Marcelle, Potts Point

It’s been a hectic past few weeks which means less cafe hopping than usual. The next few weeks are set to be hectic too as D and I will be moving into a new place this weekend.

Today I was lucky enough to stumble upon a wonderful cafe in Potts Point while out with the parentals. The walk from Kings Cross Station down Macleay Street wasn’t exactly pleasant and I was beginning to doubt we’d find anything good for lunch around there. We walked past “Marcelle” twice before my mum decided to just go inside. It looks deceptively narrow from the outside but there is a fairly big communal table at the back. The rest of the seating is more fitted for the single coffee-goer. As it was raining today, outdoor seating was not an option.

The lighting in Marcelle is dim but welcoming. The waitress is exceptionally friendly and we order our drinks to start with while we peruse the menu. When out with the parentals, conversation often turns to other things so I was too distracted to remember to take a photo of the menu. My initial thoughts on it was “nothing special” but as it turns out, Marcelle delivered an exceptional lunch.

Left: Soy latte and soy chai – approx $4 each
Right: Mocha – approx $3.50

Our drinks come first. I order a soy chai, while my mum opts for a latte and my dad his usual mocha. Coffee here is by Allpress and I take a sip of my mum’s. It is okay. My chai is also passable though on the weak side (I admit I like my chai strong though) – at least I’m quite certain it was not powdered chai but the real stuff.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad – approx $11.50

The food presentation here is off the charts. My mum is very impressed with her dish of roasted pumpkin salad which consists of a large slice of roasted pumpkin (served warm) with a fruity salad containing rocket, orange slices, pomegranate and puffed quinoa. I’m allowed a few bites and it is absolutely heavenly. The combination of the hot roasted pumpkin with the tartness of the fruits in the salad is amazing.

Char-grilled Chicken Salad – approx $11.50

My dad orders the char-grilled chicken salad. The chicken looks fresh and the salad contains quinoa as well.

Greenie Bowl – approx $13.50

My order was something called the Green bowl (or was it Greenie bowl?). This comes with kale, broccoli, capers, salmon, a soft boiled egg and rye crisp breads. The capers make this dish rather tart but I was quite in the mood for it. My only complaint is probably that the rye crisp breads were a bit stale but this was a minor flaw. I do love my kale, after all.

Marcelle was a great find and a must-visit if you’re in the area. The parentals even said it was better than the cafes they had visited on their recent trip to Europe – so certainly that must mean something.

Marcelle
127 Macleay St, Potts Point NSW 2011
http://www.marcellexo.com/
Facebook Page
Zomato

Elbow Room Espresso, Chatswood

We gave Elbow Room Espresso in Chatswood a second visit this past long weekend. We had previously come here and were very impressed with the food, despite the very long wait time for it to come out.

While Chatswood is rapidly developing, this cafe is currently one of the few there where great brunch fare and coffee can be found. I have spotted a few smaller coffee bars around the area, but none which offer the kind of brunch experience you want. On my last visit to Elbow Room, I had tried their chai latte, which I highly recommend also. D also raved about the food and was disappointed this round to find what he ordered last time was no longer on the menu.

Organic Sticky Chai w/ soy $4.50

Prosciutto wrapped asparagus (no longer on menu)

As it was burning hot that day (we had plans to bask in the air conditioning while watching a movie at Westfield), D and I order a blueberry and banana smoothie to share. This one is made with almond milk and blended with honey and chia seeds. It was perfect for the blisteringly hot weather.

The menu is similar to last time with a few changes. I end up ordering what I did last time – the wild mushrooms – as it really was very good. D goes for the bacon and egg roll.

The service here is friendly if not a little forgetful. We had to ask twice for water, but the waitresses are smiley and the day is busy, so it’s not a big deal.

