Cuckoo Callay, Newtown

Spring time means brunch time! But let's be honest, wouldn't you brave the cold winter weather for a nice cosy brunch anyway? That's exactly what my sister and I did to try out the super easy to find Cuckoo Callay right next to Newtown station for a sisterly date.

We were welcomed warmly inside despite the rainy dreary weather outside by Ella, who brightly said it's still better than having it rain all day like it does back in England! The interior deco is incredibly kooky and I was incredibly intrigued by this clock so we just had to sit right underneath it. The place is decked out with mirrors to make the space seem a lot more spacious. An ingenious idea really.

Skim mocha, $4.00

One of the best mochas I've had for a while. A nice kick of chocolate but could still taste the coffee. Digging that thick layer of frothy goodness on top.

Salted caramel thickshake, $7.00

Being a little bit of an addict to salted caramel, this one had to be ordered. And damn was it good. My sister took a sip, and with widened eyes, she proceeded to hug the mug and not let me anywhere near it. It was definitely wonderfully sweet, and that's what we're all looking for in a thickshake, no? :D

The brunch spread

I really wasn't sure how we were going to finish it all - look at all the food!

#Hashtag browns, $17.00

How pretty does this dish look! There was a choice of bacon steak, smoked salmon or grilled haloumi and I couldn't go past some cheesy goodness. This one was a lot more enjoyable than other haloumi cheeses I've had where it squeaks against your teeth. Anyone else have that pet peeve? Makes me feel the same way as writing on a blackboard with chalk - not pleasant. But this one still had its bounce, but no squeakiness. Yay! A noticeable crunch sound was made as I cut into the massive hashbrown - a telltale sign that it's all about the crispy casing :D The lemon pepper avocado, pea puree, potato, haloumi and egg when eaten together was one tasty dish.

Pulled duck, $22.00

I always love trying duck cooked in different ways and whilst pulled pork is a common one to see around restaurant, pulled duck isn't. And look at the shear size of the mountain of duck! Duck a plenty! I loved the spices that seasoned this dish and the chill jam really gave it that subtle spicy kick that definitely won't be too much for even the biggest chilli-phobics out! That capsicum relish is something to rave about in itself though. My sister, who normally hates capsicum, said that whilst the pulled duck by itself was amazing, the capsicum relish made it even better.

That's the way the cookie crumbles, $11.00

At this point, we were both incredibly stuffed but Ibriham was much too kind and said that one of the chefs were already making us dessert. I suppose there's nothing to say at this point but "Onwards, soldier!" But I sure am glad I made extra stomach space for this because the brownie was super fudgey just the way I like it. And perfect with the vanilla icecream and crispy cookie crumble! Ella mentioned to us that it was a tradition she learnt growing up with her family where if you poured warm cream over, it provided a nice surface to put any toppings you wish over it.

Sometimes I do wish I wasn't quite as small and had more stomach space because both my sister and I were rolling out the door, filled to the brim with delicious food. Cuckoo Callay is definitely a welcome addition to the Newtown cafe scene. Despite the fact that Newtown is filled with coffee fiends, there seems to be a lack of fantastic cafes - not like the Surry Hills region! But Cuckoo Callay has definitely made it's mark. I know I'll definitely be making stops by for some coffee!

Crystal Noir and friend dined as guests thanks to Ibriham and Ella, owners of Cuckoo Callay. Opinions however, are entirely her own.

Cuckoo Callay
Newtown Train Station
Newtown, NSW, 2042
www.cuckoo-callay.com.au

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 6:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday: 8:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday: 8:00am - 3:00pm

Melbourne Alleyways

Wow I have just realised I am not yet done with blogging about Melbourne! I am so sorry, dear readers, for the snail pace in which I am distributing my Melbourne adventures :( It's good to look back on this trip and realise that it was actually Melbourne that converted me into a little bit of a coffee fanatic. All those wanderings through the alleyways to discover a lot of cute cafes with quirky names really couldn't scream hipster at me any louder.

Skim latte, $4.00?

Gingerbreadmanne and I wanted to go to eat buns at Wonderbao but they weren't open yet so we sat down inside a cafe just around the corner called A Little Bird Told Me. How adorable are the ceramics here? That pretty shade of aqua that is reminiscent of Tiffany's and the little blue flowers that held the brown sugar were too pretty for words. The latte was definitely a good one. Sigh, I miss you Melbourne coffee.

