Friday, November 22, 2013

Leura Garage, Leura

Over the October long weekend The Boy and I went for a drive up to the Blue Mountains. My sole motivation was that I had been wanting to try Leura Garage for ages.  Given enough time I will eventually tick every cafe of my wishlist...maybe.


As the name suggests the cafe is located in a former mechanic garage and there are little nods to this all through the decor...a tyre here, a wheel rim there, a few car doors on the wall, some old exhausts on a shelf, a car hoist acting as a wine rack. You get the picture.

 

When we finally got ourselves a table I had massive amounts of trouble trying to decide on what to order. Not because I wanted to eat everything - which I did - but because of the HEFTY prices against each item. $15.00 for a SMALL rocket salad - that's just criminal in my mind, especially when the bowls I saw heading for the tables were pretty petite and I know a WHOLE big bag of rocket costs less than $4.00 in the supermarket. I don't know if the prices were exceptionally high for the public holiday, but still...! If we weren't so hungry I would've gone somewhere else...but I was getting hangry and needed food ASAP.


In the end The Boy and I decided to get two small - albeit pricey things - and go for a light lunch and fill up on dinner when we got home later that night. To start with we choose a Charcuterie Board for THIRTY TWO DOLLARS! My wallet nearly got up and ran out of the restaurant at this point let me tell you. Now, the board was good - everything was very tasty and well presented but I was disappointed that we only got TWO CRACKERS and three small slices of bread with it.  I did ask for more crackers and they came to the table with hassle and no extra cost. I thought the meats provided were really nice - prosciutto, hot salami, a potted terrine and some smoked ham and I liked the addition of a rockmelon ball to accompany the prosciutto.


We decided to get a bowl of rosemary salted fries ($9.00) to pad out the charcuterie board. The fries were really good - very flavoursome and I like the addition of rosemary to the mix.


All in all we had a nice lunch. The food was very nice and the atmosphere of the cafe was buzzy + fun. The fit out of the place is quite quirky and the staff were very friendly. Bearing all that in mind the prices were just beyond what I personally think is reasonable for a casual lunchtime eat, or justifiable so we'll be on the hunt for somewhere new to eat in Leura for our next visit.

Leura Garage is at 84 Railway Parade, Leura - NSW. Phone them on (02) 4784 3391.

Leura Garage on Urbanspoon

And now I'll leave you with some photos of the cicadas that had literally taken over the Blue Mountains on the day we visited. They were EVERYWHERE - either crawling up trees, flying about, having "sexy times" with each other or leaving their dead shells all over the place! The noise was deafening.  It was actually quite magical until one flew onto me and I put my neck out trying to escape it's little claws.



Chirp chirp.

13 comments:

  1. Yikes I don't remember it being this expensive!! Must have gone up. If u ever get the chance. Their ribs are AMAZING!!

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  2. Helen (grabyourfork)November 22, 2013 at 2:35 PM

    The charcuterie plate does look lovely but maybe they were just going paleo with the modest serve of crackers? lol

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  3. Felicia @ Next Stop: FoodNovember 22, 2013 at 6:14 PM

    woah that charcuterie board is pricey, lucky it was tasty :) Love rockmelon with prosciutto hehe. Cicada.. *shiver*

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  4. It's a shame it's so pricey - I feel like they're taking advantage which isn't cool.

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  5. So expensive - I nearly died!

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  6. It bothers me when a serving of fries hovers around the $10 mark. Straight from a freezer packet/box and flavoured with rosemary and salt. Two crackers on the board is just plain rude.

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  7. I am with Priscilla! Since when did it get so expensive? I certainty don't recall those prices last time I visited the place. Then again, it is quite a popular cafe (prob the most popular place in leura) so it doesn't surprise me that they have increased the price. I am quite sadden by the pricing now :( It was also good to see you again at the picnic yday!

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  8. Prices are very steep. But I do hear people raving on about it though..

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  9. My poor wallet! Great to see you on Saturday too - glad the rain went away.

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  10. Claire | South by NorthNovember 25, 2013 at 4:23 PM

    Eek so pricey! I've only been there once quite a while ago, and it sounds like the prices have gone up. Next time you are in Leura try the cafe at the back of the Deli, or Zest, both have much more reasonable prices for substantial and yummy meals. Zest in particular has some interesting things on offer, not just the usual cafe stuff...

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  11. It does seem like food is getting a little out of control in NSW. It wasn't until my trip to Europe this year that I realised how inexpensive a coffee and great tasting meal with fresh produce can be. Price aside, the food really does look good!

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  12. I hear ya. I moved to the Mnts 18 months ago after living in Pyrmont for 11 years. I cannot believe how expensive it is to eat out up here! And while Leura Garage does look nice, it's no The Grounds!

    I went to the Garage awhile ago, waited at my table for 20 minutes and after no one came to serve me I just got up and left. I haven't been back. It's a shame really as it looks like the kind of place I want to take my City friends when they visit.

    Go to Red Door Cafe - that's awesome!

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  13. I went to Leura earlier this year when I went to the Mtns. I have to admit, I was surprised by the pricing, but ultimately really enjoyed the meal..I had a quinoa salad and it was gorgeous.

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