Monday, September 17, 2012

Sydney Cafe Marathon 1 - Savichees for Breakfast

Savichees
http://www.savichees.com.au/


Interstate trips are wonderful. You get a change of scenery, better food/shopping destinatons and often a chance to catch up with long distance friends. Consecutive interstate trips, on the other hand, really take their toll.


Marc and I had a trip to Sydney booked ages in advance (during which time we visted Ms. G's, est and Ding Tai Fung amongst others) but a sudden work-related conference lead me on a second excursion to Sydney the very next week. I was exhausted but figured I'd make the most of it and what else does a food blogger do to make the most of her time besides find places to eat?



I have a very liberal attitude towards dining alone. In fact, I believe I exhibit hermit tendencies wherein I actually prefer doing a lot of things alone. Shopping is a definite one. I need my time to unwind and chill at home by myself without having to talk to anyone. With cafes I can go either way. It's nice to catch up with friends but as an early riser, sometimes I'm hardpressed to find anyone to join me and I quite enjoy sipping a cuppa on my own.

Despite all this, eating alone at a sit-down restaurant is another story. That's pushing the boundaries of what I feel comfortable with doing. I mean, unless I have a DSLR around my neck and am carrying a clipboard (or iPad, the modern equivalent) under the pretence of being Matt Preston, I'd feel out of place restauranting without any companions. I was willing to cast aside these apprehensions and brave a solo degustation at Momofuku Seibo if I could get a seat there... but I couldn't. Instead, I looked up a couple of currently-popular Sydney cafes and lined them up to try.

The first morning I spent in Sydney was also the morning of my conference. Registration began at 9ish so I couldn't venture too far. I asked Sarah, a Sydneysider, if there was anywhere good for breakfast around where I was staying (which was at Darling Harbour). She recommended Savichees in Pyrmont, which was only a short stroll away.


It was a beautiful morning - crisp but sunny. I made it to Savichees just as it was opening (I seem to do that a lot and it always feels a bit awkward). I secured a lovely spot overlooking the water and settled in to enjoy myself.

Latte

As always, a coffee was ordered to kick start my day. It was a solid latte with a good full-bodied aroma. I had a genuine "ah, life is good" moment.

Vine ripened tomato, avocado and marinated feta bruschetta - with lemon wedge and micro basil

I ordered the tomato, feta and avocado bruschetta. I thought it would be a light and simple breakfast, which is what I needed. What I didn't expect was how amazing it tasted. I kid you not, this may be as simple as chopped tomato, cheese and avocado on a slice of toasted bread but it was unreal.

Bruschetta bite shot

There's something about that combination plus damn fine olive oil and fresh baby basil that made me think "why am I not eating this for breakfast every morning???" Maybe because I can't source baby basil. BUT, and again, I am dead serious - I literally bought a whole bunch of avocado, cherry tomatoes and regular basil just yesturday with the intention of mixing with goats cheese and doing something similar. It was DELICIOUS.

Poached seasonal fruit - with natural yoghurt and biscotti

To satisfy this sudden fruit craving that I had, I also ordered the poached seasonal fruit with natural yoghurt. I loved the biscotti. I think that's something that Savichees sells separately too. I don't think peaches or berries are a seasonal winter fruits so I'm guessing they were either canned or frozen. That's disappointing. The pear was OK but nothing special.

I thought my waiter at Savichees was really lovely. Unfortunately I heard the manager/boss guy yell at him about moving some tables around. As a customer trying to enjoy her breakfast, I felt so sorry for him. I don't know the backstory there but I don't need to. They need to get that stuff sorted behind the scenes, preferably in a civil manner. Yelling and being rude for ANY reason is unacceptable, in my opinion.


I thank Savichees for their beautiful view and amazing bruschetta. The fruit was lovely to look at but didn't do much else for me. The biscotti was delicious and I'd happily crunch on several slices of that. I sincerely hope the staff treatment that I observed was a once off.
Savichees cafe.bar.tapas on Urbanspoon

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