April 2, 2007
Bills
Australians love to do brunch - that I've concluded from the numerous places I observed having brunch menus and the vast number of people tucking in to the huge portions of food from late morning into the afternoon.
I guess this two-in-one meal concept works for people who are late risers. But I'm an early bird for the most part and prefer eating more meals a day for more variety. Just 'cos I'm greedy. :)
But well, on a lovely and lazy Saturday, C, my good friend in Sydney brought me to bills for brunch. Located in a quiet street corner in the charming suburb of Darlinghurst, this cafe by Australian celebrity chef Bill Granger exudes a nice casual feel, making you feel like you've stepped into your own dining room.
A big wooden dining table is the centrepiece of the cafe. Diners sit around the table making you feel as if this is like some big communal eating affair. Placed in the middle of the table are magazines like Vogue, Bazaar, Vogue Travel, and other hip magazines sprawled on the table for diners to browse as they munch. I lurve it.
You can see the people in the kitchen working with the open kitchen concept. I love the blackboard on the wall too. I want to have that in my kitchen one day if I ever get my own home!
I was a little disappointed at the menu though. There wasn't much to choose from. There were pancakes, some yoghurt thingy, muffins, corn fritters and you could also design your own toast. I was just expecting more variety and some things that sound more exciting.
C chose the corn fritters and bacon above which were very tasty.
The pancakes that I saw someone ordering looked very delicious (they were thick and fluffy) what with the bananas and maple syrup but I was in the mood for something savoury. So I chose toast instead. This came with scrambled organic eggs and the sliced fresh tomatos and mushrooms were side orders. Other side orders to choose from are bacon, avocado, cooked tomatoes and a few other stuff which I can't remember now!
Though I didn't find the food particularly exciting, I must say it did taste good. Probably just 'cos the food was fresh. I really liked the eggs as they were so fluffy and delicious! There was so much of it that I couldn't finish. What a pity.
It's a nice place for brunch, after which you can head to the charming little shops for some shopping or just walk around the neighbourhood to look at some of the lovely old terrace houses.
C and I headed to Freshwater Beach which is the next beach up north from Manly. It's smaller and less touristy than Manly but just as nice too! We spent the afternoon there swimming and soaking in the sun while lying on the beach talking and occasionally eyeing the random cute surfer dude. One thing I love about Australia? There's so much eye candy for me! Drool fest! And now I'm back in the cesspool of men here in Singapore. Blah.
433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Australia
T +61 2 9360 9631
Mon - Sat
7.30 - 15.00
18.00 - 22.00
Sun
8.30 - 15.00
No photo of Freshie? I really miss it!
You know, for the greedy, brunch can be an additional meal rather than a substitute for two.
Posted by: joe at April 2, 2007 3:03 PMNo photos unfortunately. I had left the camera in the car as my friend and i were gonna go swimming and i didn't want to leave my valuables on the beach unattended. We'll all have to return to Sydney one day and take a group shot at all these lovely places!
Going by the food portions in Australia, there's no way i can have two of such meals. Way too much!
Posted by: dimsumdolly at April 2, 2007 10:54 PMFantastic photos! Which camera did you use? ;)
Posted by: ivan at April 4, 2007 7:42 PMYou missed out on the ricotta pancakes then!
Don't worry... the recipe is on the net.