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

Chur Burger, Surry Hills

If there's one thing you cannot eat gracefully, it's got to be the burger. But there's just something about burgers that always hit the spot. Definitely not the healthiest thing in the world, but if you're gonna splurge on your health kick, it may as well be on something amazingly delicious like a good old burger right? Alas, I love food too much to ever think about dieting (as do my fellow food lover friends) and that is how my fellow friends Chef Meathead, Miss Dentist-In-Training and I end up at Chur Burger on a Tuesday night - lured in by the promise of $10 burgers.

Pulled pork, Chur BBQ sauce, red slaw & fennel mayo burger, $10.00

There was one burger and one burger only that I was going to order. I only had eyes for the pulled pork. It comes to you looking deceptively small, but this baby's packed to the brim full of pulled pork. Would you like some bread with your pork? Would I ever! The pork was incredibly juicy and wonderfully sweet and simply just worked with the slaw and mayo. Some flavour combos are just meant to be you know?

Crumbed fish fillet, pickled cucumber, lemon mayo & dill burger, $10.00

Miss Dentist-In-Training was ever so kind enough to give me some of her fish burger and I was pleasantly surprised that it was quite nice because I am not normally a lover of things reminiscent of fish fingers. However, my heart was stolen by the pulled pork burger very early on in the night. I gotta say, I think Chur's winning mayo is what makes their burgers so awesome.

L to R: Sweet potato fries, $5.00 / Crumbed fish fillet burger, $10.00 / Strawberry milkshake, $8.00

If you love that artificial strawberry flavour like you can get at those old school milk bars, go for the strawberry milkshake! I personally love it, though I know some people are quite against it, so I really loved drinking the milkshake and feeling like a kid again. Chef Meathead's salted caramel milkshake was also pretty good but he did say it started getting a little bit too sweet the more he drank it.

Sweet potato fries, garlic & lime, $5.00

I'm an avid fan of sweet potato, and I love them baked just plain BUT if I'm going to order them at a restaurant, I would expect more than just the same kind of sweet potato that I make myself at home. I was excited about the garlic and lime but unfortunately I didn't get a taste of either. And I know there's something nice about home style chunky cut chips, but some of the pieces were huuuge. I'm talking half a sweet potato per single chip...

Chips & chilli salt, $5.00

These were much more crispy than the sweet potato fries and don't worry if you can't handle your chilli because the chilli powder wasn't very hot. My friend ended up chucking on a whole tonne of tabasco sauce for that chilli kick he was looking for.

Chef Meathead happily demolishing his pulled pork burger

Seriously do not underestimate the size of the burger! It looks so small but there's so much filling that we all left Chur Burger in a semi food coma-esque state. But we also had a lot of potato to get through (with Chef Meathead ordering a whole batch for himself). I think our eyes are too big for our stomachs - I always want to order everything on the menu! And especially with my friend Miss Dentist-In-Training who has eyes equally as big... We are a bad combo :P

I really wanted to try the chicken wings here but we had nowhere near enough stomach space to do so. Ah, next time. So tell me, do you guys have issues with wanting to order everything on the menu like I do?

Chur Burger
48 Albion Street
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Opening Hours
Monday: 11:30am - 5:00pm
Tuesday - Saturday: 11:30am - 10:00pm
Sunday: Closed

Four Friends Cafe, Crows Nest

Hand-made Beligian chocolates

Other goodies

What makes meeting new people very special is hearing their personal stories and Katze, owner of the Four Friend's Cafe in Crows Nest, did just that. Having battled and overcome the life-threatening disease Scleroderma, Katze is now a strong woman who believes lifestyle affects how you live and that if you have love, respect, and are grateful for the everyday small things, your life will be much sweeter. And for those reasons, Katze closed her old cafe and decided to pursue her true passion in creating chocolates!

Organic loose-leaf teas

Cute tea set!

What makes Four Friends different from other chocolaterias is Katze's dedication to using fairtrade organic ingredients and her willingness to support small businesses. What's a few extra dollars when you will be helping those small businesses to continue trading? Her chocolate is imported straight from Belgium and everything she knows about making chocolate is self-taught. The internet's great for everything now isn't it? :P She believes in freshness of the final product, so everything is made on premises and things will be thrown out after just a few days.

Macaron tower

Of course, eating dessert isn't an everyday kind of activity, but Katze instead believes that everything in moderation will keep you happy and sugar should definitely be had once in a while to keep your life sweet! For this reason, Katze had decided to personally make and donate chocolates for every single child in four different shelter homes. That is a lot of chocolate she's handing out! And a very generous gift indeed.

