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Best Sydney Café: Time Out Food Awards 2012

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Sydney Food Awards 2012

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And the best café in Sydney for 2012 is... 

First published on 9 Jul 2012. Updated on 29 Aug 2012.

Kitchen by Mike

Alright, Sydney. We know about the queues. And we know it’s not all that cheap. And yeah, service can border on downright irritating. But try as we might, we can’t help but love Kitchen by Mike. For starters, no café in Sydney comes close to offering the level of food ex-Rockpool chef Mike McEnearney does. And it’s in one of the most beautiful design spaces in Sydney. You’ll find the café in Rosebery at design warehouse Koskela, where the shop assistants look at you askance if you dare to stroke the hand-woven lamps. Ogle the furniture from your seat or watch as McEnearney pulls crisp, golden suckling pig out of the oven, and places it on a bench groaning with good things to eat. Here's how it works at Kitchen by Mike: you take your enamel plate and point to the things you want to put in your mouth. The chefs behind the counter pile your plate and you just pay for each item individually once you're ready. It's kind of like a big party buffet. Have the pig with a little spoonful of mustard fruits on the side, and maybe a little salad of cos lettuce, a few Ortiz anchovies, a scattering of toasted pine nuts and a drizzle of dressing. Or you might choose to load up on pieces of roast chicken and a side of vegetables. At breakfast, there’s a bacon butty with house-made tomato ketchup. Hit the counter again for a piece of Jaffa cake, or maybe a little walnut cakelet topped with a blob of apple jam. They also pull a very decent coffee, from WA boys Five Senses. If you’re heading here for lunch (it’s breakfast, brunch and lunch only, folks) they also offer a couple of boutique beer selections. Want to avoid the lines? Head here early, or swing by for a midweek lunch. Grab a seat along with the best café food in town.



Runners Up

Reuben Hills

Surry Hills

Salted caramel milkshake. Need we say more? Lactards beware: this is a shake of mighty proportions. If that sounds like a soy-huffer's worst nightmare, make your way straight to the excellent espressi and, of course, the Reuben sandwich.

Double Roasters

Marrickville

What was once a stark, sad bit of the Inner West has been revitalised thanks to Double Roasters. The combination of excellent coffee, a very tasty croque madame and a smart fit-out has hordes of folks piling in on the weekends. Our advice? Time your visit wisely, or make it a part of a larger Marrickville coffee crawl.

Joe Black

Surry Hills

Espresso, siphon, cold drip, filter. They’ve got it all at this Surry Hills hideaway. So whether you’re a cappuccino-and-piece-of-toast type of person, or the sort of coffee nerd who wouldn’t dream of having food anywhere near their coffee, you’ll want to meet Joe Black.

Wedge Espresso

Glebe

The best coffee in Glebe can be found right here, at the hands of Toby Wilson. The young barista built the café himself from the ground up. It’s mostly about the coffee here (ask about the secret menu, which on occasion has included a cold-drip coffee poured over a Coke slushy) but they also do a pretty ripper sandwich.

Food Awards 2012
Food Awards 2012 View our full list of winners from the Time Out Food Awards 2012

 

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