Barcino Bar, 18-19 The Strand, Dee Why, NSW 2099

Barcino Bar

A small family run cafe, which is a favourite of mine that has amazing coffee and food with other frequent customers much like myself whom are always coming back from a surf or a walk on the beach, who just want to read the paper in the sun with a good coffee and fresh organic food. 

Also if you are keen to spoil yourself, their small treats such as coffee cakes and lemon tarts made by them on the day are highly recommended!

Being a well known customer they it makes for a really friendly and comfortable experience and even if you aren't a frequent customer you are treated like family. With amazing staff and location, on the whole makes for one of my favourite cafes. Can't go wrong with this place, Adam :)

The Boatshed, 11 Narrabeen Street, Narrabeen, NSW 2101

The Boatshed Cafe

Located right on Narrabeen lake, this cafe and restaurant (Limani Seafood Restaurant) is a fantastic location for anyone who loves good food, service and an amazing view. It is a well laid out cafe with laid back staff and vibe, and in addition right next door, you can hire out kayaks and pair-paddle boats if you wanted to enjoy the lake.

With the lake so close this makes for a perfect cafe on a day that is hot or cold, windy or quiet. Whatever the weather. There is a function room on the top floor for those who wish to have something a little more special.

The Boatshed also has takeaway, which for those who wish to walk the track around Narrabeen lake with a coffee this is the place for you.

It also has a bar and the food that is made freshly either on the day or when you order. The eggs benedict with salmon, on a english muffin with two hash browns on the side are to die for.

With amazing service and interesting and helpful staff the Boatshed is family friendly and you will always be pleased with what you ordered and leave you wanting to come back. Adam :)

The Beach Shed, South End of Dee Why Beach, Monash Parade, Dee Why, NSW 2099

The Beach Shed Cafe

After hearing the hype about a small well known family run cafe on the end of Dee Why beach I had to see it for myself. Not expecting much, and with such a small location I was doubtful about the cafe at first. Until experiencing it for myself this cafe has quickly become one of my favourites.

 As it is family run, you already feel at home with this small cafe and the 'beachy' vibe compliments the cafe well considering it is right on the beach.

They also sell bags of coffee and local art making it an amazing place to admire and maybe even inspire!

 The sounds of the waves and the salt in the air compliments the company and coffee.

With welcoming staff and amazing coffee its easy to see why the cafe is getting all the attention it is. It blew my mind having the beach right there as you enjoyed your food and or coffee. Definitely coming back here again, next time to spoil the family! Adam :)

The Bakehouse Adaminaby, Adaminaby, Snowy Mountains, New South Wales

Hi. From Japan and Sydney to the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales! My family visit Adaminaby several times a year and we have been buying our bread from The Bakehouse for many years. As well as being the town's bakery, The Bakehouse is also a popular place for coffee and meals, for locals and visitors alike. On our recent family holiday we stopped in for lunch at The Bakehouse (and bought bread too!).

The Bakehouse is typical of most country town bakery/cafes/milk bars that I have visited over the years.  There is a blackboard menu containing burgers, fish and chips, pies, milkshakes, and other take away style food, we ordered and paid at the counter and grabbed the last table - it was busy!

 I ordered the steak sandwich, my sister in law had a potato pie (homemade at the bakery with chunks of steak inside!) and Master 3 had chicken nuggets and a chocolate milkshake and we shared a huge bowl of chips!

                              

The food was delicious and reasonably priced, the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. As it was a busy day the food took a bit longer to be served (well, long by the standards of an impatient, busy 3 year old) so we ordered our coffee and homemade carrot cake as take away and enjoyed some excellent coffee and moist yummy cake at the local playground - the cake didn't last long enough to get photographed! Sonia xo

Youeni Foodstore, 2/ 250 Old Northern Road and Cecil Avenue, Castle Hill.

After a recent refurbishment, and the addition of a Dan Murphy's outlet, in this part of Castle Hill's main street, Youeni Foodstore has been open for just over a year.  It offers a trendy, industrial style atmosphere, with an health conscious, organic, gluten free and vegetarian friendly menu. Incidentally, not my usual style!

I have driven past many times and it always seems busy. We came for breakfast and our first impression was all the people stopping in for takeaway coffees - another good sign!  The menu is creative and was surprisingly different to our favourite cafes.  This left hubby with the grumps, crying out where's the meat? As bacon was an add on to the meals, followed by his cry of....what is that alfalfa doing on my eggs?

 The cappuccinos were lovely and the food was delicious. I ordered the breakfast plate above and my husband had poached eggs, cooked to perfection.

While it was very different to the standard cafes in the area, I enjoyed the change. It may not be for everyone. The lunch menu looked yum though and I think I'll come back with a girlfriend, or maybe Mum, next time!

Gatoni cafe, Upper Level, Castle Towers, Castle Hill

Gatoni is another frequent coffee and cake spot for my two best girlfriends and I. For over ten years we have enjoyed a multitude of coffees, teas and cakes and delicacies.  On the menu we always seem to return to the Choc Rock cake served with ice cream and that is what I came for today.  Hubby was occupied for a short window of time at the Apple store, and being one to make hay while the sun shines, I promptly headed up to Gatoni to hide away for 20 minutes...and eat cake.

