Bread and Circus, Alexandria

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Whoever coined the phrase"you don't make friends with salad" has certainly never met me. I LOVE a good, hearty, tasty salad and it was the lure of such salads that drew me to Alexandria's Bread and Circus.

Bread and Circus is a wholefoods canteen with a focus on hearty, healthy fare. When the first opened a few years ago they didn't even serve coffee (just teas and juices) but I think they may have changed that policy...after all the lure of coffee is hard to deny (as is the revenue it brings in the door I'm sure).

There's quite a lot on offer on the menu from sandwich boxes, sandwiches and various breakfast items and daily plates. That all sounds really tasty but I'm here for one thing, and one thing only. SALAD!

The salads come in three sizes: side ($10), regular ($16) and sharing ($25). I decide to order the regular size as that way I can fit ALL the salads on offer on my plate.  It's a good size though if you're ordering a side and aren't overly hungry and side plate would probably be enough.

There are five different salads on offer and I love the way that are all piled next to other. My favourites were whatever it was that had goats cheese in it, plus that cauliflower you see there...I reckon it has some cheese action going on as well.

A girl cannot live on salad alone however and a side of haloumi ($6.00) is to hard to resist. It is grilled to perfection and is SO delicious and I'm pleased that the serve is so generous (does anyone else thing the haloumi looks like toast in this photo)?!

I wash all of this down with a juice. This red coloured juice is aptly, but probably PC incorrectly, called The Ranga! It's a mix of orange juice, watermelon juice and ginger (if you heart desires). It's very tasty, but I think it's more Strawberry Blonde than Ranga.

I really loved my first visit to Bread and Circus. It was hearty, filling and tasty. The atmosphere is lovely and the staff were very friendly.

A few weeks later I'm back at Bread and Circus with my sister who lives not too far away. I was really hoping for more salad but alas, no lunches before noon. We arrived at 11am so it's just too long to string things out til lunch is served so I end up ordering toast with feta, tomatoes and a side of their delicious haloumi. I did have a bit of a struggle deciding what to order for brunch as nothing really leapt out at me...I definitely think, for me, lunches are the way to go here. They just seem a bit more interesting and no so run-of-the-mill.

Bread and Circus is at 21 Fountain Street, Alexandria. Phone them on 9698 2939.

Armory Wharf Cafe, Newington

Keeping with the theme of exploring all things local at the moment, we make a visit to the Armory Wharf Café at Newington with Dave’s family. We’re there to celebrate his brother’s birthday with a spot of Segwaying around the Armory, followed by lunch at the café.

For the record, Segwaying is AWESOME fun. If these things ever become street legal in NSW (they are not at the moment so anyone you see not on private property is breaking the law) I’m giving up walking and replacing my legs with a Segway...

Now, onto the food. After seeing everyone else’s meals I think I could’ve been more adventurous with my ordering. I NEED to stop order things based solely on whether or not they come with chips or not. Nevertheless my grilled scotch fillet ciabatta roll (toasted), with caramelised onion, gruyere cheese, Smoky BBQ sauce, roquette slaw ($18.50) hit the spot. As did the chunky chips.

My father-in-law wanted something light and ordered the Beetroot Cured Atlantic Salmon on a nicoise salad of potato, green beans, onion, capers. and olives ($22.00). This was topped with a poached egg.

The crispy battered flathead fillets with chunky chips with a side of lemon, caper and garlic sauce ($20.00) was a pretty popular choice at the table. The fish pieces were HUGE, totally eclipsing the decently sized serve of chips. The batter was as crispy and cracking and is looks. The inclusion of a token salad ensures you don't feel like a total fat blob eating this. Food envy.

The salt and pepper squid with orange and fennel salad and served with aioli ($21.00) was another popular choice. The red onion rings were pretty tasty (I may have stolen one...or two).

Dave was carb-loading post our Segwaying adventure and ordered the Trio of Dawgs ($22.00). Each of the the three soft brioche buns showcased a different type of "dog".  We have the traditional American Frankfurt, mustard and onion; a Bratwurst and Sauerkraut; and for the French want-to-be in all of us a Toulouse sausage w/ five-spice marmalade, and goats cheese. In case you're still peckish after all of this rest assured this dish comes with a serve of chunky chips.

More food envy with this dish...in fact this is the dish I really REALLY wished I'd ordered.  Here we have VERY large ravioli filled with pumpkin, potato and pine nuts finished in the pan with a sage and beurre noisette and pine nut sauce ($22.00). Served with a side radicchio salad...as you do. I stared longingly at this dish for the ENTIRE meal and my niece finally! offered me a taste. Excellent.

Overall we had a pretty nice lunch at  The Armory Wharf Cafe.  We were a big group and I think we were well looked after given how busy and chaotic this place was on the day we visited. I'd be keen to visit again on a much more sunny (and warmer) day.

The Armory Wharf Cafe can be found in the Blaxland Riverside Park, Jamieson Street, Newington. Phone them on 9714 7513.

