Café Nice: A slice of the French Riviera

The French Riviera can be found in Sydney’s CBD – believe it. It may look out onto our iconic Harbour Bridge, but Café Nice is a slice of the Côte d'Azur hidden in a dated building in Circular Quay.

Café Nice, Phillip Street, Sydney
(Image courtesy of Maria Farmer PR)

Part of the Fratelli Fresh empire and the group's first foray out of Italy and into France, Café Nice (as in the southern French city) can be likened to a French take on Café Sopra: a casual venue where freshness and lightness come first, supplemented with a friendly wine list and sometimes raucous atmosphere.

Café Nice's upstairs entry is actually on Albert Street, near the corner of Phillip Street. Ignore the dull building it's housed in because the fitout inside is stunning.

Café Nice interiors
(Image courtesy of Maria Farmer PR)

Mosaic floor tiles lead to the U-shaped bar where champagne flows and diners can eat at the bar. The smell of fresh flowers entices diners further into the bright restaurant where the dining space is split into three areas with varying views of the Harbour Bridge and quay (if a monstrous cruise boat isn't in Circular Quay).

The view (sometimes)

Dining room

With more effort in the fitout than Café Sopras generally, Café Nice has a slightly less casual feel and perhaps a little less of the Café Sopra mayhem, although there’s a similar air of casual-ness to the table settings.

Pommery Brut Royal NV Champagne

No doubt, the room becomes loud with a cacophony of diner conversations bouncing off all the hard surfaces, but pleasingly, the Thursday night noise had a convivial, away-from-home feel to it (if you ignore the very Sydney City Rail trains that pass by, eye-level, every several minutes).

The $10 tulip glasses of Pommery champagne, as also available at Café Sopra, help.

Omelette de crabe with foie gras butter

I struggled a little with the French-lilting menu – not for my limited French but because I wanted something from every section of the appetisers, entrées, pastas, seafood, meat and poultry, and sides.

We settled on the luxurious-sounding entrée of crab omelette with foie gras butter. The soft and pillowy omelette, served quite wet, was topped with plenty of crab flesh and a rich brown emulsion of butter and foie gras, though it could have done with a touch more seasoning.

Salade Niçoise

A surprising winner of an entrée was the Niçoise salad; appropriately, a salad in the style of Nice. I'm sure we've all endured some form of Niçoise but this was hands-down one of the best salads I've had in a restaurant.

Tuna in the Salade Niçoise

Served generously in a glass bowl and ideal for sharing, it comprised julienned yellow and red capsicums, sliced green beans, cored tomatoes, black olives, perfectly salty anchovies and a googy-centred boiled egg, all arranged over two chunky pieces of cooked tuna with a vinaigrette dressing.

The harmony of flavours and the salad ingredients was delicious and the tuna was utterly impeccable as it broke apart with the salad servers, while both the olives and anchovies added just the right amounts of saltiness to the overall salad.

Casarecce with calamari, tomatoes and basil

I found it hard to go past a pasta offering so we shared one as a course between entrée and main. One of my favourite pasta varieties, casarecce, arrived redolent with garlic in an olive oil-tossed combination with ridiculously sweet grape tomatoes and squid pieces.

With the pasta cooked just past al dente, tomatoes bursting with sweetness and wilted basil leaves among loads of diced garlic, I almost could have done without the firm squid, tentacles and all.

Sirloin grillé with pommes frites and roast garlic & crème fraiche

From the mains meat and poultry menu, the sirloin steak option was served medium-rare as requested with a scattering of potato fries and elected sauce of garlicky crème fraiche.

The petite and very tender cut of beef had great flavour from the grill while the crème fraiche tasted just like the sour cream and chive flavour typical in packaged potato crisps.

Mulloway filet with celeriac puree & tapenade

I was torn between all the seafood options but opted for the fillet of mulloway as something different from the Sydney standard of salmon (though the whole snapper for two was very tempting).