It was a Sunday afternoon close to closing time and so service was a little delayed. The coffee was really great when it arrived.

The Choc Rock cake, with it's layers of crunchy hazelnut meringue layered with chocolate mousse and cream, did not disappoint. No surprises with the bill either, a fairly standard coffee and cake price of around $10. 

I texted the girls and they were jealous that I was here without them! Thanks for the memories Gatoni. Sonia xo

Sol Cafe, Old Northern Road, Baulkham Hills

I'm a little embarrassed to confess that today was my first visit to Sol Cafe and it is less than a 10 minute walk from my house! Especially now that i know it serves such great coffee! While researching for this blog I went looking online for cafes in my local area and Sol Cafe had some good reviews. It is a little tucked away from my normal driving routes (my excuse) but it was easy to find and a pleasant surprise. 

The cafe has a warm, cosy feel and is decorated with interesting tasteful art and curiosities. The waitress was friendly and patiently came back to us a few times waiting as we chatted and browsed the menu, the all day breakfast choices on offer looked delicious, we were a little early for lunch, but I was really hoping for some cake. As we chose to sit outside in the sunshine, the waitress was able to tell us about the day's cake selection but in the end I chose the pancake stack and a cappuccino. My friend is currently on a gluten free diet (with some additional restrictions) and decided on the gluten free toast - not terribly exciting but she was happy to have choices on the menu for her limited diet. The drinks arrived quickly and the coffee was great.

The pancakes were light fluffy and delicious! I'll be coming back here again for sure. Sonia xo

Little Rock Cafe, Stockland Mall, Old Northern Road, Baulkham Hills

Little Rock Cafe is a favourite weekend breakfast cafe of mine and has been for several years. The scrambled eggs is to die for....but I digress. Today we came for lunch, and with a growing and changing menu, I'm glad we did. The mixture of indoor and outdoor seating gives the cafe a light airy feel and the red chairs give a distinctive pop of colour and add to the relaxed atmosphere. The friendly wait staff showed us to our table (beside the kids playground area as requested) and after providing water and menus staff kindly allowed us ample time to settle in, say hello to each other (my family made us a group of 8!) and make our meal choices. The menu had changed since the last time I had been for lunch and it is several pages long. There is a large selection from sandwiches, wraps and burgers, to salads, pastas, risottos and mains, as well as a separate kids menu. Our kids were not in adventurous eating moods so I only got to see the kids hot chips (which was shared between two children) and the vegemite sandwich! The mains were really restaurant quality and more than I would have expected to get in a cafe. In addition to all of these choices, and a highlight for me, is the changing specials board and I have often enjoyed a tasty dish from the specials on offer and I have never been disappointed. I particularly love how the board is continually moved around the cafe so that customers who are ordering can easily see the specials.

Today was no different - the chicken breast with apricot, brie and honey mustard sauce was scrumptious.

As it was a late lunch for the kids, we were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our garlic bread and kids' meals, the vegemite sandwich arrived first and the chips arrived a short time later. Unfortunately our garlic bread had been forgotten and even after asking several times, it only arrived after our mains were finished. On the other hand  all of our main meals were well presented and some of our choices are shown in the photos below: the tempura prawn salad, the rib eye fillet with seared scallops, the BBQ braised pork ribs and the salmon and mushroom risotto. It was obvious, by the empty plates a short time later, that the meals were all happily enjoyed. 

                                                       

After all that amazing food no one had room for cake. I finished off my meal with my trademark cappuccino order and was not disappointed! Good coffee! Luckily I can vouch from past experience that the cakes, cookies, slices and desserts at Little Rock are divine and I will be back another day for cake! Thanks Little Rock, Sonia xo

Arthur Street Cafe, Arthur Street, Baulkham Hills

I had heard friends talking about Arthur Street Café and so, after frequently driving past the street side café, we stopped in for lunch today. 

 Located in a local 1960’s style suburban neighbourhood strip of shops our first impression was of smiling friendly staff and a relaxed sunny atmosphere. We were offered our choice of several tables and our drinks orders were taken straight away while we perused the modern Australian menu. There was a moderate selection on the menu and a separate kids menu and we took our time deciding between burgers, salads and all day breakfast options when our coffees and milkshake arrived. 

We ordered a spicy BBQ pulled pork roll and a steak sandwich while Master 3 was offered a selection of in-house toys and colouring books, making this one of the child friendliest cafes I have been to, and I think he agreed!

The food arrived in good time and as well as being well presented, it was also delicious and exceeded our expectations, the cappuccinos were so good we ordered a second cup! 

                                

I chatted to the manager Matt when we paid – overall a relaxing, reasonably priced enjoyable break and a refreshing change from the Michels, Gloria Jeans and Muffin Break shops flooding the suburbs and their shopping centres. Yes, we will be going back! Sonia xo