Blackwattle Cafe (Glebe) 14th May, 2011

I was driving over the Anzac Bridge when I spotted this place and thought wow - what a place for Brunch - and to my delight after driving around for a while at the end of Glebe Pt Road I found it. 

The original Blackwattle Cafe where I spent a number of Saturday mornings when I was a uni student was in an artists wharehouse that is now a modern block of apartments. So to find this spot was exciting. And whilst it is the name only that is the new Blackwattle Cafe it is a treat. 

The house has a wonderful outlook across the harbour to the Anzac Bridge - dog friendly, child friendly and a great menu for Breakfast and Lunch.  It is extremely popular is if you are planning brekkie - arrive early - we had a wait but it wasn't long and the view is beautiful.

The Rocks Cafe (cnr Kent St, Argyle Pl, The Rocks) 7th May, 2011

The Brunch Club kindly agreed to work around Brad this week who, due to commitments as a volunteer at the Sydney Writers' Festival, had to brunch early and somewhere near Walsh Bay, we found ourselves at the originally named, 'The Rocks' cafe.

Clearly a 'local place for local people' we had varying service depending on the 'chat' level. The food was ok and as expected, given its unpretentious and simple decor, ambience. The setting was great though and we had lots of fun with the passing locals and with each other. Highlight was Brad's initiative in acquiring a menu.

Ratings:

Sal: Oh, a fairly passive 2 eggs.

Andrew: Sure.

Brad: Sorry, Gotta go... famous authors await...

2042 Cafe Deli, King St ,Newtown 30/04/11

After a break for Easter, where one brunch clubber went home to Coonamble and the other two cavorted at the Randwick races, the Brunch Club resumed this wet end of April Saturday.
This morning we were at 2042 Cafe Deli recovering from the royal wedding (especially one of us and especially not another one of us).
Verdict? Trying to be uber-cool and it pretty much succeeds. Could be cavernous but it doesn't feel like that. Decently sized. Nice art on the walls. Slightly pretentious menu. What is Eggs Benedict if it doesn't have bacon, ham, hollandaise sauce and eggs? However, Eggs benedict and scrambled eggs with chorizo were cooked perfectly. High praise for the chef. Staff were all friendly with senses of humour, however the service has no loyalty to the wait staff meaning you don't just have the standard one waiter discouraging tips.
The deli is full of scrumptious things that you would want to buy; jams, vinegars, interesting looking lentils that we don't know how to cook, as well as pastas and cheese.
SAL SAYS; " Four golden eggs. Food was perfect in comfortable surrounds. Only criticism is the coffee, they haven't concentrated on having great coffee which is needed to make a special cafe. Nevertheless, high praise."
BRAD SAYS;"I'm giving it four eggs as well. Very comfortable. Slightly reminiscent of happy days at Richmond Hill Larder in Melbourne."
ANDREW SAYS; "Sorry to be a great big sheep, but I also give it four eggs. I agree with my esteemed brunchers but also praise the low genteel lighting which gives a perfect feel for my somewhat weary feeling this Saturday morning."
Til next week.
p.s quiz was an impressive 14/15. We answered 'Jonothan Davies not Alan Davies for the British actor and changed our intial answer of Khartoum for the capital of Africa's largest country. Sal was very impresssive though.'

Cafe Giulia (Abercrombie St, Chippendale) 16/04/11

Welcome to our new blog. A test. Here we go.

We are a Saturday Brunch club made up of a hilarious and close-knit trio who meet at 10am every Saturday morning at a different Sydney cafe each week. For each of us it is always the highlight of our week. Hearty, outrageous laughs flow. For the most part, scrumptious food and lovely coffee follow. Deep analysis of the week's latest events are covered. We also have a few little rituals. The Good Weekend's quiz punctuates our meals each week just as the food arrives.

More background to 'The Brunch Club' will follow.