Pan fried for a crisp skin, the large, firm fillet of mulloway sitting on smooth celeriac puree had enough flavour  and moistness to not be overpowered by the black olive tapenade.

Asparagus with salsa verde

Vegetable sides are recommended as the mains can be a little sparse of greenery. The thick stalks of asparagus, peeled at the bottoms, were served with a chunky salsa verde herb sauce and more whole leaves, making it green on green on green.

Meringue with berries and crème anglaise

We finished with dessert as a matter of experience more than hunger, opting for the lightest-sounding option – but what a stunner it was.

The perfect rectangle of sweet meringue – marshmallowy soft and sticky within and topped with an impossibly thin crust layer – held afloat blueberries and ripe strawberry portions; all of it swimming in a citrus-scented crème anglaise. It was altogether heavenly and the perfect, floaty dessert on which to finish our meal.

Café Nice entrance and bar

For a slice of southern France in Sydney, Café Nice ticks most boxes. So the beach is a busy harbour instead and it's a bit loud and probably not ideal for romantic dinners, but the fresh, vibrant food leaves you wanting more; wines and champagne are reasonably priced; and the bright fitout and jovial atmosphere is sure to put a smile on your face – and that sure is nice.

Food, booze and shoes dined at Café Nice as a guest, with thanks to Maria Farmer PR.

Win a double pass to see Haute Cuisine

The global food movement has spoken and we now have a plethora of food movies to sate our viewing appetites.

The latest to open nationally in Australia on 25 April 2013 is French movie Haute Cuisine (French title, Les Saveurs du Palais) which is based on the true story of French President François Mitterand's private cook, Daniele Delpeuch who was in Sydney recently.

Haute Cuisine - in Australian cinemas nationally on 25 April 2013
(Image courtesy of TM Publicity)

The film, a mix of real events and pure fiction, is about "the power of cooking" and "the cooking of power", says co-writer and producer, Étienne Comar.

Delpeuch was a farmer who left her job and husband for the role and she's described in real life as "an adventurer whose choices in life have always been connected with cooking". She was the only woman who has ever cooked in the official residence of the President of the French Republic.

Stills from Haute Cuisine featuring actor Catherine Frot
(Image courtesy of TM Publicity)

Her character in the film, Hortense Laborie, is a renowned chef from the Périgord, and is appointed personal cook at the Élysée Palace for President of the Republic.

It was filmed on location at the Élysée Palace, in regional France - which itself is pretty spectacular - and Antartica, which is where the film starts rolling.

Stills from Haute Cuisine featuring actor Catherine Frot
(Image courtesy of TM Publicity)

Win a double pass to see Haute Cuisine!

Food, Booze and Shoes is giving away five double passes to see Haute Cuisine in cinemas around Australia, with thanks to TM Publicity and Transmission Films.

Simply email foodboozeshoes@gmail.com with your answer to the following question, and your postal address:

"If you had to pick one cuisine to eat for the rest of time, what would it be and why?"

Entries must be received by 9.00pm AEST on Saturday 20 April 2013. Winners will be announced and contacted within 24 hours, and passes will be posted to an Australian address.

Passes valid from Thursday 25 April 2013. Not valid Saturdays after 5pm, public holidays or cinema discount days. Valid even with No Free Ticket restrictions
Not valid for Gold Class or Vmax at Event Cinemas, Greater Union, Birch Carroll & Coyle or Village Cinemas, Hoysts La Premiere, Directors Suite, Bean Bag Cinema, Xtremescreen, IMAX or special events, Regency Cinelounge, Cinema Europa, Hayden Cremorne Orpheum, Roseville Cinema, State Cinema Hobart, Nova Deluxxe, United Avalon or United Collaroy.
(Note: mailing addresses are used only for the purpose of sending winners' tickets).

Ananas Bar and Brasserie: Pineapples ain't pineapples

I fell for Ananas in its first week of opening - the very first time I had late night cocktails in its long L-shaped bar, complete with a fresh seafood bar and pineapple lamps and features everywhere.

