brown sugar

mybondigem. when in doubt of where to dine, i always choose brown sugar. i've never had a bad experience in all the times i've visited .

any chance i find myself in the east on a weekend, it's my go to place for breakfast or lunch.

although dinner is there crowning jewel. great wholesome and flavoursome menu staples.
brown sugar is abondiinstitution and you haven't lived until you've tried their fish pie!

this is one of the best food places inbondifor breakfast, lunch and dinner. cafe food, but special. excellent ingredients. make sure it’s open before you go!

this is another gem inbondiwith amazing modern australian food.
the service here is always great, the manager is super friendly whenever we visit.
we strongly recommend the raw tuna salad and the eggplant salad but we guarantee that whatever dish you choose you’ll enjoy!

got told to visit this cafe by a friend of a friend because the food was really sensational. i agree - the food was amazing and had it not been for the rude and snotty staff i would be back in a flash. unfortunately, the staff didn't accommodate. they weren't happy to see us nor were they checking up on us with our food and drinks. we didn't get thanked when leaving or even a goodbye. maybe we weren'tbondihipster enough for them - not sure. but i'll never return which is unfortunate on the chefs because they made a great meal. disappointing.

on sydney's first hot day, everywhere inbondiwas packed but my friend highly recommended brown sugar so we decided to give it a try. we only had to wait 10-15mins for a table for 3. there were a few things on the menu i was very keen on trying but i chose the moroccan eggs and a passionfruit soda . my friends both chose the chicken burger. my eggs were fantastic! i loved that the tahini and zhoug were on the side. i didn't touch my zhoug as i don't like it. i was curious to see what tahini would taste like with this dish and at first i was a bit skeptical but it was actually delicious! it added so much more flavour and the dish itself was flavoursome! i was very happy. my passionfruit soda was great also. my friends both enjoyed their chicken burgers however both agreed that it needed more sauce. service was a little slow (after all, they were very busy) but staff were very friendly. a great experience and i would be happy to return.

another cool little cafe inbondithat only offers brekky fri sat sun (we were surprised on wednesday). looks small but seats quite a few indoors and outdoors. we were really happy with the food, tasty eggs and well cooked crispy bacon. the pancakes were a big hit, fruit compote from frozen fruit? (these fruits are still in season) not so great. coffee was a bit zingy, not the style i like but well made. lovely sourdough toast and tasty scrambled eggs, lovely texture. fairly safe and predictable menu. 1 friendly waitress, 1 a bit snippy.

brown sugar, located on curlewis streetbondibeach is featuring a special valentine’s day, 3 course meal starting from $75 per person.  this restaurant is casual so you won’t look like you are showing off but contains a certain charm to it and the food is always guaranteed to be a winner. the special valentine’s menu will have you salivating at the mouth just reading it; and most likely give you a jolt of hope when you see ‘freshly shucked oysters’ under the canapé section, no one ever says no to a little help, especially when you are on a date. brown sugar 106 curlewis street,bondibeach, sydney nsw phone: (02) 9130 1566 web: brownsugarbondi.com.au lady and the tramp moment: a tavola, darlinghurst are you a bit of a disney fan, can’t let go of your childhood memories? well you don’t have to and nor should you, even on a tinder date. show them the real you straight up. it may turn out to be too soon but i say go for it, order some of sydney’s finest spaghetti, suggest you share and hope for the best. it ended well for the tramp after all. image credit: a tavola a tavola 348 victoria street, darlinghurst, sydney nsw phone: (02) 9331 7871 web: atavola.com.au also at shop 2, 69-71 hall street,bondibeach, sydney nsw well there you have it, your guide to potentially the best date of your life, or if they happen to be boring as batshit, at least you have the happy memory of that great meal you had, that awesome movie, or perhaps no memory at all if take my advice and head to a bar.  good luck tinderers and happy schmalentines day!  date night syd phoebe brown   eatin

when you see private housing, just keep walking till you see it. as long as you are on the right street, even if it looks kinda weird, just keep walking! brown sugar, and contact number. atbondibeach area.

