up with friends and tucking into some amazing food.

So when my next food adventure took me to Drummoyne, I was determined to venture out into the unknown on this windy day. Meeting up with friends I had not seen in a long time was probably the biggest motivation, but the fact that we were to dine at Copo Cafe and Diner made the drive and effort all the more appealing.

If you had asked me where Drummoyne was a few weeks ago, I would not have known. My assumptions led me to believe that it was an affluent suburb in the Northern Beaches - well atleast I got the affluent right! It is actually located right next to Five Dock and situated along the Parramatta River. The cafe itself is quite confusing to find, as the address states that it is based on Victoria road, however the entrance is located on the back street.

It was a busy cafe, with areas to sit both upstairs and downstairs, and there was so much to choose from on the menu! Each of us started with a coffee, and soon after began to order our food. I chose to have the 'Moroccon eggplant baked eggs with labne, herbs and toast' (as did one of my friends - with a side of chorizo ofcourse), whilst the others ordered the 'Variety of mushrooms pan fried in butter and herbs on toast', 'Hotcakes with with Fresh Banana, Mascarpone, Hazlenut and Maple Syrup' and the 'Classic bacon and egg roll on seeded ciabatta with barbecue sauce'. The friend that ordered the bacon and egg roll has also started a little adventure of his own to find the best banana bread in Sydney, so decided to order this on the side to see if it compared with the others he has had in the past.

Needless to say, I was extremely excited when the food came out onto the table, and was salivating. I had only tried baked eggs once before which I loved, so I had high expectations when ordering this dish. I was not disappointed! The eggs with the rich tomato base provided a delicious authentic flavour combination that elevated the dish from just an old baked eggs. The others around the table also seemed to really enjoy their dishes, with my friend who ordered the hotcakes stating "how do their bananas taste so good as well?!" Unfortunately, the eggs in the bacon and egg roll was a little overcooked, and did not lead to the runny yolk that my friend was expecting. His banana bread was also nice, however not the best he has tasted. Still on his search for the best banana bread in Sydney!

All in all, it was not only a great day catching up with mates, but also an amazing place for brunch. I would definitely consider going back to this cafe in the future to try the other items on their menu. For my experience at Copo Cafe and Diner, I score 8/10.

For more information about this cafe, visit http://www.copocafediner.com.au/

Janani's Sri Lankan and Indian Restaurant

It is not often that I dine at Indian or Sri Lankan restaurants. When eating out, I like to choose cuisines that are different to what is normally prepared at home. Having a South Indian background, most of the dishes that are cooked at home contain similar spices and flavours to what can be found in restaurants. However, recently for some strange reason, I have been craving Kothu Roti. There are not many restaurants that I know of in Sydney that serves this, however one place that does is Janani's in South Strathfield.

What is Kothu Roti you may be asking. It is traditionally a Sri Lankan dish which is made from roti that is diced up into small pieces, and tossed with a variety of vegetables, egg and meat. It is traditional to make this dish on a hot iron sheet, with two blunt metal blades used to cut the roti. In the past, the Kothu Roti I have had has always been a hit and miss. Sometimes it is delicious, with the right amount of spice and vegetables tossed together, and sometimes it is bland and tasteless. Given that I had been craving this dish for a while, I was hoping that it would meet my expectations.

Walking into the restaurant, there wasn't that many people there despite it being a Friday night and peak time for dinner. My friends and I were a little nervous about the quality of the food there as a result, but there were so many varieties of dishes on the menu that we were just excited to try them all out! (And not to mention staaarving).

The decision for me was quite easy, given that I knew what I wanted to order a week prior to us even visiting this restaurant. I ordered a vegetable Kothu Roti, and shared a Gobi Manchurian (fried cauliflower with sweet and sour sauce) for entree with the other girls. Some of the other dishes that were ordered by my friends included Butter Chicken with Naan, Lamb Kothu Roti and a Seafood Thali (a traditional dish where roti is served with a variety of small curries). To keep the meal authentic, we ordered a Faluda, which is a Sri Lankan drink made with rose milk, which also contains little balls of jelly. If you aren't a fan of the jelly, then a plan rose milk will also do the trick.