Post a glorious, multi-million-dollar fitout of what I vaguely remember to be a nightclub space above Lowenbrau, Ananas now serves as the French brasserie of the Urban Purveyor Group's restaurant portfolio, which includes Sake, The Cut, Bavarian Bier Cafés and of course, The Argyle.

Sydney rock and Pacific oysters at Brasserie Ananas, Argyle Street, The Rocks, Sydney

Take an early right up the stairs from the cobblestoned Argyle entrance to enter Ananas, French for pineapple. The detailed interiors are glamorously decadent and sumptuous, and any seat at the bar is guaranteed a prettily decorated view.

Chef James Privett, previously of The Cut, now heads up the brasserie kitchen, while there are plenty of Gallic accents to be heard on the floor.

We started with complimentary bread and butter, and our appetiser order of a dozen natural oysters of both Sydney rock and Pacific varieties.

Shucked to order, they're served with a vinaigrette and another sauce although the minerally Sydney rocks need nothing but a squeeze of lemon and are best had with champagne, the very drinkable Marc 'Initiale' Brut.

Lobster and scallop carpaccio, yuzu truffle dressing

Aside from the fresh oysters, the entrée menu is features an abundance of produce from the seafood bar. Coming in as the most expensive entrée (indeed, on par with some of the mains), the lobster and scallop carpaccio was a downright luxurious choice, garnished with black truffle.

Delicately thin slices of poached lobster tail and raw scallop covered the plate, in turn covered with microherbs, and a light dressing of mild truffle, yuzu and olive oil. The textures are delightful and I'd highly recommended the dish if its pricing doesn't cause pain.

Alaskan crab, avocado

The Alaskan crab entrée is a little more generous, with a round of picked crab meat (minimal shell) beneath a liberal piping of a creamy avocado mix which detracts just a little from the subtle crab flavour.

Lobster ravioli, garlic puree

In another lobster menu appearance, the ravioli entrée comprised four fresh rounds of pasta filled with a fine dice of lobster that was rather overwhelmed by the accompanying veal jus and garlic puree.

Beef sirloin with pomme puree and caramelised onions

The mains menu is decidedly more traditional than the entrées: straight French brasserie dishes, mostly on the heavy and rich side. While most dishes feature a vegetable of some sort, I'd suggest a couple of side dishes still as the mains are quite protein-heavy.

The roasted beef sirloin was nice and pink inside its dark crust, served on a pool of buttery potato puree with cooked down onions and jus.

Whole grilled flounder with lemon, capers, butter and pomme puree

I went with the whole grilled flounder in hoping it would be a lighter dish, but the strong buttery smell on its arrival dashed those hopes. Covered in baby capers and butter, the squeeze of lemon did its brave best to counter the richness, not helped by the creamy pomme puree.

While flounder is one of the easier fish to eat bones and all, eating the whole fish was made more difficult when just after our mains were delivered the already moderate lighting was dimmed further, making it completely impossible for me to see any bones. A request to un-dim the lights was denied so I had a quiet, conversation-light dinner as I sorted flesh from bone by mouth feel.

Beef cheek bourguignon, cremolata, carrot vichy

The third main of our order was the bourguigon beef cheek, braised for many hours to attain its fall-apart texture and sweet depth in flavour. Three baby carrots accompanied this hunk of cow cheek, and a sprinkle of parsley cremolata.

We had to add a side dish once we'd realised our lack of vegetables and greenery, although I wouldn't spruik the spinach which basically comes as wilted leaves without a great deal of seasoning.

Pineapple ravioli

Dessert presented a few tempting options to linger in the dark. The namesake pineapple ravioli looked a little retro in presentation, with thins of pineapple covering the plate carpaccio style.

The ravioli itself held a filling of berries and a sauce became of the pina colada sorbet. I loved the dehydrated pineapple garnish but was a little more distracted with another sweet offering.

