{invite} Bianca: I’m fairly late to the Cuckoo Callay party, having missed their baconfest the last 2 years, fellow FFS’aker Ness went and absolutely loved it.
We ventured down early one cold morning after an extended invite, the cafes manager, Seren was thankfully handing out blankets all to the shivering souls braving the early morning for delicious eats and treats.
Whilst the place was bustling, I liked the fact the staff still took the time to talk to locals and to play with some of the dogs. I did see a number of dogs hilariously gobble up some Puppachinos $3.
No morning is complete without coffees and they were particularly needed purely to hold something hot in our freezing hands. That was my first train of thought but once I saw the Peanut Butter & Jelly Milkshake $8 I went on a complete different tangent. My shake was a little heavy on the jelly and fairly light on the peanut butter.
I find eggs incredibly boring which is mainly why I’m against breakfast! But Cuckoo have managed to have an interesting menu with eggs but using them in exciting ways. Take the Bacon Mac Daddy –w/bacon, bacon mac n cheese, poached egg and tomato relish served in a croissant $18. Now it’s sure going to feel great eating it but 30 minutes later you’re gonna want access to a bed for a fat nap. The bacon was crispy, the mac n cheese in abundance and a perfectly poached egg. I couldn’t help but think it was slightly too sweet with the tomato relish, something Alex also echoed.
Madre came along for the fun and went the healthy route, with the Gorgeous George – w/smashed avo and roasted tomatoes on sourdough, goats curd, house made pesto, dukkah and a poached egg $19. I’ve constantly gone on tirades about ridiculously priced avocado on toast but no complaints here, two generous slices of toast, smothered with avocado. Pesto is incredibly underutilised in cafes so happy to see it making an appearance here. One of the lighter items on the menu.
Yes it was 9am…. Yes I ordered the burger! What else would you expect from me? The ReSPECT Burger – w/popcorn chicken, double smoked bacon, gruyere cheese, sauerkraut on brioche $19. Not too shabby! I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this burger. The chicken was crisp whilst remaining juicy, I liked the fact the gruyere was melted over the chicken, something that is rarely done with chicken burgers. For all the FBAS fatties a 4/5 pickles.
We just had to get the M.A.C CosmeChips $14 what’s better than hot chips? Piling it with bacon mac n cheese! There was a slight dusting of what appeared to be paprika/ seasoning which amplified the flavour factor.
And lastly, to finish on a sweet note. The Lost Cookie of Pompeii – chocolate lava cookie, peanut butter mascarpone, banana, choc covered popping candy and crème analgaise $17. Remember that nap I mentioned earlier? Yep well add another 40 minutes to digest this one. Our lava cookie was slightly less lava-ish but I’ll chalk that up to the absolute sub zero temperatures. The cookie essentially baked in the form of a little box, was both crisp and gooey. The mascarpone aided to lighten up the peanut butter.
As it was we barely made a dent in the menu and I’d be keen to return. With a fun whimsical menu, friendly staff, there’s quite a bit to be drawn to.
Bianca
Photos by Alex
*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of Cuckoo Callay. All opinions however are our own and independent.
