Saturday 23 October 2010

Little Ethel's, Balmain


Read about this little cafe in the backstreet of Balmain in the October edition of TimeOut Magazine. What caught my attention was this line in the review "...and the barista, complete with braces and two-tone shoes..." - I just have to see him !
So early weekend morning, I dragged my cousin along...wanted to get there early to beat the morning rush.
And I'm glad we did ! Not long after we grabbed a table, the place was packed with regulars grabbing their morning coffee to start their day.
The coffee line was so long that the last person queueing was standing on the door steps.

Green & Bright Colours

Straight away I took the cutest table in this little cafe, the brightest outdoor table perched on a patch of artificial lawn.  The wooden chairs was made comfortable with some floral cushions too !
Love how they hide the (gas ? electricity ?) meter with a pot of fern, hide the ugly LOL

Single Origin Coffees

Little Ethel's uses single origin coffee beans to brew their coffee and of course I forgot to ask which bean it was :P
They do make great coffee, no wonder the coffee line was so long !
Oh and by the by, the barista does done the whole attire as mentioned in the magazine, the braces and the shoes !!

Mushroom On Toast

The menu here is quite small and simple, you get the usual breakfast fares, cheese & antipasto platters and some  pastries and cakes displayed on the counter. In saying that, the food here are very cheap !
For example, this plate of mushroom on toast (if I remembered it correctly) was about$8.50 !!
You can get a tasty and filling meal for under $10.00, quite rare nowadays I'd say. 
The portion are not skimpy either, my cousin got a mountain of still smoking sauteed mushroom mixed with parsley, garlic and lemon. I never thought of adding lemon to mushroom, it tasted really good ! 
Underneath she got not one but THREE slices of Italian wood fired bread lathered with creamy ricotta. 

Toasting Platter 

For you who are indecisive like me, a toasting platter is the best option. Three lightly toasted bread topped with various toppings. Avocado with lemon, tomato, onion & basil and lemony sauteed mushroom with ricotta. 
Simple but delicious trio, my favourite would have to be the delicious mushrooms and followed by the zesty avocado.

The service and the staffs were friendly and welcoming, there were only 2 small and 2 medium tables in the cafe, so get there early if you want to dine in.


Little Ethel's on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

  1. Toast platter is a good idea, the avocado one particularly good looking!

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  2. hi thang : good looking and tasty ^_^

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  3. Hey there, great pics. I pop in all the time- they use Little Ethel's blend of coffee beans from Single Origin Roasters (from Surry Hills).
    Jamie the barista in braces was telling me about the make up once but I forget now.
    Has to be the best coffee in Balmain though. And fun too.
    Weekend specials are always awesome too.

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  4. hi Pete : thanks :D thanks for the info, was not aware they are using their own blend for their coffee. The weekend crowd is amazing too, it's crazy !

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