Snickers 2012

Things certainly ended on a higher note, having being directed towards the Snickers dessert by someone in the know.

The shiny tempered tube of chocolate was filled with a creamy mousse, caramel and peanuts - and was a pretty spot-on, pimped up rendition of a Snickers chocolate bar. The nutty ice cream on the side wasn't as sweet as the chocolate construction, so did well as a diversion from chocolate and caramel overload.

Like pineapples which can be so good when they're sweet and ripe and just not when they're not ripe enough, Ananas has its hits and misses as it goes through a dynamic period of finding its feet and ripening.

Movie ticket giveaway: Step Up To The Plate

"To serve customers and give them the happiness they've come looking for, you have to understand the power of cooking. The strength of a restaurant is its soul."
- Michel Bras, father to Sebastien Bras

So says one of Europe's most celebrated three-star Michelin chefs. In cinemas from 29 November, Step Up To The Plate (Entre les Bras) is a film that follows the story of the Bras family and restaurant over three generations in southern France.

Step Up To The Plate (Entre les Bras)
(Image courtesy of Curious Film and TM Publicity)

"The story of the Bras is that of a family, a place, and the handing-down from generation to generation. We inevitably have a relationship with the place we live in and with our forefathers, as well as a sense of wonder at elsewhere. It's a coherent, uncomplicated whole." - Sebastien Bras, son to Michel Bras

"It's above all a film about the relationship between a father and his son. But I think the question is well defined thanks to cooking, which is at the heart of the filial relationship - after all, we feed our children, don't we?"
- Paul Lacoste, writer and director of Step Up To The Plate (Entre les Bras)

Win one of 10 double passes to see Step Up To The Plate!

Food, Booze and Shoes is giving away 10 double passes to see Step Up To The Plate, with thanks to Curious Distribution and TM Publicity.

To enter the giveaway, email  foodboozeshoes @ gmail . com (without the spaces) answering the below:

"Name three emotions you expect and want to experience when dining in a restaurant."

Giveaway closes on Tuesday, 27 November 2012 at 8.30pm AEST. Food, Booze and Shoes will randomly select and notify winners on the same day. Winners have 48 hours to provide postal details to receive their passes.

Terms & conditions
Giveaway only open to Australian residents. Postal details will be used for the purposes of sending the giveaway tickets only.
Passes not valid Saturdays after 5pm, public holidays or cinema discount days.
Not valid for Gold Class or Vmax at Event Cinemas, Greater Union, Birch Carroll & Coyle or Village Cinemas, Hoyts La Premiere, Directors Suite, Bean Bag Cinema, Xtremescreen, IMAX or special events, Regency Cinelounge, cinema Euroipa, hayden Cremorne orpheum, Roseville Cinema, State Cinema Hobart, Nova Deluxe, United Avalon or United Collaroy.
Valid even with No Free Ticket restrictions.

The Devonshire Friday prix fixe on my mind

I'd love more four-day work weeks, if only to get through the prix fixe lunch menus that seem only prevalent in Surry Hills (though I know Matt Kemp has always done them). A full three courses at bargain prices, like $35 at The Devonshire, is such good value I'm not entirely sure how the restaurants do it.

Bread rolls with whipped butter at The Devonshire, Devonshire Street, Surry Hills

I found myself in the middle part of Devonshire Street in Surry Hills one early Friday lunch, with a few other tables on the prix fixe menu as well. The long dining room was a little quiet and lacking genuine atmosphere, and could probably benefit from nudging up the volume on the music.

Gorgeous white bread rolls made their way to the table shortly after ordering; pointy specimens that were out-of-the-oven hot. But the best part about this bread, aside from the fantastic crust, was the whipped butter its served with - one with salt flakes and the other blended with honey.

With the airy butter melting on contact with the hot bread, dribbling butter was the look I was sporting - without complaint. There's no choice of dishes with The Devonshire's prix fixe menu, but it's hard to argue given the prices, even with a glass of French varietal that was dry and chardonnay-like.