A Little Bird Told Me
29 Little La Trobe St
Melbourne, VIC, 3000

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7:00am - 4:30pm
Saturday: 9:30am - 4:00pm

Wonderbao's menu is short, concise and straight to the point of what they sell best. Buns. You can get open buns, closed buns, meat buns, vegetable buns, even sweet custard buns for those feeling like a little bit of dessert afterwards.

L to R: roast pork belly gua bao / braised pork belly gua bao, $4.20 each

Check out the glorious pieces of fatty pork belly and that generous lashing of sauce on top. Whilst the braised pork belly was already really yum with its pickled mustard, coriander and crushed peanut topping, it was the roast pork belly that really made my tastebuds sing with happiness. It was as though the Vietnamese pork roll secretly had a love child with the Chinese man tou. Definitely Vietnamese inspired with its pickled carrots, daikon and cucumber but also Chinese with the hoisin sauce.

Why oh why do you not exist in Sydney, Wonderbao?

Wonderbao
Shop 4/19-37 A'Beckett St
Melbourne, VIC, 3000

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Saturday: 11:000am - 4:00pm

Devon Cafe, Surry Hills

Sorry for disappearing off the planet of my blog dear readers! My assessments are swamping me at the moment as I head towards the last stretch of my bachelor degree. Almost there! This post was dated a while back when S came back to Sydney from Cambridge for a lovely brunch catch up with us :D

Flat white, $3.50

Coffee was excellent. Smooth and easy to down. Bonus points for the pretty coffee art!

Bruschetta, $10.00

Oh my this bruschetta was delicious. The flavours were pretty darn spot on. The bread was very crisp, contrasting nicely with the wonderfully soft eggplant and smooth, creamy hummous. The labne provided a lovely subtle tang that just tickled your palette ever so lightly. Loved oven-baked chickpeas for that added crunch.

Ogre 'Happy Meal', $21.00

We couldn't resist ordering this sheerly because of the name. The ox tongue was seared to a tender, medium rare and simply melted in the mouth. Just look at those gorgeous grill marks on the exterior. Those potato hash bits were oh so moreish with the shattering crunchy outer giving way to the fluffy soft potato on the inside.

Citrus cured salmon, $18.50

Smoked salmon will always be a love of mine. The saltiness of the salmon was counteracted with the refreshingly sweet apple slices that were sliced paper-thin. Pieces of fennel were scattered around for that element of texture. The soft-boiled egg was gloriously sticky and oozed all over the split dill cream when cut. Delicious all put on top of the the slices of brioche!

Nobody kicked us out despite the fact we spent ages there sitting and chatting. The staff were extremely friendly :D There's nothing quite like catching up with girlfriends. Alas we didn't have stomach space to order some of the more dessert-y items on the menu but there's always next time - I foresee more visits back here!

Excelsior Jones, Ashfield

Early yesterday morning, my sister and I impulsively decided to head over to Excelsior Jones for breakfast before buying a few necessities in Ashfield. It's about time I headed over there! Excelsior Jones is located in the backstreets of Ashfield suburbia - an unassuming location for such a popular cafe which had won TimeOut Magazine's vote for Cafe of the Year 2013. Despite it being 11am on a Friday, the cafe was surprisingly buzzing with patrons who were chatting over coffee. I can imagine how busy it'd get for weekends!

Skim latte, $3.50

Yes I have been converted into a coffee person after my trip to Melbourne. How did that even happen? Too many cafes over there with all of them recommending coffee whilst we waited for our breakfasts! Excelsior Jones serve their coffees made from Five Senses coffee beans and my flat white was a damned good one with a smooth finish. No complaints here.

Eggs Benedict, $14.00

Onto the food which arrived together not too long after our order. Both my sister and I couldn't go past the eggs benedict. Who doesn't love a soft, gooey poached egg? The moment of truth arrived when we had to cut open the egg. Would it be perfectly runny or will it have been overcooked beyond repair? We breathed a sigh of relief as it was the latter. The hollandaise sauce was all sorts of amazing with the ham and English muffin with the oozy egg yolk providing a wonderful richness.