channelling my inner hipster and a whole lot of strength to battle the traffic inbondion a sunday morning, we headed to brown sugar. an acclaimed, relatively new eating place set back frombondibeach. reading yelp reviews told us we should be prepared for a long line up - 15 minutes wasn't anywhere as bad as we anticipated.

never, ever again!. brown sugar's service has always been hesitant, rude and dripping with disdain. as abondilocal i have tolerated it thus far because the food has always outweighed the terrible service. but no longer. i have finally been treated with enough disrespect and attitude that i will do the only thing i can and vote with my feet and never return.

we arrived on a sunday morning for brunch. we were told the wait “shouldn’t be longer than ten minutes or so”. fine, no problem. after 30 minutes we inquired about our table, finally after 50 minutes we were given a table with no hint of an apology or even a smile.

we ordered coffees and drinks straight away and told the waitress that we were ready to order when she was (we had plenty of time to peruse the menu while we waited for almost an hour). we were told that she wasn’t taking orders. we flagged down another waitress who also wasn’t taking orders. we finally got the attention of the manager / head waitress / owner / maitre de and asked her if she wouldn’t mind taking our order. she rolled her eyes, and snapped that she was really busy and then told us that she also wasn’t taking orders. call me old school, but i miss the days when those who work in hospitality were actually hospitable. i know it’s a big ask to have our order taken an hour and 20 minutes after we arrive at a café, but pretty please miss boss woman?

a fourth waitress finally took our order. i wanted a simple breakfast of poached eggs on toast. i was told that they no longer were serving poached eggs (from the breakfast menu) even though poached eggs is a feature of their all day brunch menu. i understand if i was asking for ingredients that had been put away or were no longer in stock, but brown sugar was still serving toast and still serving poached eggs.

the final straw was when the table seated next to us, who arrived and ordered after us got their food before us, and guess what? they got poached eggs.

i would tolerate brown sugar’s flaws if not for the terribly rude staff. i don’t know who they are, or more importantly who they think they are? but i get enough attitude from clients etc and don’t pay premium prices to bear the brunt of some snotty managers foul mood.

there are cheaper, yummier and more pleasant places for brunch. i shall not be returning.

this popularbondicafé/restaurant is a great option for date nights. due to a change in plans, my partner was under pressure to find a last minute ‘date night’ venue – he called brown sugar on friday morning and was put on a waitlist. lucky for us, there was eventually a cancellation and we managed to secure a table for the 8pm sitting.

gimme some'a'dat brown sugar baby. one word: amazing.

i had heard good things about brown sugar but had never had the chance to visit until now. the whole experience left me wanting...wanting more!!!

ambience:
tucked away in the back streets ofbondi(curlewis st), this restaurant is quaint, warm and inviting. colourful candles light the tables, a big black board menu double acts as the wall. most of the tables are inside but there is the option to sit alfresco on the street.

it is far enough away from the main strip ofbondito avoid all the noise and hooplabondican be known for on a saturday night, but close enough to feel the ocean breeze and smelt the salt in the air.

to eat:
the website states "our seasonal menu is composed of the finest, locally sourced, ethically harvested produce that we can get our hands on" and it did not disappoint.
you can order a la carte or from their specials.

here's what we ordered:

entree:
seared yellow fin with a mustard and soy vinaigrette, mesculin leaf and avocado salad.

gruyere souffle and shaved green asparagus salad with the option of proscuitto (hell yeah!). ($16)

not satisfied with one each my companion and i went halves and i am so glad we did! both were outstanding. the light asian flavours of the tuna and the incredible fluffy goodness of the souffle left us smacking our chops and super excited about the next course!

mains:
squid ink rag pasta with crab, semi dried tomatoes, chilli and saffron ($32)

rich but not heavy, succulent crab meat, perfectly cooked pasta and just the right amount of chilli so it flirted with your taste buds.

roast lamb rump with swiss browns, shitake, enoki and salsa verde. ($32)

cooked medium rare (the way it should be cooked!), the lamb was so tender and bursting with flavour.
if you're a mushroom fiend like me, you'll be in 7th heaven with the orgy of fungus this dish delivers. the different flavours of the mushroom complement the lamb and it is one of those dishes you wish never ended.