This week we were at Cafe Giulia in Chippendale. Here are our ratings and comments. Please note we rate in golden eggs and the highest possible number of Golden Eggs is 5.
BRAD says; " I give it 3 and half golden eggs with half an egg deduction for the overdone beautiful people."
ANDREW says; "I concur with Brad of course. Lovely food from a mighty menu. Very witty staff who coped well with my bowel movements discussion. Out the back section excellent even in the pouring rain. Only detraction was the homogenous beauty of the customers. But maybe I'm just being picky. 4 golden eggs."
SAL says; "Comfort level and service could've been better, specifically the lining up business at the front. I would rather have table service. However the food was delicious and I loved looking at the beautiful people. 3 and a half golden eggs.

Also important to note that this week we scored 11.5 out of 15 on the Good Weekend Quiz. Strong on tennis, literature, politics but weak on popular culture cinema (usually we excel on film questions) and the racing question.
See you next week.
THE BRUNCH CLUB

Baker Street Cafe (Harris St, Ultimo) - 9th Apr 2011

Well, just to show that even our best laid plans can go awry...
After weeks of anticipation and promotion from one of our members (who prefers to remain unknown for reason which will become apparent later), we made our way to 'Le Depot' on Harris Street. Stakes were a little higher than usual too because we had a Brunch Club guest up from Canberra.

Having braved the traffic and horrid parking around here, we were not a little disappointed to discover that 'Le Depot' was 'Le No-go' on the weekends! Not a good start.

Luckily, a few doors up, we found a cute looking cafe in a converted Victorian terrace called 'Baker Street'. They served good coffee but a limited range of breakfast. Still, it was a case of beggars...

Quiz went well (with the interstate help) 13/15.

RATINGS:

BRAD: I hear the coffee was great but given my Lenten fasting I had tea and it was only a tea bag that you added yourself. A real sin! Scrambled eggs were really an omelette but the capsicum and mushrooms within were fine. Alas, though I can only give this a 2 1/2 Golden Eggs. Service very slow.
ANDREW: I hang my head in shame. Sorry!!!!

Bar Rizzo (Great North Rd Five Dock) 19th & 26th Mar 2011

Readers might be surprised to see us return to the same cafe two weeks in a row, in this case it wasn't because it was the best cafe we'd ever been to but instead one of our members was working next door juggling work and play.
'
Not that it was a burden to come back here twice because the food was very decent and the outdoor tables were enjoyable (inside was a little noisy) apart from the very occasional smoker. The food was great especially the Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine. Coffee also superb. Also noteworthy was for only the second time ever in the year long history of 'The Brunch Club', we scored a perfect 15/15 for the quiz on the day of the NSW election. We had Susan Jane, sister of Sal, who added the extra one or two question expertise that we sometimes lack.

RATINGS: ANDREW says; 4 golden eggs out of 5. Loved the on-street atmosphere especially on the day of the election. And those eggs benedict are still melting on my mouth.
BRAD says; 3 golden eggs. Not the best cafe we've been to. Inside is way too loud.
OTHERS: Too busy on the campaign team to comment.

Kelby's Cafe (Marrickville Rd, Marrickville) 12th Mar 2011

Initially motivated by our desire to go inner-west, we did a bit of web hunting for recommendations (If only there were more Brunch Club blogs or sites that suit 'our' tastes!) and found Kelby's.

With no expectations we were pleasantly surprised. Mind you, we could have been anywhere because the agenda was well and truly political. With the state election coming up, like most (if not, all) Sydneysiders were were whinging about the Labor nightmare that is NSW. Hopeful of victory though, we ploughed on into the eggs, and here is what we thought:

RATINGS:

BRAD:  I only rarely have the French Toast but it was good. Still, hard to go past my Glebe Pt Road triumph. Service took a while to warm up but when they realised we were there to stay and we continued to 'top up' the order, they made us more welcome. Staff humour varied ( a big issue for me). I give it 3 golden eggs. Will give a bonus egg if the Marrickville mayor is ousted at the upcoming election. I'll give two bonus eggs if Carmel gets the same treatment but with more dignity.