One Of Sydney’s Newest Morning Stops, Cuckoo Callay Makes Breakfast Fun And Interesting Again
by Heather Cassell
Can there be anything better than a hip place to enjoy a cup of coffee, breakfast, and a book other than a restaurant next to a library? It’s only the next best thing to dining in a bookstore café with really good coffee and food.
Needless to say, being caffeinated in Sydney is a good thing. Excellent coffee is one of the things the city prides itself on, so much so, Starbucks is difficult to find because locals simply don’t frequent the American coffee chain. That’s how good the coffee is with fast service and food only increases the experience.
At Surry Hills’ Cuckoo Callay I could check out a book from the library and stroll across the quay to enjoy a good read over a great cup of coffee and a delicious artfully designed breakfast if I wanted to (well, I didn’t check to see if travelers could check out a book from the local library).
Surry Hill’s is one of Sydney’s trendiest emerging neighborhoods. The streets are filled with hip cafes and bars to art galleries and boutiques and million-dollar luxury apartments in the former industrial area. The neighborhood has become the playground for hipsters and trendsetters. Cuckoo Callay fits right in.
One of Sydney’s newest breakfast spots, The Cuckoo Callay has been an instant hit as a popular gathering place for a weekend brunch, lunch, or late afternoon cup of coffee since it opened in July 2017. It is the second location for the restaurant, the first is at the Newton Railway Station. The café is the whimsical creation of co-owners Ibby Moubadder and Eleanor Harris who had a love of coffee and food, according to the website. The two wanted to make their mark on Sydney’s café and restaurant scene. The two also host a very popular Bacon Festival, which supports responsible farming and raising free-range pigs. Accomplishment: Checkmark.
The walk-in only restaurant offers breakfast lovers an amazing way to start the day. Diners can choose to sit either inside on either the first or second level or outside on the quay in front of the restaurant that is on the corner just off the sidewalk. The bottom level offers diners indoor tables with open windows proving a street-side dining experience while the upper-level is completely enclosed. The menu is filled with quirky interesting dining options from its popular Bacon Mac Daddy, Gorgeous George of the East, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
The Bacon Mac Daddy is a feast of triple smoked bacon, bacon mac and cheese, tomato relish, 63-degree poached egg and fried shallots in a toasted croissant.
The Gorgeous George of the East is a “delicate” dish built with smashed avocado and roasted tomatoes on sourdough served with shanklish (a cow or sheep milk cheese), house-made basil pesto, dukkah (an Egyptian spice blend), chili oil and a 63-degree poached egg.
The One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is sautéed broccolini, baby kale, fresh peas and snow peas with wild grains, spicy chermoula (a Moroccan herb sauce), Persian feta mousse, activated almonds and 63-degree poached egg.
The dishes can be enhanced with a side of triple-smoked bacon, duck sausage, avocado with togarashi, among other offerings.
I chose the Sideways Shuffle with a side of Chargrilled Halloumi with a mocha. The abundant blue swimmer crab cake stuffed with herbs was adorned with corn and avocado salsa and topped off with a soft-boiled egg that oozed perfectly over the lightly breaded cake. It was made beautiful with watermelon wedges and a cucumber and lemon jelly. The chargrilled halloumi added the right amount of cheesy saltiness that cut through the rich creaminess of the egg yoke enhancing the flavor of the crab. The watermelon was a refreshing sweet dessert after I devoured the savory dish.
I finished my morning experience sipping my mocha while watching people go about their day on the street.
THE DIRTY DISH
Cuckoo Callay, 324A King St, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia. +61-2-9557-7006. . cuckoo-callay.com.au.
TYPE OF RESTAURANT: Locally-owned, cafe
RATING: 3 = Aqua
(0 inedible – 5 simply scrumptious)
AMBIANCE: Fun, hip, but also mellow with a lot of people on their laptops enjoying the sun and outdoors on warm days. The corner position with large panel windows provides a bright place to sit for great people watching, socializing, reading, or working on your laptop.
SCENE: A trendy breakfast spot attracting a young, hip crowd.
SERVICE: Friendly, helpful, and attentive.
NOISE LEVEL: The morning was somewhat mellow and quite with people going about their day passing by the restaurant on the narrow busy street, but it didn’t get very noisy due to the open windows and being set back from the sidewalk and the street in a small quay.
RECOMMENDED DISHES: The Bacon Mac Daddy, Gorgeous George of the East, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are popular items on the menu, but I recommend the Sideways Shuffle with a side of Chargrilled Halloumi.
SIP: Yet, another really good mocha. I can’t ask for more in the morning.
CHECK, PLEASE: $$$ = $40 – $60
(price of dinner/lunch/breakfast/brunch for an individual meal not including tip)
THE EAT: I loved the atmosphere and the food. It was a great scenic location with great food.
WORTH THE NIGHT OUT?: This was delicious!
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