{invite} Vanessa: An afternoon luncheon with Alex was just what the doctor ordered after a crazy, crazy working week. The Tiny Giant (formerly the home of the Grumpy Barista) in Petersham, provided the perfectly quaint setting for our play date! Spatially, the cafe is very small, as the name suggests, but they have done a good job with the fit out in creating a light, bright and modern ambience. The tall, art deco ceilings caught my attention the minute I stepped in.
Dining during the week meant the cafe wasn’t overly crowded. Campos is the coffee of choice at The Tiny Giant and fresh blended juices, served in mason jars, go down a treat.
Alex and I opted to try a dish from both breakfast and lunch options…but a big plus is that breakfast is served all day – love that! The Italian baked eggs with rich tomato sauce and crumbled feta was a winner. The sauce was rich, thick and both of us commented that it tasted like our nonno’s sauce. The dish is served with two pieces of wholemeal sourdough which make for the perfect dipping accompaniment. Great looking dish, well presented and strong flavours make for a highly commendable option.
I chose the Tiny Giant “Burger” and thankfully for all involved, Bianca wasn’t with us this day 😉 . I am no burger connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, I leave that to Bianca, but I do have an appreciation of what a burger should be and I’m not sure that this should fall into the category. Not because it didn’t taste good, it just isn’t what many people may expect when ordering a burger.
The reason being is that firstly the bun is more of a toasted wholemeal roll so automatically you don’t get the texture you would expect from a burger. The flavour combination of chicken, rocket, red cheese, aioli and an added pickle for extra zest worked well together but again is probably more suited as a filling for a toasted sandwich or roll. The parmesan on top added no value in terms of flavour or texture and might even be better as a filling. Of course this is just my take on it and others may feel differently.
Now we weren’t going anywhere until we had a bit of “afternoon delight”..of the dessert variety! The highly photogenic dish had wafted past our table several times and so we had it in our sights.
The french brioche topped with berries, figs and Persian floss taste every bit as good as it looks. The bread is soft whilst still holding its texture, the sweetness is offset by the tartness of the fruit and well-balanced dose of syrup. It was almost too beautiful to eat but we did a pretty good job of it. I would return to have this again for sure.
I feel we really only scratched the surface of the menu but we got enough of a taste to know that they are on to a good thing. I’m sure the rebrand and the new team are keen to make a name for themselves in the bustling suburb of Petersham so if you are nearby stop in for a bite!.
Enjoy!
Vanessa
Photos by Alex
*For Foods Sake dined as guests of the Tiny Giant. All opinions however are our own.
I like the sound of the brioche (I thought it was French toast at first) and the eggs but the burger roll doesn’t appeal to me as much as a milk bun 🙂
Whoah the French brioche looks so luxe!