The upstairs seating is quite spacious and my friend and I settled down comfortably into one of the cushiony sofas. Ahhh, squishy.

Chocolate frappe, $7.50 & rose milkshake

To begin, we had some nice refreshing drinks to start off with. I was a huge fan of the dark chocolate frappe! Chocolate, creamy, and just all-round decadent, I couldn't stop drinking this.

Planet tasting plate, $28.00

I loved her concept behind the Planet Tasting Plate - that despite everyone's differences, we should all end up getting along together just like one happy family because in the end, we are all live upon the same planet, do we not? :)

We started off with the licorice macaron because to be honest, I'm not normally a fan of anything licorice flavour. But this one was quite mild and actually enjoyable! Katze loves experimenting with flavours and I could tell as I tried the apricot fig macaron - it had a crunchy sugary coating on the outside and a fruity fig filling. Yum. And the last macaron was banana and that has not been a flavour I've seen anywhere else!

Next we tried the chocolates and I was surprised by the first one I tried. Hello, gingerbread! Huge fan of this one because I am an avid lover of spices :D Katze has been making her chocolates to suit the festivities season, also proof in the second chocolate we tried that had a smooth mint filling. And I couldn't go past the roasted almonds dusted in cocoa. Almonds are too addictive. Though the biggest surprise had to be inside the kitty. Popping candy! It brings out the child in all of us hehe.

The tarts were easy bite sized morsels that were gone much too quick - much like the cheesecake! Katze mentions she has tried minimalising how much cheesecake she makes because her husband can demolish half of it in one sitting! :P

The last part of the tasting platter was the chocolate lava cake. My oh my was it decadent and so delicious. Katze is keeping her little secret of how they manage to get the ganache in the middle of the lava cake all to herself, so if you want to experience how delicious it is, better order it when you're at Four Friends!

If you're in the area and are craving some good quality chocolate, why not settle down with a cup of coffee and sample the desserts at Four Friends? And have a chat with Katze - she's absolutely lovely!

Crystal Noir and friend dined as a guest of Four Friends Cafe courtesy of polkadotPR. All opinions however, are Crystal Noir's own.

Four Friends Cafe
5/29 Holtermann St
Crows Nest, NSW, 2065

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday: Closed

The Paramount Coffee Project, Surry Hills

There have been too many new cafes popping up all over the place as of late. One that I have been dying to visit for the crab po boy I've seen spamming my Instagram was Paramount Coffee Project. And that is exactly where we went after handing in our final studio portfolio for my bachelor degree. Yay - time to celebrate the good times!

Peanut butter & jelly milkshake, $8.00

Sigh, milkshakes on cafe menus these days are so expensive. But exxy it may be, the milkshake still tasted delicious! I couldn't discern much of the "jelly" but the peanut butter flavour was like a explosion in my mouth. Hooray for peanut butter! There's something so addicting about peanut butter, but I can never put my finger on why...

Crab po boy, $18.00

This is definitely a burger that I've not seen until as of late but boy was it tasty. The brioche was buttered and grilled so that it was slightly crispy. The crab itself was definitely not as oily as some deep-fried soft shelled crab and I didn't feel heavy eating it despite us ordering two deep-fried items. The coleslaw and ranch dressing definitely brightened up the burger providing an element of refreshing tang.

Double fried chicken, $16.00

Hooray for yet another deep-fried item! These boneless chicken pieces were tender and still juicy inside while retaining the nice crunchy batter. The hot sauce provided was nice enough, but I preferred it without as there were spices coating it anyway. My only complaint would be that the coleslaw was quite bitter.

Philly cheese steak, $17.00

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but for some reason I had a Reuben sandwich pictured in my head. But it wasn't - it was like a cheeseburger only with crunchier bread and fancier ingredients! Yes to gruyere cheese and sourdough :D

Sweet waffle, $15.00

What was upsetting about this was that the waffle got soggy quick from the rapidly melting icecream, but it tasted amazing. Peanut butter icecream, dulce de leche and topped with a sprinkling of hazelnuts - how can it be disliked?

I loved the industrial atmosphere of Paramount Coffee Project. I must say that as an architect student, I was very impressed by the concrete table that was mounted in the centre. Concrete is absolutely beautiful! I would go back alone just for the concrete :P That combined with the awesome food, you have one pretty rad cafe.

