Berry Sourdough Cafe, Berry

Sometimes it's great to get out of Sydney - to go for a drive to a place where skies are bluer, emptier. The streets of Berry aren't really any emptier though as I think it's the destination of choice these days for Sydney-siders to flee to.

Berry Sourdough Cafe is a buzzy little place off the main street of Berry serving freshly baked pastries, bread + cakes as well as  breakfast/brunch/lunch and all manner of caffeinated beverages to wake you up for your drive back to Sydney.  The cafe is literally bursting at the seems with hungry visitors needing a bite to eat on their day trip to the country.

But don't let the crowds put you off - be patient and you'll soon be rewarded with a table.  If you're lucky your table will be in full view of the cake cabinet - the perfect spot!

The Boy + I arrive just in time for lunch and fate is smiling on us as we get one of the last tables before the rush really hits. We kick things off with a bowl of crunchy french fries with mustard aoili ($6.00) whilst we contemplate the rest of the menu.

I'm still in a bit of a brunch mood still and really want a meal that has the famous Berry sourdough bread in it.  Whilst the brunch menu has well and truly been put to bed the roast butternut pumpkin, fennel, dill marinated local feta on sourdough ($16.00) is the next best choice. It's a really flavoursome (and filling) plate of food and I particularly love the crispy fennel paired with creamy feta that has generous sprigs of dill through.

I pretty much always have food envy and The Boy seems to have a knack of ordering dishes that I really actually want to eat myself.  The crisp pork belly, hazelnut puree, green pear and raddichio ($24.00) is no exception to this rule and despite eyeballing every mouthful he inhaled I only managed to nab a (very delicious) morsel of crackling right at the end. Doesn't this dish just look like perfection on a plate? Just as aside the guy at the next table SHARED his pork with his wife...take note Boy!

And as I had been in the perfect position to ogle the pastry cabinet all throughout lunch I could not resist a little something sweet to end off our day trip to Berry. This petit coconut orange cake was really tasty, light yet moist bite or two that certainly curbed my sweet craving.  The chocolate tart hid a river of caramel sauce within its chocolate lid that was as shinny as silk and utterly scrumptious.

Berry Sourdough Cafe is at 23 Prince Alfred Street, Berry.  Phone them on (02) 4464 1617.