The meal was actually surprisingly delicious. The Kothu Rotti defintiely met expectations, and it was the best meal on a rainy Friday. The other girls were also very happy with their meals, and we left the restaurants with a severe case of food babies. On top of the taste, the serving sizes were also quite generous, with some of us having to doggy bag our meals as we couldn't finish them.

If I have cravings for Kothu Roti again, I will definitely consider visiting Janani's again. For this restaurant, I score 8/10.

Cafe Giulia

Sometimes, the best things often come when most unexpected. When going to new cafes, I always pre-plan where I am going to go, and have a look at the menu beforehand to not only get a better idea of what the place serves, but to also get my tastebuds excited. On a rainy Sunday morning, my friends and I drove to Chippendale to have breakfast at 'Brickfields Cafe', but where we ended up was most unexpected but such a nice surprise.

Brickfields is a small cafe in Chippendale that is known for its pastries and breads. I had heard and seen many good reviews about this small local joint, so I had to include it on my list of places to visit. However upon arriving, it was extremely busy, and there was not much seating within the small venue. Also, given that people can only dine on a first come first serve basis, the staff were not able to tell us when a table would be available next. As my friends and I were very impatient that day given that we were all starving, we decided to look elsewhere, so out popped trusty old Google maps to find a nearby cafe.

Whilst browsing the internet, I heard my friends mention that they were craving waffles, and coincidentally I found a cafe nearby that had some on their menu - the decision of where to go soon became incredibly easy. 

Only a 3 min walk from Brickfields, Cafe Giulia is situated on Abercrombie st, Chippendale. It is quite hard to miss, given the artistic graffiti that has been painted onto the side of the cafe, giving it a very alternative vibe, and perfect for the area in which it is located. Walking in through the doors, there was a large blackboard on the back wall which was scribbled with dozens of meal options, so many of which I wanted to try that it took me a while to make a decision! After having been seated at our table, we proceeded to the front to make our orders. Some of the meals that were decided upon include French Toast with grilled banana, English muffin with sausage, bacon and a side of waffles, Bagel with haloumi, avacado and tomato and coffees/ice chocolates galore. 

I chose to order the bagel with haloumi and avacado, with a soy cappucino - standard. The wait was not too long despite the crowd which was great, and the food was absolutely delicious! The bagel was toasted to the right amount so that it was still soft enough to eat with the other ingredients, and didn't crumble away once bit into. The haloumi cheese had just the right amount of saltiness, and when paired with the avacado, provided a perfect balance. The coffee was also one of the best that I have had in a while. Unfortunately, I am not sure what beans they use, however would definitely recommend anyone in the area to pick up one of their coffees along the way.

My friends were all thoroughly pleased with their meals as well, and said that it was the perfect way to satisfy their hunger. One downside however was the waffles that were served. When the waffles arrived to the table, they were still soft and quite dry. They did not have that crispy toasted texture that one would expect of waffles, and were also quite cold.

Putting the waffles aside, everything else was great. This cafe was also great value for money, with nothing on the menu being too expensive and the portion sizes being quite generous. For Cafe Giulia, I woulds score 7/10.

Din Tai Fung

All of the food posts I have written up until this point have all been about brunch and afternoon tea, so this time, I thought i'd change things up a little and blog about a place I often frequent for dinner. Most days after work, I am too tired and lazy to venture out to new places that are not in close proximity to where I work, so often, my friends and i choose a location that is central to us all. One place I have found that I visit a lot, which is both close and delicious, is Din Tai Fung in World Square, on George st Sydney.

Being a vegetarian, it is often hard to find tasty vegetarian dishes at Asian restaurants, especially if it is a dumpling house or Yum Cha. Din Tai Fung does not boast a large range of vegetarian meals on their menu, but the few that they do are so delicious that I don't mind going back and back again to eat the same dishes.

