Nosh & Beverage

It's the first day of the new year! The new financial year, that is! Why not go for a lazy late brunch (that might as well be lunch) on a crisp day in winter and go west (life is peaceful there - said the Pet Shop Boys) and explore some off street hole in the walls?

Enter Circa Espresso in Parramatta, the recently renovated garage-turned-cafe which is attracting a lot of attention on this quiet street behind Parramatta station. Its eccentric furniture and fittings such as milk crates used as chairs, flasks as water bottles and graffiti on the walls tread on the right side of eccentric rather than bordering on cliche or try hard (as Bev says). In this case the warmness of the staff and the back to back MJ hits on the stereo has won me over.

circa espresso

The staff are way cool with their skinny leg jeans and funky haircuts. Despite running around like headless chickens with a line of coffee customers going outside to the street, there was a method to their madness and we did get served in a timely fashion.

The menu is short and to the point (as it should be!) and all reasonably priced.  The brunch staples include fruit and nut bread, porridge with almonds, avocado on sourdough toast (unavailable today due to the avocados being underipe), ham and cheese omelette, french toast, BLT, baked eggs with sujuk and of course the "hot breakfast".

Tried and tested:

French toast with labne, rhubarb and pistachio ($14):

I generally stay away from your traditional French toast that tastes like eggs doused in maple syrup. But when I read the description for the French toast at Circa and overhear a glowing review from a couple sitting on crates nearby, fighting over the last bite - I have to try it.

How refreshing! A soft and silky (but sturdy) large slice of brioche with the labne (sour), rhubarb (sweet) and pistachios (crunch) provides all the right elements for a perfect take on French toast. As every bite isn't a syrupy explosion as per normal French toast, it seems deceptively light - but is in fact rather filling. I would recommend this dish between 2.

Best of all - value for money. Very reasonably priced for what turned out to be lunch!

Omelette:
Bev's leg ham and kasar cheese omelette reflects the Middle-Eastern and Mediterranean influences that gently pervade the menu with the Turkish style kasar cheese providing subtle flavours and balancing out the leg ham well. This is not a French-style omelette with folds and layers but a symmetrical, super light and fluffy creation that though slightly underseasoned is very satisfying.

The Coffee:

Bev's experimenting with black coffee today and orders a long black which uses Little Marionette beans and she is told "is Brazilian". Smooth and full-bodied with an ideal crema it's not a bad way for her venture to start.

The speciality iced coffee ($5.50) comes exactly how I like it - two shots of coffee with milk on the rocks in a small tumbler. None of that ice-cream, cream and chocolate sauce jazz which is in fact the opposite of Circa Espresso! Despite it doing eveything I wanted it to - my lingering thought however was "why did this cost $5.50?"

iced coffee

Other menu items also recommended:
Baked Eggs: Baked eggs, sujuk, chili tomato and fetta ($13)
Portobello Mushroom stack (For the vegetarians!)



Circa Espresso
21 Wentworth Street
Parramatta, NSW, 2150

Opening Hours:  
Tues - Fri: 7am till 4pm
Sat & Sun: 8am till 3pm


http://www.circaespresso.com.au/

We also hear they have started a new venture in Paramatta along the same lines... "Three Ropes Espresso" and are eager to try it out!