Chicken liver parfait, fennel chutney and brioche

The day's prix fixe entreé was that increasingly ubiquitous liver parfait (probably noted as I'm not the hugest fan of pate and all things liver). Two imperfect quenelles of the pinkest chicken liver parfait was a stark introduction to the kitchen of Jeremy Bentley.

Topped with a crumble of roasted hazelnuts for a necessary textural contrast, the parfait was served with toasted brioche and an almost candied fennel chutney. There was, as ever, not enough bread to eat all the livery spread so towards the end it was more like parfait with brioche crumbs and fennel.

Pan fried skate wing, anchovy, mussels and celeriac

The main of the day was an interesting melange of seafood, featuring golden pan fried skate wing that came apart at its lined flesh. While the fish was a little dry for tastes, the accompaniments were such fun that they made up for it plus some.

The three crumbed mussels were unexpectedly sweet, adding some needed depth to the skate as the herb sauce didn't seem to have much impact, nor the dabs of celeriac puree.

However, the battered anchovy sure did; crazily crunchy in its deep gold and impressively airy batter, its saltiness and fishy oiliness were actually just the missing ingredients.

Broken fig tart, port and orange ice cream

Reading the menu, I thought the dessert was a tart of broken figs, but in fact it was the tart that was broken, or severely deconstructed. Featuring both fresh and candied dried figs, the 'tart' aspect of crisp, flaky pastry and the biscuit-y crumble were perfect for attempting to mop up the subtle port and orange ice cream.

By the time we'd finished lunch there was a fairly full dining room; most chowing down on chicken liver parfait and pan fried skate wing. The value of the prix fixe menu is unbeatable, and with weekly changing menus at a number of restaurants, I've got my next Friday off on my mind already.

Another time; another place: drinks at Felix

I don't know exactly why, but I feel like I'm on Mad Men when I'm at Felix. Perhaps it's the feeling of being in another time or place; or the many suits loudly chatting post work (though most are bankers rather than advertising execs, I think); or perhaps the classic cocktails.

Vesper cocktail at Felix, Ash Street, Sydney

I must admit that this was my first ever Vesper; a cocktail apparently made famous by none other than 007. Being a relatively new fan of martinis (very dry), this twist on the martini involves both Plymouth gin and Belvedere vodka, shaken with Lillet Blanc instead of vermouth and garnished with a lemon peel.

It's hard not to feel oh-so-sophisticated with this Vesper in hand (loved the glass detail too) though I think I'll need me a few more to really start appreciating it.

Felix Bloody Mary

Another classic done Felix style, the Bloody Mary looks pretty awesome on arrival. The salt flakes make for an impressive rim for the drink of celery-infused Belvedere vodka and a secretive "Felix Smokey Mary Mix", though I think some kind of smokey Tabasco sauce may be at play (last time, there were Tabasco sauce bottles on every dining table).

The big twist had to be the float of Galway Pipe Port, which I didn't really notice when it was mixed through, especially when the umami hit from the tomato juice is always a frontrunner on the palate.

Ocean trout terrine with cornichons

To nibble while imbibing, there isn't a bar menu as such, but we make do with the more nibbley types from the normal Felix dinner menu. A jellied ocean trout terrine is one of the more share friendly, served with a pile of snow pea sprouts, cornichons and a few of slices of toasted sourdough.

One bite of the terrine was all that was needed to have me raving: an ethereal, dill heavy slice with ocean trout flaked throughout. The balance of flavours was so spot on, it was pretty sad when I scooped up the last bit with my bread - though at least I know where to get more.

Cheese plate

The cheese plate came sadly with little explanation other than "a soft French cheese, a semi-soft sheep's Italian cheese, and a French blue cheese". The plate of cheeses alternated with dried muscatels, a dried date and a jammy paste of figs (or apricot - I forget).

There was also plenty of lavosh crackers and a chewy, raisin bread to accompany the cheeses which were polished off with ease between three-and-a-half of us. My favourite was the blue, surprisingly, since a soft, white rind is usually my preference.