Blueberry & banana smoothie w/ almond milk, honey, chia seeds $8

Our smoothie comes first. It turns out to be everything I had hoped for and more. Not only that, it looks beautiful. You can see the swirl of honey running down the side of the jar, contrasting gorgeously with the purple colour of the blueberries. The pretty bubbles on top are the finishing touch. It’s almost too pretty to drink, but who am I kidding?

devoured…

The smoothie is very, very good. There is an equal balance of blueberry and banana flavour with the right amount of sweetness from the honey. The almond milk is a welcome bonus. I’m not sure if there were actually chia seeds in there but I like to believe there was. Not that it mattered when the taste was this sensational. D is pleasantly surprised with the smoothie too and he usually doesn’t like almond milk that much.

Wild mushrooms and poached eggs on sourdough w/ rosemary, toasted pine nuts $14

The food doesn’t take as long to come out this time. They may have been short staffed our previous visit. Ironically, I feel like my dish tasted better last time. Nonetheless, it is still satisfying. The rosemary and pine nuts really give the mushrooms a unique flavour kick and it goes well with the poached eggs and sourdough. I do have to give D one piece of my sourdough though as it’s too much.

Bacon & egg roll w/ house chilli jam on panini $9

D’s bacon and egg roll looks like a typical bacon and egg roll but I don’t hear any complaints.

I can’t find any fault with the food (or drinks!) at Elbow Room and the food is very reasonably priced. While we were waiting for our food, we browsed through one of the sitting magazines called “Drift” which described the cafe scene in Japan. We both agree Elbow Room most likely has a Japanese cafe influence as the interior decor has a clean, modern feel to it with white tiles lining the coffee bar and contrasting black and grey walls. It is a very nice interior and one of my favourites. Elbow Room Espresso has not disappointed yet and is definitely worth a visit if you’re in Chatswood.

Elbow Room Espresso
6 Spring St, Chatswood NSW 2067
Facebook Page
Zomato

Three Williams, Redfern

Father’s Day celebrations happened early this year as my dad is planning to travel right before the September 6th weekend. Of course, I had to take him somewhere nice and for this occasion, I chose Three Williams in Redfern. I admit this wasn’t without ulterior motives as I had wanted to try this cafe for ages, but I was sure all three of us would appreciate the food. It was a win-win pick in my eyes.

The only indication of the cafe’s identity is the shiny, golden “W” sign on the white-walled entrance. It looks more like an entrance to a fine dining restaurant rather than a cafe. It is also deceptively small from the outside, but once we set foot inside, Three Williams encompasses a large warehouse space. As it was a Wednesday afternoon, we didn’t have to wait for a seat.

The waiter is immensely friendly and even indulges my father with an answer when he jokingly asks about the name of the cafe “Three Williams”. I admit my eyes were on the menu so I only half-heard the answer that had something to do with three guys from a long time ago who all had the name “Williams” and they all lived in the area – at least, that is what I think I heard.

As I had already had my caffeine hit earlier today, I order a soy chai latte. Our family friend opts for a large latte. We have a hard time deciding what to order. Of course, I immediately declare that we are not leaving without trying the famous crunchy brioche french toast. I secretly wanted to try a narnie too. In the end, we decide to order one dish each plus the french toast to share.

My dad goes for the roast chicken salad, while our family friend and I both order a narnie – slow cooked lamb for her and roasted pumpkin for myself.

Soy chai latte $4.50

My soy chai comes first. I can tell it’s not the powdered stuff and the chai has been brewed before they added the steamed milk. It is just sweet enough. I very much enjoy this drink. The spices come through but are not overly powerful and it has a very light, delicate flavour to it.

I’m not sure why I had an image in my head of the narnie being very small, especially as it was priced at $15, but I am shocked at its generous size when it arrives. They are not stingy on the filling either. My family friend even complained of there being too much meat.

Left: roasted pumpkin, goats cheese, rocket, pinenuts and caramelised onion chutney $15
Right: slow cooked lamb, cumin spiced eggplant, rocket and sriracha mayo $15

The housemade naan bread is soft and doughy. It goes well with my filling of soft roasted pumpkin, rocket leaves, caramelised onion, pinenuts and goats cheese – which was more yoghurt-y than cheesy. I think the narnie definitely lives up to its name and is a very satisfying meal.

