The Grumpy Barista, Petersham

The sacrifices I make for good food! This place isn’t open on Sundays so I skipped my Saturday exercise routine to make it (feeling super guilty). But it was definitely worth it!

Cronuts on display

Cuppaccino

Avocado smash with Fetta ($9.50)

Chicken, rocket, pumplin, aoli sandwich ($8.00)

Cronut – Cookies & Cream with Nutella syringe ($5.00)

 Cronut – Rose petal ($10.00)

The Food Zoo experience: A lot of the sandwiches are pre-made but still taste quite fresh. Absolutely LOVED the cronuts though. Fueling my total obsession with nutella I just cold not resist the cookies and cream cronut with nutella syringe. The cronuts are custard filled which make it taste less rich and oily which means… You can eat more!

 The Grumpy Barista

110 Audley Street
Petersham

Piccolo Me (Nutellagato), Sydney

Yes, yes this is a special post for my lunch trek to Piccolo Me at Castlereagh St! It’s just off the main road at the top of Martin Place but you can’t miss the bright yellow logo outside! After my constant badgering on Instagram, Roy kindly invited me to sample the Nutellagato (affogato variation with Nutella ice-cream).

Nutella and banana roll ($6.50)

The Nutellagato – Before (complimentary)

The Nutellagato – During (complimentary)

The Nutellagato – Ready to eat! (complimentary) 

Pulled pork & rocket wrap

The Ricky Ricardo – Salami, tomato, cucumber & provolone dolce ($8.00)

The Food Zoo experience: The lunch wraps/salad options are on the lighter side so you know you’re not going back to the office for a food coma. It also means more room for the nutella bomb or *drumroll please*…. The Nutellagato! A double ristretto shot + Nutella ice-cream. I love all things nutella so needless to say I will be going back for more! For those who are wanting to try it out, the Nutellagato is available starting August 11th at all stores =)

Piccolo Me

1 Castlereagh St
Sydney NSW 2000

Brewtown Newtown, Newtown

I’ve had the cronut from Brewtown Newtown before, but the line at the front scared me off, so I ended up running away with take-away cronut. But I was determined this time to wait it out to have brunch. Luckily the line was not as long and the wait was about 15 minutes.

Breakfast juice: Kale, apple, celery and ginger, $6

The juice was refreshing and a good way to start the day. Nothing like a cleansing drink before clogging up your arteries with the grease laden cronut.

Skim Flat White, $3.50

Some seriously smooth milk going on here. I could drink several cups of this, and would have if the brunching buddy didn’t remind me I was on a strict diet.

Grilled black sausage home-made hash browns, Canadian bacon, house relish, boiled eggs, $16.

Mmmmm, sweet Canadian baconnnnnnn…. The black sausage had a nice firm, chunky texture, just the way you want sausage to be. The eggs were, weirdly, served cold. The hash browns were the real star on this plate with just the right amount of crunch, which gives way to the soft warm potato gems inside.

 

Salmon kedgeree, wood smoked salmon, Israeli couscous, poached egg, coriander, and lime, $16.50 + Avocado smash, $4.50.

The salmon was lightly smoked with just the right amount of saltiness. My first date with Israeli couscous and it was a dream. Perfectly light and fluffy. The were a little stingey with the lime, or maybe I’m just too used to lacing my food with lemons and limes, as I didn’t really taste any. When everything was eaten by itself it seemed a bit out of place to me. Lucky I like playing with my food and decided to mash up the egg and give everything a good stir-through with the avocado smash, and lo-and-behold, perfection.

 

Chocolate cronut, $5.50

I only allowed myself a small slice of this cronut but it was heavenly. As good as this tasted, I have to say I much prefer the glazed version. Grease seemed more readily dripping from that one.

Brunch always seems so short…especially since I’m limited to one a week. :( When I feel like my arteries are ready for real punishment I want to come back and definitely try the Elvis burger.
Brewtown Newtown
6-8 O’Connell St
Newtown, 2042

Baroque at The Rocks Foodies Markets, The Rocks

TGIF!!! Friday lunch at The Rocks Foodies Market Markets is really my highlight of the week. Working at the far end of the CBD I’m glad the markets are enticing enough to lure my unsuspecting friends to trek to this end of town. Here you’ll find a huge assortment of food ranging from Gozlemes (this queue is ridiculous – I wouldn’t bother unless you get a 2 hr lunch break) to crackling pork buns and sushi to freshly made marshmallows and cupcakes.

Truffled cheeseburger with mac & cheese side ($13.00)

The Food Zoo experience: The truffled cheeseburgers from the Baroque stall are basically my default option for Friday markets. There’s a juicy beef patty which with an overpowering truffle flavour – Mmm yum! There are a variety of options (vegetarian burger, regular cheeseburger or truffled cheeseburger) and three sides to choose from (slaw, mac & cheese or quinoa salad for the health conscious). The burgers seem small but is actually a good size for avoiding Friday three-thirtyitis. As mentioned before, there are a lot of stalls and a huge selection of cuisines but for me personally, why try something else when the burgers are just too good?!

 The Rocks Markets

George Street
The Rocks, NSW 2000
9:00AM – 3:00PM Fridays