Badmanner Thymes Cafe, Parramatta

I'm thrilled that another Parramatta cafe has decided to open up its doors on weekends for the locals to enjoy. It seems a lot of new cafes initially open Monday to Friday (which is great if you work in the 'hood {which I don't so it's bad for me}).  Once these weekyday cafes find their feet the locals are set to benefit with weekend opening times. Yay!

Badmanner Thymes Cafe is...compact with a lovely, cozy fit out. I love the old leather Chesterfield that sits against the back wall (channeling "Central Perk" from Friends perhaps)...and there are interesting little bits and pieces to feast your eyes upon whilst you wait for your food. It's a great space that feels really warm and welcoming.

We kick things off with coffees - a piccolo latte for me and a cappuccino for Dave. Both of our coffees are great, very smooth and easy to drink.

One of the specials of the day is a Big Breakfast which Dave immediately orders...he doesn't even need to look at the menu. He's VERY happy with his breakfast...the scrambled eggs are nice and fluffy and the plate is crammed with baby spinach, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon and a smokey, delicious chorizo.

There are two Korean inspired rolls on the menu (though the chef isn't Korean...he just has a thing for experimenting with Korean food). On this visit I go for the Bulgogi Roll (and next time I'll hit up the Kimchi Roll). This roll is REALLY delicious! The toasted wholemeal roll and is filled with thin slices of marinated beef, pickled white radish, Spanish onion, band topped with a generous serving of sweet potato crisps. There's a little chilli hiding in amongst this medley of ingredients...so chilli whimps beware! I loved how the crisp sweet potato crisps offset the soft roll and tender beef. The aoli is really lovely, with just a little bit of "zing" to it.

I'm normally able to avoid the temptation of the sweet offerings at cafe, but the lure of a cabinet filled with Cronuts (aka "Brewnuts) from Brewtown is too much to resist.

We decide on a Cinnamon Cronut and our waitress heats it up for a little. It's not as mind-blowing as the Cronut from Brewtwon which I enjoyed pretty much fresh from the oven, but it's still pretty impressive to have THE LEGENDEY CRONUT IN PARRAMATTA! We've hit the big time now folks.

I'm not in the mood for a second coffee so decide to try one of their fresh juices. I opt for the Ginger Zinga as I love ginger in juices. The drink comes in a (hipster) jam jar glass sans paper straw (thankfully). I think paper straws are cute but it's nice to be able to linger over your drink without your straw disintegrating on you.

Badmanner Thymes is a great new weekend addition to Parramatta's weekend eating options. The cafe is cute, has great coffee, a good menu and some really friendly staff. At the moment they are just opening Saturdays (til about 4pm) but hope to open up on Sundays in October(ish).

Badmanner Thymes Cafe is at 1 Horwood Place, Parramatta.

Paper Plane (+ #mushroomMania2014), Parramatta

I don't mean to gush but, OH MY GOD! My discovery of Paper Plane cafe in Parramatta has made me VERY VERY happy!

Paper Plane opened around February of this year, but I actually first became aware of them when I was trying to post an Instagram photo to Paper Planes in Bondi yet this place kept popping up in my geotag. Hmmm? It wasn't until I started seeing a few photos on IG that I realised a) this cafe is open on weekends and b) this is just the sort of cafe that I LOVE. Quirky decor, interesting menu, drinks served in jars, in Parramatta and like I said...open all weekend.

We both decide to detour away from coffee on this visit and Dave orders a Caramel Milkshake ($6.00) that comes in a cute little milk bottle with a paper straw (squee factor = about 100). I have a little sip and it's a great milkshake - very traditional tasting. Milk is no longer my friend so I choose the Peach Melba Iced Tea ($5.00) that come with fresh lemon and mint floating about in my jam jar glass. The paper straw sort of give up half way through the drinks though and become a tad...soggy...so drink fast.

We visit the cafe just before lunch so it's a struggle to decide if we should order breakfast, brunch or lunch. They had some VERY impressive breakfast boards coming out of the kitchen that looked very hearty.

In the end we both go for lunch. The general vibe of the menu is trendy-style sandwiches (I don't want to say "dude food" but you know what I mean), big burgers, little sliders and salads. All good stuff.

The lunch menu quite large and everything is tempting.  After dillydallying for AGES I finally order the Midnight Cuban Sandwich ($15.00) that comes with a side of big, fluffy Bad Boy Fries that are dusted with a salty, spicy seasoning. This is one tasty, and very filling sandwich! Crammed between generous slices of sourdough bread is triple smoked ham, pulled pork, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and  white BBQ sauce (not sure what that is). Yep, it's as good as it sounds!

I was stunned when Dave by-passed the Big Breakfast and ordered the Beef Burger with the Lot ($14.50). A soft, brioche bun is topped with a perfectly-cooked and very tasty beef patty, bacon, oozy fried egg, carmalised onions, beetroot, Swiss cheese, tomato and lettuce! Just in case you're still hungry after all of that the burger also comes with a side of Bad Boy Fries.

