Circa, Parramatta

If there's one suburb with an escalating food scene in 2014, it had to be Parramatta. With lots of well-regarded restaurants and hip cafes opening up in the area these days, it's no wonder that more restauranteurs have set their eyes in this major city. Great for Westies like myself (even though I don't work in the area). One of the cafes that first put Parramatta on the foodie map was Circa Espresso, which won the SMH Cafe of the Year in 2013 and has consistently received the highly coveted Three Cups in the SMH Cafe Food Guide.

This was located on the quieter side of the city but it was often packed on weekends especially if you wanted to get a table. The cafe space was actually quite small so it might not fit that many people especially during its peak hours. But the narrow space was what made this cafe so charming to begin with.

Mocha

With three cups under its belt, expectations were high when it came to Circa's coffee. It had a rich and coffee bean taste that worked very well. Was also smooth and creamy too with a slightly sweet cocoa flavour. According to this year's Good Cafe Guide, they currently use 5 Senses for their coffee. Very pleased with this offering. The coffee art looks really nice too.

Egyptian Tea

My friend, A, got the Egyptian tea which looked really refreshing especially with the beach weather happening lately. 

Baked eggs - baked free range eggs with sujuk, Danish feta, diced tomatoes, with a hint of chilli and sourdough toast

The one dish I've had my eye on for a long time has been the famous baked eggs. How can I not resist them? I've had decent baked eggs but damn these eggs blew me away. It wasn't as heavy as the ones that I tried at Paper Plane Cafe on the other side of Parramatta so it was easier for me to finish off this pan. The feta was quite salty but it mixed well with the tangy diced tomatoes, runny eggs and the generous servings of the smoked sujuk (aka chorizo). It also helped in easing the spicy flavour from the chilli, which can get quite strong. There wasn't as much tomato sauce for this kind of baked eggs but I personally didn't mind since it actually made this dish lighter. Dip the crusty bread into this generous dish and you got yourself a winning dish. Sure it's pricey at $19 but it's a must have especially if you love baked eggs.

Avocado smash with Danish feta, confit cherry tomatoes and dukkah poached egg on sourdough bread

By the time I got around to doing this review, there has already been numerous variations to this popular cafe dish over the last month and a bit so I'm not too sure about the correct name of the dish...basically it's Avocade Smash (lol yeah I have a huge backlog). A decided on this dish since she was keen for a lighter option for dietary reasons. Looked incredibly delicious especially when the poached egg yolk was flowing out onto the dish. Also liked the freshness of the ingredients from the tomatoes to the smashed yet not very heavy avocado. If you want to go vegetarian but you still love eggs, I would certainly recommend this dish too.

Baked treats

While the space may be small, the service was friendly and accommodating to our requests. We were pleased with the dishes and drinks on this visit even though the prices weren't too cheap. With the delicious brunches and decent coffee, it's no surprise that this "blink-and-you-miss-it" cafe on the quiet side of Parramatta has become a major contributor to an ever-growing cafe scene in this happening city. They also do all-day breakfast and weekend trading on both Saturday and Sunday now, which are winning factors if you cannot make it to Circa on weekdays and you are a late riser like myself. 

Circa
21 Wentworth Street, Parramatta NSW 2150
(02) 8896 6071
http://circaespresso.com.au/
Tue-Fri: 7:00am - 4:00pm
Sat-Sun: 8:00am - 3:00pm
NB: Kitchen closes at 2:00pm