we ordered a small side of spinach, roast beetroot, goats cheese and walnut salad - plenty enough for two. ($9)

dessert (i'll diet tomorrow):
cinnamon pannacotta, amaretti, rhubarb and apple sorbet ($14)

the best way to describe this is like a summer sun shower. light, refreshing, smells like summer, tastes like summer and leaves you beaming. the pannacotta was light and velvety, not heavy and "gluggy" like some pannacotta's i've had before. the apple sorbet so was fresh and crisp and the rhubarb offset the sweetness perfectly.there was a sprinkling of roasted peanuts on top which offset the smoothness of the pannacotta.
neither of us spoke a word whilst we ate it.

hazelnut chocolate fondant with expresso - maple ice cream ($16)

like, wow. completely different to the pannacotta, the fondant was like a warm bed with silk sheets. slide right in and lose yourself! break open the fondant and the river of chocolate oozes out and mixes with the maple ice cream to create the sweet tooth's interpretation of heaven on a plate. i love the crispy outer mixing with the running inside - like a perfectly soft boiled egg only better, coz it's chocolate! this dessert knocked my stilettos off.

to drink:
it is licensed, boasting a lovely list from boutique australian and new zealand vineyards. if you prefer your own, you can and byo with a corkage charge of $12 per bottle. we brought a bottle of turkey flat rose with us, inspired by the heat of a sydney summer's day.

total: $145 (two people: three courses each, one side to share and corkage for one bottle of wine).

the service:
couldn't fault it. staff were friendly, efficient, attentive, in tune (quite a gift) and very knowledgeable, about each of the menu items and how they were prepared. one thing i am very sensitive to is staff arrogance and i've seen a lot of it inbondi- not here though. everyone was lovely and sans attitude.

overall:
love, love love. it is great for both a casual outing or a special occasion. you come away knowing that you have enjoyed quality produce prepared beautifully by a chef who has clearly put a lot of thought into the flavour combinations and takes great pride in what is presented to diners. for a total of $145 we felt we had enjoyed exceptional value for money.

thank you for a lovely night , i will definitely be back to get me some more of that brown sugar.


tips:
- book if you can, it was very popular on a saturday night and many "walk ups" were turned away
- order something you wouldn't normally have, guaranteed it won't disappoint.
- lots of dishes had nuts so if you have a nut allergy phone ahead and speak to the chef about your options
- catch a cab (you'll want to have a drink)
- apparently breakfast is amazing but i don't think you can book
- check out their website http://brownsugarbondi.com.au/

alex harmon also visited another of mybondifavourites, brown sugar. here's what she thought... breakfast at brown sugar is more hyped than breakfast at tiffany's . so, ignoring the ' best breakfast in the east ' award bestowed by sydney diners, and numerous poached egg recommendations from friends, i discovered that this cafe actually shines at night. seared local scallops ($17) with parsnip puree, hazelnuts, pear and saffron chutney are a silky delight, perfectly designed and presented. yellow fin tuna tataki ($17) , similarly plated like a work of art, is served with crispy apple, avocado and coriander salad. it's not just seafood; they do a superb crispy pork belly ($32) with carrot puree and black lentils. sheltered in mustard cress and surrounded by walnuts, it looks like a wood cabin, making it something to be marveled at. and yes, it tastes as good too. the twice-baked gruyere soufflé ($17) looks stunning on the plate but is let down by over-saltiness, heightened by the

waste of a night. my partner and i arrived promptly at 8:30 for our reservation. we had no entree, and the special's had no prices so i wasn't aware that i was paying $45 for a steak. when it finally came, at 10:20, i was so hungry that i couldn't be bothered to tell the snooty waiter that it was well done when i had asked for medium-rare. i would never waste my time or money to go back and give them a second chance. definately the worst dining experience i have ever had. how they survive is beyond me, must be too many people inbondiwith a lot of money to throw away on a bad night out. honestly couldn't see what was so good about the place, it's just an expensive café with bad service.

i’d heard about brown sugar in various lists of bestbondicafes, but had never managed to get there. today, a weekday, a day off work, otherwise known as a “doona day” or “mental health day” was the day to get there. it was a glorious day, and after a st