Bianca: Coffee, I love it – it fuels many a person’s morning and being in Sydney we’re pretty spoilt for choice for good coffee. So one Saturday I found myself at Baffi & Mo for a brunch date with the ladies. Baffi has literally been on my radar for the past 7+ years as I work just around the corner. My no ‘fun’ food for workdays sees me eat a packed lunch, generally, so I can burger on the week nights/weekends with slightly less guilt.
Baffi constantly has a steady stream of people flowing in and out of the café and with a rather strong all day breakfast/ brunch menu I was ready to see what all the fuss was about.
A round of coffees were ordered to kick off the day, Baffi serve Di Bella coffee which stand up to strong competitors White Horse Coffee served at Communion Coffee and Campos over at Coffee Tea + Me, all on the same Redfern strip and within a stone’s throw of each other. I sacrificed my usual boring long black for a skim flat white $3.50, I usually tell the quality of the coffee by the very act of not adding sugar, no lingering bitterness here. A Mocha and ‘Cappuccino’ rounded out the trifecta. And just because weekends are sometimes a struggle, a second round was ordered. For those that enjoy more of a coffee flavouring to a mocha you’ll enjoy the rendition over at Baffi. A strong mental note was filed away for future take-away coffees.
It was inching more towards lunch than breakfast and there was no way I was ordering eggs when there was a burger on the menu. When ordering, the waitress seemed slightly concerned that I wanted to add haloumi and potato hash to my burger order (on the side people, I’m not an animal). I understood why when it came to the table… The ‘Big Baffi Beef Burger’ certainly lived up to its name with bacon, egg, beetroot, caramelised onion and cheese $17.00 w/ potato hash + $3. So a café that has a token burger on the menu was hardly going to surprise me with a knock-out. This was a tough one because they had the makings for a decent burger but it had some major flaws. Firstly, if value for money is your main concern you’d be pretty happy.
The burger was huge – the bun was almost the size of my head. The bun was a simple damper style white roll, I nixed the egg and beetroot because I don’t do eggs on burgers and I detest beetroot. The lettuce was not stated on the menu and everyone knows how I feel about foliage on burgers, I’m curious if they added this because I omitted the egg and beetroot? But there was almost a whole head of lettuce on there. Which I promptly dumped on the side of the plate. The bacon was crispy as requested and most surprising of all – despite being overcooked the patty was flavourful and tender. It was however ¾ of the size of the bun, major cardinal burger sin right there. The cheese and caramelised onion was also completely M.I.A. No idea what happened there. They unfortunately, were unlucky to serve a sub par burger to literally the most critical burger lover in Sydney. This gets a 2.5/5 pickles for my FBAS Facebook fatties.
The gals opted for the ‘Baffi’s Big Breakfast’ – poached eggs, hash brown, grilled tomato, bacon, sausage, corn/pea fritter and mushrooms with toast $26.00. A platter was plonked down on the table and we were a little scared – it was enormous. The majority of the elements were cooked well, perfect poached eggs, the sausages had a slight Middle Eastern slant, almost like a kofta. The fritters were slightly floury and we were a little puzzled by the sweet potato hash. But again – incredible value for money.
Lastly the ‘Baked Eggs’ –w/ sobrasada roasted tomato, roasted capsicum, mozzarella & grilled bread $21.00. This was delicious, a really strong stand-out on the menu. Again, a very generous portion for the price and could easily be shared between two people. With the perfect amount of spice. Eggs were cooked well – there’s nothing worse than chalky yolks. Only complaints here were with the sobrasada (a Spanish cured sausage). When cooked the sobrasada produced somewhat of an odd melty texture, a chorizo might have stood up a little better. But otherwise a faultless dish.
Major pluses – they take good care of your dog’s here. We saw little dog beds, water bowls and pats by the staff. Now that’s service!
Bianca
*For Food’s Sake dined anonymously at Baffi & Mo as guests of Di Bella Coffee.
Loved your review and the moustache coffee shot!! Such a shame about the burger – 2.5/5 pickles?! I’ll order the baked eggs next time I go!
It has been on my radar for ages too! The food looks so good and hehe I did do a double take when I saw the burger patty placement!