Salad – free range roast chicken, crispy brussel sprouts, roasted cauliflower, snow pea tendrils,
chimchurri with lemon dressing $17

My dad’s salad is very green. His only complaint is that they burnt the brussels sprouts. I kind of prefer them a bit burnt and tried to talk him into eating them, but he wouldn’t touch the black parts.

most amazing thing you’ll ever eat $17

Of course, the star of the meal was the french toast. How do I even describe this? It’s a bit like an explosion of heaven in your mouth. The combination of all the elements is magic – the fresh berries, the yoghurt, the maple syrup, the roasted pecans and of course the brioche itself which is coated in some kind of oatmeal or almond crust and fried to a crunchy delight. You might be tricked into thinking this dish is overly sweet, but I found the amount of sweetness just right. This might be because three of us shared the dish.

Three Williams definitely lives up to the hype. The service is outstandingly friendly and the food – amazing. To be honest, I would come back just for that french toast – seriously.

Three Williams
613a Elizabeth St, Redfern NSW 2016
http://threewilliamscafe.com/

West Juliett, Marrickville

I had looked up this cafe when we visited Cornersmith in Marrickville a few weeks back and made a note to visit it in the near future (I did say we’d go back to Marrickville).

The cafe is located on Llewellyn Street just off Juliett St – probably the west end judging from the name “West Juliett”. It is quite a large space and D and I are a bit confused when we first arrive as the door is closed. We’re not sure if we’re supposed to go in and put our names down or just stand around like the other people around us. Let me also mention that it was freezing this particular morning so standing around not knowing what to do did not make me a happy camper. At least there were plenty of cute dogs around. The cafe is very dog-friendly.

Eventually, I ask one of the other customers standing around and they inform us we have to talk to the lady inside. The closed door caused a bit of confusion, but I let this slide as they are clearly trying to keep the cold air out.

The waitress with the Ipad disappears once we walk in and again we are left standing around – can’t seem to catch a break! About ten minutes later, she appears again and we finally get our names down. They have a savvy Ipad system that notes down the patrons waiting. I am impressed.

While we wait for a table, D and I admire the cookie and cake display at the counter. I inform him they are known for their pink salt chocolate chip cookies. There is a sky high stack of them in the display, tempting us with their chocolatey goodness.

The wait for a table isn’t too long. It is quite a large cafe and we are seated at the edge of the bar. The cafe has quite a country vibe to it. There is a bookshelf above us displaying a variety of cook books and a selection of house-made jams for sale as well as their own “West Juliett” mug, which can be purchased for $14.

We are handed a menu. D, having downed 3 cups of coffee the previous day (and not getting to sleep until 1:30AM the previous night due to said coffee), decides to skip his usual caffeine hit. He agrees to share the chai with me, which is roasted in-house. I’m excited.

Menu

It takes a while for us to decide on what to order. I toss up between the haloumi egg roll and Ribollita soup – which I’m not exactly sure about since there are several words in the ingredients list I have to google. D eventually decides on the 12 hour pork sandwich. Since I’m still freezing, I decide on the soup. The waitress has to check whether lunch is available yet (not until 11AM apparently) but another waitress informs us that our orders are fine.

Healing Chai with bonsoy $5.50

When the chai arrives, we lift the lid to discover a creamy surface of spicy chai concoction. It looks good. The chai is not too strong and has a lovely subtle taste with the various spices still coming through. I rate this chai highly. It tastes better in our second cup after letting it sit for a while.

The food portions here are fairly generous. I have to make special mention of the bread and butter, both of which were sensational. The butter was creamy and intensely buttery – for lack of a better description. The bread was soft (D loves it and raved on about the softness) but crusty on the edge at the same time.

Ribollita soup w/ white beans, cavelo nero, grana padano, poached egg $11.90

The Ribollita soup is decent. It comes a bit bland, but after adding some rock salt and pepper, the flavour is slightly elevated. It is very comforting for a winter dish. I had been worried it would be too cheesy but there is hardly any evidence of the cheese except for some left on the spoon. It is lovely with the bread.