There are three dishes that I can order when I visit Din Tai Fung which are the vegetable steam buns, the vegetable dumplings or the spicy vegetarian wonton noodle soup. However, on busy days they often cannot custom make the vegetarian spicy noodle soup, so i often resort to ordering a serving of the dumplings and steam bun. However I have to admit, I am more of a steam buns fan than a dumpling person. I love when the wooden steamer is placed on the table, and i break the steam bun in half to watch the steam rise out. Dipping the bun and dumplings in the ginger and chilli infused soy sauce adds an extra depth of flavour. I wish I could say that I have mastered the skill of using chopsticks, but unfortunately I am still quite uncoordinated when it comes to this. So you know that loser who eats their Asian dishes with a fork and spoon when everyone else is using chopsticks? That's me! :P

No matter who I go with, everyone leaves Din Tai Fung satisfied. For those who are not vegetarian, there is a plethora of dishes to choose from, each which I am told is just as tasty as the other. The service is also very quick, although it can become a bit frantic during peak hours due to the number of people who dine there. I have never had to wait a long time to be seated, however they will only allow you to enter once the whole party has arrived.

I will definitely be visiting this place once more in the near future, and would score it a 7/10.

If you are looking to visit this place, you can find more information on the following website - http://www.dintaifungaustralia.com.au/

The Tea Cosy

Scones. They are probably one of my favourite things to eat for afternoon tea. Add on some jam and cream, and I am in heaven! It's hard to find the perfect scone. I sure can't bake some even if my life depended on it, and most ones that I find at bakeries just don't meet my expectations. They are either too dense, or too dry, and always seem to disappoint. The last amazing scone I remember having was when I went on a road trip to Woollongong with my best friends for my 22nd birthday. These scones were not only large, but were also light and fluffy, and had the right amount of crispiness to the outside which I love.

So when I came across the 'Tea Cosy' on the internet whilst I was looking for a good afternoon tea spot, and they stated that they had "Scones like Nanna used to make them", I knew I was on to a winner!

Based on George St at the Rocks, the Tea Cosy is known for its scones and high tea. It does not command a large space, as it is an old terrace house that has been converted into a cafe, however provides a very 'homely' atmosphere. Out the front of the cafe (where the lounge would have been), is a little store that sells some novelty items. Walking down the corridor toward the backyard is where the kitchen is situated, with some seating available close to the kitchen and in the backyard itself. However given that it was a hot day and there was not much ventilation, we chose to proceed upstairs to catch the breeze.

We were lucky enough to be able to snag a table on the balcony, from where we could see the hustle and bustle of the Sunday markets below. As both o
f us had not had lunch that day, we decided that in addition to the scone, we would also try some of their sandwiches. We ordered the cucumber and cheese along with the curried egg sandwiches. In addition to this we ordered a basket of scones (1 each). The great thing about this cafe is that they have a number of home made jams from which we could choose from. Tossing up between the rhubarb and the fig, we ended up settling on the fig and ginger jam and cream on the side. Although a hot tea or coffee would have been perfect to marry this meal, the weather was just too hot, so we decided to order the black ice tea with mint and berries.

First the drinks arrived, and they were amazing. Not the typical ice tea that you buy from some restaurants and stores that are full of sugar and taste like syrup. This version tasted authentic, with the intensity of the black tea allowing the flavours to really come through. Although it was hard to get to the berries at the bottom of the glass, they provided a refreshing burst of flavour to the beverage. And then the food arrived, and we were not disappointed!

On two separate plates arrived the two different sandwiches. Three layers of bread cut up into soldiers, with the right amount of filling and full of flavour. My favourite of the two would have to be the cucumber and cream cheese, but the curried egg fell just shortly behind. When the much anticipated scones arrived, I was super eager to break into them to see if it lived up to all the hype - and did it!

These are definitely how I pictured Nanna's scones would taste (If my grandma could actually bake or make scones :P). They were crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. And the jam? YUM! could have eaten a little pot of it! I'm glad that we went with the fig and ginger option,as the little seeds from the fig matched beautifully with the cream.

All in all, it was an amazing day spent in the city with my close friend, and an even better day having eaten here. We both left incredibly satisfied with our meal, and I would definitely go there in the future once more.

For the Tea Cosy, I score 9/10