The Paramount Coffee Project
80 Commonwealth St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010

Opening Hours
Monday - Friday: 7:00am - 4:00pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Reuben Hills, Surry Hills

Welcome to Surry Hills - the suburb of coffee, cafes, and hipsters who permanently drink coffee and almost live at these said cafes! One particular cafe that has been on my list for a long time running is Reuben Hills. Salted caramel milkshake anyone?

Lychee, coconut & lime milkshake, $8.50

Unfortunately, I did not order the salted caramel milkshake (you will be mine next time) as my eyes automatically zoned in on the word coconut. Oh how my heart beats for you, coconut. I hate it when milkshakes are too thin, and thank goodness this one wasn't the case! It definitely could be thicker, but alas it wasn't a thickshake so this was pretty darn good :D I couldn't particularly taste the lychee or lime, but there was a strong hit of coconut so no complaining here!

Soft baked eggs, $17.00

We were curious what the jamon (pronounced ha-mon) was, and it turned out to be a form of cured meat. Always pairs well with eggs! The soft baked eggs came and were perfectly runny, oozing out as soon as they were poked with the knife. Bread was promptly dipped into this concoction - perfect base to soak up all that sauce! Top it with the spinach, jamon and ranchero, and you're set. There was a subtle kick from spices, which had me coming back for more.

Baleada, $14.00

Who sees pulled pork on the menu yet not order it? Definitely not me. Pulled pork please! The flavours instantly reminded me of Mexican nachos - so good! There was a pleasant tingle in my mouth from chilli and the pork was wonderfully soft. Loved the addition of salsa just to give the dish a little bit of freshness.

Salmon ceviche, $19.00

The witlof leaves acted like spoons for the salmon ceviche. The small pieces of salmon melted in the mouth and the salad of roasted corn, sweet potato, fennel and jalepenos was balanced just right - not too much fennel or jalepenos so that it overpowered the delicate flavour of the salmon.

The NOT reuben sandwich, $16.00

I've never had a Reuben sandwich before but this not-Reuben sandwich was absolutely divine! I was a bit wary that the manchego and horseradish cream would be too strong, but it melded in really well with every other element. The pickled slaw and wagyu salt brisket really shone in this sandwich.

Food may not be the cheapest, but it sure as hell was tasty and service was super friendly - despite being busy, no one forced us to leave as my friends sat around and caught up. I would definitely come back here if I was nearby in the area, and maybe try one of the coffees - heard that they are good!

Reuben Hills
61 Albion St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
9211 5556

Opening Hours
Monday-Satuday: 7:00am - 4:00pm 
Sunday: 7:30am - 4:00pm

Chocolates Del Mondo, Burwood

For the past week, I've been having the biggest craving for a good cheesecake for some reason. So what a perfect time to try out a new chocolate cafe other than going to Max Brenner! I've been wanting to go to Chocolates Del Mondo ever since it opened last year but have put it off until now.

I was very excited upon seeing the large display cabinet of cakes and tarts that they had!

Forrero Rocher shake, $7.95

We ordered a shake as it was quite a warm day, and it was very refreshing and cooling. This definitely tasted like Ferrero Rocher, though I thought it was a bit too runny. I enjoyed it all the same regardless.

Lime and coconut cheesecake, $8.95

Sorry, wasn't told how much these two cakes cost individually, but together it was $17.90. This was quite an odd concoction with lime jelly on top of a coconut cheesecake. I thought the lime was a bit too tart and it didn't quite work that well with the cheesecake which disappointingly had that coconut essence flavour which I find to be too fake and not to palatable on my tongue. The swirl of chocolate definitely made it look more pretty but I failed to see how it was necessary as it didn't correlate with the flavours of lime and coconut at all.

Baked blueberry and ricotta cheesecake, $8.95

I had higher expectations for this one as I love blueberry and that crumble on top looked quite lovely! But unfortunately the ricotta cheesecake itself was quite dry and had a grainy texture. The only flavour came from the crumble and the blueberries that were directly under it. The rest of the cheesecake didn't have much flavour at all.

Considering how much we paid, I was expecting better quality cakes but unfortunately they fell short. Alas, I probably would have been better off buying a frozen Sara Lee cheesecake from my local Woolworths freezer. Cheaper at that too. Definitely not what I was expecting when I had such high expectations too. I was pretty happy about having a local chocolate cafe to frequent, but I don't think I would be going back any time soon :( Maybe for the drinks?

Does anyone have a favourite cheesecake at any cafes to recommend to me? :)

Here are the menus if anyone is interested.