Just what Surry Hills needs: another hip and delicious cafe. Luckily, for those of us who catch the train, Devon Cafe is right at the Central Station end of Devonshire Street. It is an incubator of good coffee and exciting food.
The coffee is strong, forthright and we all know that red cups make coffee taste better.
The menu is one of those dastardly menus where everything sounds amazing, and the choice is painful. I am eyeing off luscious puce-toned bruschetta, piled high with beetroot and feta at the neighbouring table. There is a front counter full of baked goods that make your knees weak: muffins erupting out of the pan, brightly-hued macarons and glossy looking tarts. But, the dish to be chosen above all others this sunny almost-spring-morn is Two Chicks in Basque ($14); baked eggs basking in the glory of piperade and pistou (capsicum stew and a rough French pesto minus the pine nuts).
Dipping that chargrilled sourdough into such a smack of ripe flavours is a wonderful assault on the tastebuds. Oh, and you won’t need lunch. In fact, you won’t even have any room for the free lamington Messina on offer at the design expo you accidentally gate-crash moments after. Damn.
The service is friendly and the food really is top-notch. It’s lovely to see so much thought put into a menu, and so much talent in the kitchen. When you put chefs from hatted restaurants in the kitchen of a cafe, magic happens. The owners, husband and wife team, Derek Puah and Noni Widjaja have certainly created a little haven of culinary excellence. Go. You won’t be disappointed.