12 Hour Pork sandwich w/ pear mostarda, pimenton aioli, rocket $14.90

To say D enjoyed his meal would be an understatement. In fact, two days later and he is still raving on about it. The ingredients and produce used at West Juliett are fresh and this comes through in his 12 hour pork sandwich and even the side salad of kale and red cabbage with a simple olive oil dressing.

As we finish off our meals and head to the counter to pay, we can’t resist getting one of their pink salt chocolate chip cookies to go. I mean, it’s famous! I had to try it.

Pink Salt Chocolate Chip Cookie $4.00

Of course, we break into it the minute we’re in D’s car and boy, it was worth it. The centre is chewy, the edges are crumbly crisp and the chocolate is gooey and melty. The pink salt combines with the chocolate to make a salty sweet mindblowing cookie. I think I will remember this cookie for a long time.

West Juliett
30 Llewellyn St, Marrickville NSW 2204
Facebook Page

Something for Jess, Chippendale

I had previously noted down Something for Jess as a cafe I wanted to try, but for some reason, I forgot about it for several months. It wasn’t until this passing weekend that I grabbed D and told him we were going to check out this cafe in Chippendale.

The cafe is located next to the new development coming up at Central Park in Sydney. The area is rather inconspicuous as we walk down the street trying to locate the cafe. I spot a buzzing little corner across the road and excitedly figure “that must be it!”. We try hard to find the name of the cafe written somewhere on the outside, but to no avail. I turn to D and say: “surely, this must be it”.

Turns out I was right. Upon entering, we are greeted by an extremely friendly waitress who immediately finds us a seat. She is more than accommodating when we want to change to the seats at the back. Two thumbs up for the wonderful service here. I love it already.

The decor is sort of half-country and half-industrial. They make use of second-hand furniture and have a very cool old-school golden typewriter as their “cash register” at the front (as it turns out, it’s only a drawer).

Something for Jess is unique in that they don’t actually have a menu. D is not too impressed with this at first – the poor guy was forced to actually stand up and read the blackboard – hard work for him apparently. As it turns out, the menu changes weekly depending on what fresh, organic produce is readily in season.

We both order our drinks first – soy latte for D and soy chai for myself.

Soy Latte

D immediately forgets about the lack of handheld menu when his coffee arrives. It is difficult to describe the coffee at Something for Jess except to say that it’s very different and very interesting. The beans have quite a citrus-y, fruit-y note that is unique to other cafes. It is strong and good. Too bad D ruins it by accidentally putting salt in his coffee instead of sugar – true story.

 When D put salt in his coffee instead of sugar…

My soy chai is delightful. It’s the real stuff that comes brewed in a pretty pink pot. I believe they use a sticky chai concoction. It is definitely one of the better chai’s here in Sydney, and good chai in this city is hard to come by.

Soy Chai

It’s really the food that sold this cafe to D. The ingredients used were fresh and colourful, and the combination of flavours was unique and delicious. As for the presentation, it was absolutely gorgeous. I found nothing wrong with my dish and even D could not find fault with his.

I ordered the Mushroom Ragu on Toast and D got the Pulled Smoked Pork Hock Bruschetta. All I can say is, every bite was an adventure of flavour, prettiness and freshness. It is rare I am this impressed with a dish, but I can give the food here no less than a 10/10.

Mushroom Ragu on Toast $15

Pulled Smoked Pork Hock Bruschetta $16

My only tiny complaint about Something for Jess is that they only take cash. Unluckily, both D and I were out of cash that day and had to go strolling around for an ATM (apparently we’re not very good at following instructions from the waitress to just turn right and walk straight down the street). However, the food and service was so amazing that this little hiccup was no hassle for us at all. We still left thoroughly impressed by Something for Jess.

Something for Jess
Abercrombie St & O’Connor Street, Chippendale NSW 2008
Facebook Page