Bianca: Pink velvet seats, a neon sign, Drake blasting, bottomless mimosa’s, clean white lines… (and not the ones you disappear to the bathroom for) you just know Alejandro is going to be all over this place! Baby Coffee Co opened late last year and has quickly become a strong fixture in the brunch department. I was mostly drawn to the pancakes, Alex was mostly drawn to the selfie opportunities.
Branding is SLEEK, marble tables, plush pink and blue tones, white branded linen napkins make you remember that’s it’s important to feel fancy in the AM. We were a little puzzled by the open pastry ‘cabinet’, a marble dessert cart straddling the inside/outside cafe line. Maybe a glass cover guys?
Staff were kind enough to send a couple of cocktails over on the house, with our favourite being the Crodino Spritz -w/Aperol, crodino, prosecco, soda, roasted thyme $16. Similar to a regular Aperol Spritz but with a more ‘herbaceous’ punchy note.
A separate visit one week prior with regal beauty Hilds @ The Chronicles of Hilda and Muay Thai Kween Sam @http://www.samanthawxlow.com/ where I crossed over most of the dishes my second visit. The Avo Pesto Toast -w/ a poached egg $18 benefited from the addition of pesto, carrots, cauliflower and grapefruit to differentiate from the 1000’s of cafes doing smashed avo.
The second visit we met up with future sister-in-law, Kat from @Lickyourphone. The Breakkie Plate -w/Roasted Mushroom, ricotta, polenta chips, kale salad, zucchini, avocado & hummus yoghurt $18 is a high fibre delight. We loved the stuffed mushroom and polenta fries but thought a single poached egg should really come standard as it needed some padding out.
Any opportunity I have to turn anything into burger or pancake form I will. Modifying the Fried Chicken Flatbread into a Fried Chicken Burger. With Fried chicken, herb salad, chipotle mayo & Pernod lime dressing $19. Okay, I will remember the fact that I modified this original dish but still, in its original form I don’t think an OTT amount of coriander is necessary. The fried chicken was great, more a schnitzel but very tasty. The chipotle mayo was punchy, we just would have liked more.
But let’s be honest, it’s ALL about the Cinnamon Hotcake $19 for me. With fresh fruit, berry mascarpone & almond praline $19. So I’ll just get this out-of-the-way, we were originally served a flatter but equally delicious hotcake, that I was shamelessly hoeing into before discovering a thin strip of plastic in the centre. To their credit, the staff then replaced the hotcake and removed it from the bill. Slow clap all around. I’ll be so bold to state this is one of the better pancake/hotcake dishes I’ve had in Sydney recently and as some of you may know I’ve been on a bit of a mission lately. Light and fluffy with a strong cinnamon flavour. A succinct ratio of berries and fruit. But we would have appreciated more maple syrup as it was on the dry side.
BABY AT NIGHT.
Vanessa: Fast forward a few months and Baby Coffee is now offering an evening menu. Bianca and I ventured down for a “baby-free” midweek outing a few weeks back to see if the evening offerings matched the highs of the daytime menu – can confirm it does! Whilst there a few classic staples – cue cacio e pepe fries – the evening menu offers a few more robust meals that are ideal for sharing. Dinner is available Wednesday – Saturday from 5pm-11pm.
If you are a regular reader you will have noticed our love affair with burrata ($10). The love continued with this one, super creamy and oozing from the centre. From the cured meats menu we chose a serve of freshly sliced San Daniele prosciutto ($10) and Nduja ($8) that packs a punch.
Incredibly unique are the Italian money bags ($12). This is a perfect fusion between a classic Asian and Italian dish. The filling is akin to a rich Bolognese sauce with the wonton being perfectly crisp. A moreish dish, that can be easily consumed!
The main event for us was the porchetta ($32) and let me tell you it’s a memorable one. With a rye whisky and apple glaze, this succulent porchetta has been slow cooked for upwards of 12 hours and you can certainly tell. The meat is perfectly soft and tender, whilst still retaining a crunch of crackling. The dill tones are strong, which I love as its my favourite herb. Don’t look past this when choosing from the menu.
The evening menu offers several different pasta dishes and we opted for something a little different, the nidi di rondine ($22). Hand rolled pasta filled with prosciutto, pumpkin and drenched in a ricotta cream sauce is a pasta dish unlike any we had really tried before. The flavours worked well and the dish tastes better than it looks, but we found the pasta to be slightly dense and a little undercooked.
Of course a bowl of cacio e pepe fries ($7) thrown in for good measure are crispy, salty and peppery smothered with a heat of parmesan. A winner really.
With a varied menu, a great atmosphere and casual setting, Baby Coffee Co makes for a pleasant dining experience both day and night. Weekends do get busy for breakfast and lunch, so there may be a wait, but you will be pleased you did.
Enjoy!
Bianca / Vanessa
Photos by Alex & Bianca