The noise at the bar subsided as the suits gradually went home, but the gorgeous ambience of Felix remained. It seems just the right time and right place for this French incarnation to hit Ash Street for our drinking pleasure, and Mad Men or not, I'm glad it's here.

Assiette Friday prix fixe on my mind

On the extremely rare occasion that I had an entire Friday off from any kind of work, I immediately knew what I wanted to do: prix fixe lunch at one of the fine establishments in Surry Hills that offered it.

One email later, I was booked in to lunch at two-hatted (well, it was when I dined there) Assiette. I think I could definitely handle the 'ladies who lunch' lifestyle.

Kreglinger 'Vintage Brut' from Assiette, Albion Street, Surry Hills

The dining room was absolutely packed as we arrived (except for our table), the restaurant bustling with the noise of Friday lunch. The two of us seemed somewhat youthful in comparison to the rest of the dining room, other than the under-5-year-old hoeing into her three-course meal with coloured pencils on the side.

The $35 prix fixe menu was evidently popular, with a choice from two of each entree, main and dessert, along with suggested wine matches.

Being not too long after breakfast, I wasn't sure I could stomach three glasses of wine. We started with a festive glass of Tasmania's Kreglinger Vintage Brut; a sparkling with a fun and fruity beginnings, and a drier finish.

White bread roll

The warm bread roll was crusty to a point of embarassingly messy, served with butter and salt flakes, to numb the initial hunger. However, it wasn't long at all before the entrees arrived.

White bean veloute with duck rillettes

I had no strong preference for either entree as they both sounded quite satisfactory. I end up with the white bean veloute in front of me; a thick and hearty concoction of more cream than bean in taste.

In the middle sat a stump of duck rillettes; unexpectedly sweet on its lonesome, but making more sense when eaten with the soup. The hazelnuts in the rillettes were in sharp contrast with the soft and silky textures of the rest of the dish; while the drizzles of presumably basil oil made it look like an artist's palette.

Salt cod croquette with potato puree

I was very impressed with my few bites of the croquette; far superior to any other salt cod croquette I've sampled (which can be too salty, too potato-ey and so on).

Assiette's was insanely perfect: light with seasoned mashed potato and populated with chunks of salt cod flakes that had gorgeous texture with a bit of resistance. And if I thought the veloute was creamy, it had nothing on the potato puree beneath the fine, cylindrical croquette.

Pan fried mackerel with pumpkin, feta, raisins and pine nuts

Going by the menu, I was happy to go with the mackerel main - a fish I've been having a lot of lately in some very good dishes; though perhaps it's in season too. Its presentation was a little surprising in its less refined, thrown-together look, but also with a Middle Eastern slant.

Pumpkin, feta cheese, sweet raisins and pine nuts aren't the hallmarks of French cooking, but they seemed to work together. While the raisins and pumpkin were entirely appropriate for the salty feta and some parts salty fish, the mackerel itself had a slight fishiness that was difficult to conceal.

The three thin slices of pan fried mackerel formed a triangle over smashed pumpkin and the array of other ingredients, although it all just ended up feeling like disparate but well-cooked parts as opposed to a unified dish.

Roast pork belly with pearl barley and apple sauce

The pork belly looked a picture of perfection: a square tile of crackling topped pork, sitting neatly on pearl barley with a nice, big dollop of apple sauce. It was difficult to attack the meat, what with its crackling armour and slippery grounding - in the end it was easier to separate the crackling from the flesh and consume each separately.

The crackling was fabulous, except for the thick layer of fat beneath it which turned the chewing exercise into something like that for stickjaw toffees. The meat, however, just melted - even more tender than the very tasty and homely pearl barley, and was pure comfort with the classic pairing of apple sauce.

Chocolate brownie with caramel ice cream

Our desserts arrived as the restaurant started to empty, the workers heading back to their offices and the others delighting in their Friday afternoon freedom.

