In the lap of Luxe

Some Sunday mornings, the head needs a little more love and care than usual. By head, I mean the throbbing, make-up streaked, nauseous, heavy thing that sits on one’s neck after a large night out on the alcoholic beverages. Responsibility only seems to last three out of four weeks at most.

If one is hungover and in the vicinity of Newtown, conveniently down the road from Marly Bar are a couple of great breakfast/brunch/lunch options. We sheepishly grab a table near the sun-filled window one Sunday (let’s be honest) afternoon for an array of brekky, lunch, sweets and just coffee for some.

Cappuccino from Luxe Bakery

The coffees are good, strong and just the thing to wake some up; although the sunshine and quiet murmur of noise (rather than rowdy and packed) also ease the pain. While there are groups and families with kids, there are also many people on their own, just flicking through magazines and newspapers by themselves on the communal tables while munching on a fresh pastry or sipping coffees.

Chocolate croissant

As for the pastries, aside from the shelves laden with an impressive variety of sourdough and other flavoured breads, there are muffins, biscuits, cakes and slices. And a flaky, golden skinned chocolate croissant which one of our crew can’t resist. Delightful with coffee, I’m assured, as she disperses crumbs and flakes all over the table top.

Eggs with sourdough, potato hash, baked mushrooms and avocado

Breakfast for one comes in the form of eggs with sides of choice and huge rafts of toasted sourdough bread. Here there was couple of eggs poached to perfection, a golden potato hash brown, dark baked mushrooms, garnished with a giant sprig of rocket. A big, mostly healthy breakfast with a bit of very necessary greasiness in the potato post night before.

Alternative angle - see the mushrooms

For me, it’s closer to lunch and I have yet to overcome my adoration for a humble mezze or antipasti plate. At Luxe it arrives with a generous pile of warm Turkish bread logs on a separate plate – so much that I was able to doggy-bag some for home.

Mezze plate

Of the cured meats, I prefer the prosciutto, cut thin to a near translucent state, with the supremely tasty, melt-in-mouth but probably-not-very-good-for-you strips of white fatty parts. The salami is also moreish, not too salty nor spicy, and wolfed down with plenty of the impossibly soft and fluffy Turkish bread.

The vegetables are a definite high point: the grilled eggplant divinely soft and exuberant with olive oil. The collection of all-sized green and black olives is fun (I liked the big green ones), the pickled gherkin appropriately sour, and their own pickled onion a delicious revelation. There’s also a subtle chunk of a goat’s cheese curd hidden within the vegetables; all sprightly white with tangy flavour.

Even with a constant stream of customers, we could linger and chat without feeling guilty. There's such comfort to be had in the warm, welcoming lap of Luxe Bakery, that I’m actually looking forward to the next weekend morning that I’ll require a bit of comforting.

P.S. The Crave Sydney International Food Festival Night Noodle Markets starts tonight – and going by the looks of the slightly different setup this year, it’s a bigger production. Hopefully this means more seating – I hope the weather starts clearing up in time for a good two weeks.