Sassafras Canteen - Paddington, Brisbane. It is another one of those institutions that has existed for years, yet somehow had not been paid a visit. When you live in the area, it is a bit baffling and weird but wholly understandable if the place of residence is elsewhere. Nevertheless, that distinguishment means nothing in becoming a foodie - any place with high popularity is bound for a visit one of these days. That was so with my dining buddy and I for Sassafras Canteen. After a few other choice places were not open on the weekend, my dining buddy was driving around the suburbs within the proximity (the location was initially meant to be Milton). This was one that had been on his wishlist as well, and it seemed to be open. Two hungry stomachs are not something to be debated with much, ergo it was into here post haste.
Like many of the recent, trendy restaurants set up in Paddington, they have refurbished an old house into a cafe. What really stands out is how the aesthetic and vibe changes from walking into the shopfront all the way into the courtyard. This goes from another place along the busy main road and then before you know it, there is a big backyard among plenty of trees and umbrellas plus so much more; it is certain that at the furthermost back possible there would be a wonderful hill-side view of the city. In between, there are other ways of dining with small tables wherever they can put them (with access to books) and it almost seems like a delicatessen at the front. As long as you have kids, the back is the ideal place. And to think that from the outside, it does not really look like much.
There is a somewhat basic, non-pretentious selection of items for breakfast. Most tastes are accounted for, with the basic light fare and heavier options to select from. The kids are accounted for, with a few simpler, cheaper options. These options are available for most of the waking business hours. When it comes to lunch, the options are changed daily. It could be anything, and the only way to see is to go there for yourself. As for the drinks, there is no shortage of options and there is sure to be something for everyone. To make it all better, tantamount to everything is made on premises.
For service, it is done at the front. Instead of being given a table number, the tables already have numbers on them. Just remember the number at the table you are at, go up and order at the counter then tell the number to look out for and wait to enjoy your meal. The people here make it feel appropriately homely. It does take a while for the food to finally come. In the meantime, the atmosphere allows you to get immersed in the surroundings.
From a browse of the menu, I decided to get something a bit different. It had been a while since eating an omelette, and I definitely cannot remember getting one out as such - not for a while at least. Also, it sounded just plain good. This omelette contained pulled lamb shoulder, and was served with a simple medley of parsley, heirloom tomatoes (which look quite a bit like grapes), a dollop of harissa yogurt and a sprinkling of mint oil. It sounds almost Middle Eastern in a number of ways. Being the glutton that I am, there was the constant compulsion to get more on the side. I went for a couple of extras: mushrooms and haloumi.
One thing that is great about here is the serving sizes of the meals. They are enough to have you satiated for the rest of the daylight hours. The omelette part of the omelette (if that makes sense) took up more than half the plate on its own. It was neatly folded over and there was a hefty about of slow-cooked lamb meat right in the batter, barely able to be covered. The lamb meat was tender, delicious and hearty. Combining it with the subtler choices of parsley and mint – with oil to prevent it from being too dry – was a wise choice. Adding the condiment of thick yogurt, combined with another subtle flavour being a bit spicy, it was a solid meal. The tomatoes were pretty good, and often I find them one of the weaker ....... salad items. This time around though, I enjoyed the heirloom variety; it was slightly sweeter and the juices burst in my mouth. Of course, as usual haloumi always tastes great as a side dish.
Sassafras uses Bare Bones Espresso as the source for their coffee beans. This is sourced right in Brisbane itself, and is one of the newer roasting blends around. As a whole, I cannot talk much about Bare Bones since it is not one that I have come across as much as others. Therefore, I can't really critique or compare it to any of the others. If what Sassafras does is any indication about its quality and place, there are definitely weaker blends - in both preference to and in the description of the end product - out there.
As usual, I got a double shot cappuccino. Often what happens in this regard is that the mug is pointed towards, and since it is already a double shot by default the next offer is an extra shot in there. This time around, it was more of an offer to keep it in a regular cup to have a more concentrated strength. Why not? As with any good cup of coffee, all the rights things were done with it.
From the beginning though, there was one item on the coffee menu I knew I had to try before leaving. It was called a "Sassafragato". This was where they placed some melted chocolate (which was pretty thick and dark) on top of ice cream in a cup with a side of double espresso to pour over. For those who find mocha a tad too sweet, but want to have something a little creamier to finish off it is pretty good. Like the cappuccino, the espresso part was well extracted. Both the ice cream and chocolate were good quality, and it combined into a pretty good drink.
For all these reasons, I can easily see why it has become a mainstay in the dining scene after so many years. The food is undeniably good quality, and the service is to a great standard. It has the centrality that is made to be an advantage and the purple sign makes it impossible to miss. However, this does not really go down as one of my favourites; for the most part, it seems really a lot like a box-ticker sort of cafe. Nothing quite wrong with it, and one that I was glad to visit. Again, I have been here, ticked it off and enjoyed the meal.
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