Paesanella Cafe + Food Emporium – Marrickville

Vanessa: Attention all cheese lovers – this post is for you! I was very excited to have finally been to the Paesanella Café and Food Emporium – which is now definitely up there as a favourite on my list. Paesanella’s name is synonymous with cheese production in Australia and in particular their multi-award winning ricotta, bocconcini and fior di latte to name a few.

Having heard for quite some time about the new additions to the Marrickville HQ, hubby and I decided to check out the breakfast menu at the Paesanella Cafe (rumour had it one can sample their ricotta whilst it’s still warm in the morning).

Paesanella’s café is located on the ground floor with the food emporium located on the third floor, easily accessed via a lift. The café has a very open feel whilst being completely covered so the elements will never interfere with one’s ability to dine on delicious fresh cheese and other Italian-influenced dishes!

We settled in to order coffees and our chosen meals from the menu which, in addition to the traditional breakfast fair, offers a number of dishes that showcase various cheeses produced in-house.

I want to make a special mention about the quality of the coffee at Paesanella Café. I opted for a latte which was rich, smooth and without a hint of bitterness, probably one of the best lattes I’ve had in a while! Hubby’s mocha was blended perfectly with just the right amount of chocolate to taste but not to overpower the flavour of the coffee.

Our meals were delivered in a very timely manner, which is always a plus and they looked as delicious as they sounded on the menu.

I opted for the Fresco Cheese Breaky Stack ($12.50) a delightful combination of grilled Paesanella fresco cheese, rocket, roasted tomatoes along with a fried egg stacked on pane di casa. I was shocked at the portion size of the fresco cheese – it was huge! The fresco has a very similar taste to haloumi but less salty and worked really well with the items – definitely one to try if you are after a substantial breakfast sans meat!

Hubby opted for the Marrickville Mauler ($16.50) consisting of house made chorizo and berlotti beans, topped with fontal cheese, two poached eggs and a serve of pana di casa. This was a deliciously sweet dish with all flavours mixing perfectly together. The texture and ingredients make it quite a heavy dish – so one to consider if you are particularly hungry.

As there was no way we were eating here and not tasting the freshly made Paesanella ricotta ($7.50) with pana di casa we also ordered a serve between us. The ricotta was incredibly fresh and still warm, absolutely delicious! The drizzling of honey and sprinkling of cinnamon further added to the appeal.

Feeling well and truly satisfied, we settled up and made our way to the food emporium to browse the large array of products and of course cheeses.

The emporium is a quite literally a haven for cheese lovers with all the Paesanella favourites available as well as many different cheese varietals. Boasting large fridges packed with various cheeses as well as a small cheese room, this is definitely a must for all lovers of cheese.

The warm, fresh ricotta is also available to purchase at $5.50 for a medium-sized container – at that price and with that flavour– it’s a no brainer!

In addition to cheeses, the emporium also offers a full deli with a large variety of local and imported items as well as artisanal products, cookbooks and more.

As we made our way back downstairs to the café, the lure of the delicious coffee was too good to resist so we sat back down, this time joined by my uncle, whom we shall refer to as Zig. Zig suggested we try the iced coffee which I happily obliged.

It arrived with a rather generous dollop of fresh cream, which although is traditional, my waist line could have done without given the amount of dairy I had ingested already! The coffee is made with espresso and just the right amount of sweetness to make it refreshing, despite the heaviness of the cream.

We left feeling happy to have discovered what is likely to become a regular haunt. I highly recommend a visit to experience their well-priced breakfast creations as well as a shop in the emporium…the tasting and likely buying of the fresh ricotta is pretty much a given! I’m looking forward to our next visit to explore the lunch options!

Enjoy!

Vanessa

V.B.A