The slice of chocolate brownie looked threatening with its gooey fudginess. The chocolate hit wasn't huge but it was just the right sized slice, while the caramel ice cream started to make it all a little too sweet. I liked the shortbread crumbs beneath the ice cream, and the vice-versa chocolate crumbs on the ice cream.

Strawberry Eton Mess

The less rich Eton Mess arrived in front of me in a martini glass; a gorgeous mess of vanilla bean speckled cream, gyprock-like meringue shards, strawberry puree, strawberry segments, pistachio crumble and ever-present micro herbs.

There was more meringue mixed into the whipped, light-as-air vanilla cream and swirled with the ruby red puree, it was a taste of a girly childhood without a sugar high. Happiness, of another kind, in a martini glass.

The prix fixe three-course Friday lunch menu is simply incredible value, and with a different menu every week, there is now even more reason for Fridays to be on my mind.

Get your bite on at Bitton Gourmet Café and Grocer

Breakfast out, or indeed brunch for the late arisers among us, is such a luxury. No mooching in slippers to the barren shelves of the fridge to see the empty bottles of milk. No unexpected lack of eggs or bread, or fighting over the last couple of wheat biscuits or tea bag.

Brasserie Bread for sale at Bitton Gourmet Café and Grocer, Copeland Street, Alexandria

Bitton is somewhat of an institution in Alexandria (or Erskineville as I’ve always called it); its red awnings standing out like a beacon to the area’s young, funky (and sometimes older and stylish) residents. Families with young kids take over the back courtyard while others fill the footpath seating, especially on weekend mornings.

We arrive at a more afternoon-like hour, but the all-day breakfast menu is there waiting to envelope me in the simple comfort that is bacon and eggs for breakfast on the weekend.

Mango (left) and berry (right) smoothies

Eschewing coffee for hopefully more healthy fruit smoothies, the mango and the berry are our choices. The mango one is a bit bland with a not-so-ripe mango flavour while the berry smoothie is seed-y, tart and better.

Butter, spicy tomato sauce and salt flakes

The menu features a lot of chef and owner David Bitton’s own products, like jams and sauces, and offers a broad range of breakfast options, as well as lunch given our late start to the day.

The arrival whole small container of French Isigny butter at the table, along with a chunky tomato sauce and salt flakes, sets the scene for what is to come for my breakfast order.

One pan bacon and eggs with wood fired bread and spicy tomato sauce

The pan reminds me a little of a paella pan, and I can see that both the bacon and eggs are just cooked – no crispy bacon here but no complaints either. The bacon was seriously quality pork: smoky, firm and so full of flavour that I didn’t mind the fat all too much.

The baked eggs were similar to their poached cousins, with the gooey yolk going all over the pan and making very good use of the provided bread, and a few extra slices. Heavenly slices of toasted sourdough bread that required protection from thieving co-diners who appreciate good bread and butter just as much as me.

A side of creamy, ripe avocado upped my fruit/vegie intake alongside the (does it count?) spicy tomato sauce.

Chilli oil roasted chicken supreme on spiced pumpkin with baby herbs

Aforementioned thieving co-diner had been lured by the lunch menu and was looking down at a very tanned chicken breast, roasted in Bitton’s chilli oil and sitting atop a puddle of smooth pumpkin puree and a shallow pool of juices.

The pumpkin, as much as it resembled baby food, was surprisingly rich and creamy with a decent spice kick to prop up the tender, juicy chicken. Said stolen sourdough was used to mop up a lot of the tasty leftover juices.

Bitton products

Perusing a little as we left, there’s an impressive range of dry goods for purchase on the shelves (in addition to Bitton products) as well as a few choice items in the fridge. But going up to pay, we couldn’t resist a loaf of the Brasserie Bread sourdough that we’d just been eating.

We depart with the heavy batard loaf and equally full, heavy stomachs, heading back home for mooching about in slippers and perhaps some sourdough toast for afternoon tea.