Pork hock has, $16.00

I was torn between the pork hock and smoked salmon hash but in the end, pork hock won out. And oh my god was this dish good! The potatoes had been fried so that the innards were still fluffy and the skin was crispy which made it very addictive. The addition of the herbs were very welcome, providing that extra pop of freshness on the palette. This dish is carb overload mind you! So many potatoes - it is one best shared :D

Excelsior Jones has been decked out with the foundations of being a good cafe and we left in high spirits after good coffee and delicious food. Situated in the suburb just over where I reside, I foresee plenty of starts to my days here in the near future. I will try the salmon hash next time as well as revisit for the lunch menu! Burgers, anyone?

Excelsior Jones
139A Queen Street, Ashfield, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9799 3240

Opening Hours
Tuesday - Friday: 7:30am-4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8:00am-4:00pm
Kitchen closed 3:00pm
Closed on Mondays

MooBerry, Newtown

Froyo seems like it's all the craze these days with new stores popping up almost every other day! Will frozen yogurt continue to rise in popularity, or is it just a fad that will die down soon enough? Who knows, only time will tell. One store that has recently opened along the King Street strip in Newtown with a promise to be different is MooBerry. What really caught my eye was the bright colour scheme based upon purple. I admit I have grown a bit tiresome of the pink and sterile theme that resonates throughout many froyo joints. The purple really shakes things up a bit!

The walls are decorated with faux grass and DIY-style framed pictures, creating a very fun and kitsch atmosphere!

Is it just me, or do you also think that the heads placed haphazardly along the wall gives the image of deers peering out from a big maze? (No doubt in search for some frozen yogurt :P)

As soon as my friends and I entered, we were greeted with enthusiasm by the MooBerry staff. They were full of energy and eager to suggest the items they thought were fantastic on the menu.

After much ooh-ing and aah-ing, we decided on a few items to sample on the menu - there was a lot to choose from!

Mango Passion, $6.00 for regular / Mooberry Magic, $6.00 for regular

These smoothies were amazingly thick and very fruity! Both these smoothies were very refreshing and took me on a holiday to the tropics. While the passionfruit shone in the mango passion, the pick of the two had to be the MooBerry magic which stole the show with its mango and coconut frozen yogurt combination. The smoothie's were a popular choice with the customers and I can definitely see why! Boost Juice, you may possibly have a rival here.

MB Belgian Waffles, $12.95 for one

One of the items we sampled from the winters warmer menu was the waffles. Who doesn't love a good waffle smothered in a tonne of chocolate? We were also given two frozen yogurt flavours to sample on the side, with the original helping cut through the sweetness and richness of the chocolate with its tang and the coconut pairing well.

MB Churro Sticks, $8.00 for one

These churros were awesomely addictive. The crunchy exterior is achieved without deep-frying but by baking instead. It really did make these feel much lighter to eat! While I do love the San Churros' version, the oil that oozes out when bitten into puts them into the category of "rare treat" while the MooBerry version is less guilt-inducing!

Coconut Affogato, $6.50

Word on the street is that MooBerry's coconut affogato is to die for and I would absolutely agree. I am definitely not the biggest fan of coffee, generally preferring tea. However, even though the coffee was strong, it's bitter notes were toned down to a lovely fragrant aroma when eaten together with the coconut frozen yogurt.

And finally to what MooBerry is all about - the frozen yogurt! They have a fair array of toppings to choose from.

Pomegranate froyo with coconut jelly, lychee pearls and pomegranate / Biscottie froyo with golden gaytime crumble, mochi and reese's pieces, $4.50 for small with toppings at $0.70 each

Some toppings I have not seen at other froyo joints, such as the golden gaytime crumble and coconut jelly which I enjoyed immensely. The pomegranate froyo is so good! I think it has to be my favourite version of pomegranate froyo out of all the froyo chains that I've tried :)

I can see MooBerry thrive in Newtown with it's quirky interior and friendly, upbeat staff. I know I will be back for those smoothies and maybe seek refuge from the winter cold by sampling other items on their winter warmer's menu - the souffle sounds super yum!

Crystal Noir dined as a guest courtesy of John X of MooBerry

MooBerry
160 King St
Newtown, NSW, 2042
9557 4208
https://www.facebook.com/MooBerryFroyo

Opening Hours
Sunday - Thursday: 12:00 - 11:00pm
Friday - Saturday: 12:00pm - 12:00am