It's not long before we are back to spend the gift card I received from Australian Mushroom Growers Association to help them promote and celebrate #mushroomMania2014 which runs through all of July. 

And FYI to all you 'shroom lovers out there...if you share a photo of your own mushroom meal during July 2014 you could win a $100 voucher from Australian Mushroom Growers Association to spend on your own delicious meal out. If you're keen to enter check out the details here.

For my mushroom extravaganza it's hard to go past the Portobello Eggs Benedict ($14.00). The Portobello Mushroom is stuffed with feta and pesto (a match made in heaven) accompanied by two pieces by sourdough toast with poached eggs that are smothered in a beautifully smooth Hollandaise Sauce. I was a bit worried about this dish being served on a wooden board, but thankfully the eggs weren't too runny so nothing ended up running off on to my lap.

Oh looky, Dave's ordered the Big Breakfast ($16.00)!  Are you surprised? This is one impressive looking breakfast let me tell you, especially considering that it's only $16.00. Served on a BIG wooden board. Th Big Breakfast is resplendent with button mushrooms, fried eggs, toast, chorizo (which was SO tasty), a hashbrown, tomatoes, bacon...and a token green salad.

We enjoyed great coffee over our breakfast. A large cappuccino for him; and a piccolo latte for her! I really liked my piccolo latte. Often I find these a tad too strong/bitter but this one was very smooth and easy to drink. I can't drink black coffee (other than cold drip 'cos I'm hip like that) and I can't drink anything too milky...so the piccolo is a good option for me when it's made to my taste.

Oh, and we shared an OJ ($5.00)...because it was breakfast time and we're both getting over a cold.

Paper Plane is a GREAT new addition to what I hope is Parramatta's growing (weekend) cafe scene. The menu is large and varied, the staff are very friendly, the decor is comfortable and homely, and the food is delicious and well-priced. Two hoofs up from me - cannot wait to come back!

Paper Plane is at 5/2 Horwood Place, Parramatta. Phone them on 0400 888 772.

Big Tree House Cafe, Rydalmere

Sometimes if you want something bad enough it may just happen! In my case I'm desperate for more cafes to open locally that are willing to serve me brunch on Saturday and Sunday.  Parramatta has one such place, Castle Hill has three (1, 2 and 3), Baulkham Hills has one...but that's pretty much it as far as weekend brunch options go in my neck of the woods (if you know of more, please let me know). Until now...

I recently became aware (thanks to Instagram) of a cafe in Rydalmere that is open ALL weekend.  Hello to Big Tree House Cafe! The photos on Instagram looked pretty great so Dave and I swung by there a few weekends ago for a take-a-away coffee. This place is CUTE and the food coming out of the kitchen looked so tasty.

Normally I'd wait for the weekend to try out a new local cafe with Dave, BUT I had the very next day off work so I hopped in the car and drove the 4kms to Big Tree House and had myself some lunch.

Whilst they serve breakfast all day I was really in the mood for lunch-type food and the Rachel Sandwich ($15.00) sounded pretty great to me! The Rachel is packed with pastrami, coleslaw, Swiss cheese, and pickles and comes served on a board with a bundle of hot chips. I have to say this was one very good sandwich. It smelt incredible which made taking the time to snap a couple of photos nigh on torture. And, two thumbs up for FAT CHIPS!

They also do freshly squeezed Apple or Orange Juice ($6.00) served in a jam jar...because Rydalmere is hip too you know! The juice is great, very refreshing.

The coffee served at Big Tree House is Campos and the chef's wife (and owner) tells me that the staff have undergone training with Campos on how to make a great coffee and I think this is a very good cuppa.

A few days later I'm back with Dave to try the breakfast offerings. The cafe is busy, but not packed and we get a table straight away which is nice. There's also plenty of parking in the area as the cafe is on a quiet, residential street. Win win!

Dave, as predictable as always, orders the Big Tree House Breakfast ($16.00). His plate is heaving with poached eggs, bacon, chorizo, mushrooms, roast tomato and two generously sized pieces of sourdough toast. My eyes hone right on in to the super crispy bacon and I manage to score myself a piece. So good! The chef has done time working in fine dining restaurants, namely with Peter Doyle, and this man sure knows how to turn bacon into perfection!

Everything on the breakfast menu looks so appealing, eventually I settle on the Chorizo and Scrambled Eggs ($12.00). There's not a lot to say about this dish other than it was really delicious. Chorizo for breakfast = winning!

Big Tree House is a great local cafe. The food is delicious, service is efficient, everything on the menu is tempting and the decor is really sweet. In warmer weather it would be lovely to sit out the back under the big old Magnolia Tree that gives the cafe its name. Well done Rydalmere, who knew you were harbouring such a hidden gem!

Big Tree House Cafe is at 88 Calder Rd, Rydalmere. Phone them on 8626 9007.

Opening Hours: 8 am ~ 4 pm and closed on Tuesdays.