Devon Cafe 2, Surry Hills

Having loved Devon Cafe so much the first time around, I went with a few of my uni girlfriends to do another brunch there because let's face it, nothing can beat breakfast foods, no? I've heard Devon Cafe to become very busy, but luckily for me, I've never had the issue of having to wait for a table. But that may have to do with the fact that we go during midweek.

Watermelon refresher, $8.00

Whilst I love watermelon juice, I was wary of the addition of mint as the addition of too much mint can often overpower other flavours, especially a delicate flavour like watermelon. But this was a good balance where I could taste just a subtle hit of mint and it went very well with the watermelon! I couldn't taste the apple, but I think it did make the juice sweeter. A refreshing start for what was to come.

Kaya toast, $12.50

My friends and I are all incredible suckers for anything related to coconut so all our eyes were immediately drawn to the coconut jam. The dish arrived with the coconut jam and butter oozing out, all sandwiched between two massively fat slabs of brioche. A dish like this could prove to be too rich with an excess amount of butter but it actually wasn't the case - simple and nothing short of delicious. The 63 degree eggs were poached to perfection and sat in a light soy sauce which we drizzled over our kaya toast to add a bit of saltiness to the sweetness.

Breakfast with the Sakuma's, $24.50

Give me salmon all day, every day! They managed to get so much miso flavour into this grilled king salmon and it just flaked away as I dug my fork into it. I really have to give credit to Devon Cafe for their poached eggs - each and every one of them is cooked so impeccably that the yolk always bursts as soon as you prod it. And the smoked eel croquette? So wonderfully crunchy! The radish salad was an excellent addition (to break up the rich salmon and croquette) as was the kewpi mayonnaise because let's be honest, when is kewpi mayonnaise not welcome?

My second Asian cousin gone summery, $13.00

Are you all sensing a pattern here whenever my uni friends and I eat together? Yep, this was yet another coconut dish we ordered! We knew it was a winner as soon as it was spotted on the menu - tapioca, young coconut, fresh mango, chia seeds and freeze dried lychee. There was very little room for any possible error. What I absolutely loved about this dish was how light it was to eat. I felt like I was eating something incredibly healthy but that is probably not the case :P The freeze dried lychees were like nothing I've ever had before - the texture is almost reminiscent of a flaky cereal. Fresh mango and coconut really made us all feel like we were eating summer out of a bowl.

Once again, I had an exceptional meal here at Devon. I don't have any qualms with coming back again to try some of their freshly baked goods out front! They do change their menu often, so when I go back, it will probably once again be something new so that is something I'm looking forward to :D

Devon Cafe
76 Devonshire St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 6:30am - 4:30pm
Saturday - Sunday: 8:00am - 3:30pm

Circa, Parramatta

Circa Espresso is a little hole in the wall cafe located in the western suburbs of Parramatta. It's extremely easy to just walk by and completely miss this cafe! Located in what probably used to be a garage, the interior size of the room itself is very long and narrow so it can't quite fit that many people. We arrived just past noon on a hot Wednesday afternoon and there was a ten minute wait for a table.

At least they had menus for us to look through and couches outside for us to sit on while we waited!

Blood orange juice, $5.00 each

We were really tempted by the chai on their menu but to cool ourselves down from the heat, Ms Dentist-In-Training and I ordered a blood orange juice which was nice and fruity with a slight tang of bitterness that is distinctive of blood orange. We were hankering for those cool pastel striped straws we saw other tables have with their juices but unfortunately they didn't give us any :( The ice was served on the side and the juice itself was served at room temperature. We threw in every last ice-cube into our juice.

French toast, $14.00

I've had many bad French toasts in my day so I was hoping for something exceptional like the one I had at Kazbah. And thank goodness I was not let down. Lashings of cinnamon, fresh mixed berries and pistachio nuts on top of a thick fluffy brioche loaf made it super delicious. I loved eating it with the dollop of yogurt which made it feel a lot less heavier than if it were cream. Hopefully this special will still be there if I return :D

Baked eggs, $17.00

I've heard great things about the baked eggs here and with all three of us being avid baked egg lovers, we had to order this one. This version is a lot less saucier than ones I've had at other cafes and to be honest, I prefer it with more sauce to pack a bigger flavour punch. The overall dish was a lot fresher and more mild, but still went down a treat because woo for eggs! They were still perfectly cooked and the yolk oozed as we cut into it.

Ottoman eggs, $16.00

Look at those beautifully shaped poached eggs! I loved this twist on traditional poached eggs as it was served on top of crumbed eggplant, garlic labne, burnt chili and sage. The eggplant was still beautifully soft and the subtle aroma of sage wafted through all the elements of this dish.

Service was wonderful and they filled up our water bottle continuously all afternoon as we chatted without us having to ask! We must've drank at least a litre of water each :P If they mention the french toast as a special, don't hesitate to order it!

Circa Espresso
21 Wentworth Street
Parramatta, NSW

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7:00am - 4:00pm

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